It has been a wonderful morning so far! After I dropped Manasi off at the bus, I went for a long walk along the lake - winter is relenting - not freezing anymore, merely brisk and invigorating! Then yoga, followed by my Mandarin lesson. I even managed to wrap up a couple of items on my to-do list that had been languishing for ages! Phew - now I need a nap!!
Meanwhile, back in the real world - has anybody else noticed that news about the trial for the accused in the Delhi case have slowly slipped off the radar? Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places, maybe the TV news are covering this? After the tidal wave of public fury and outrage, it would be a shame if the case just fizzled away and true justice was denied! On the other hand, would anyone be truly surprised if the perpetrators got away with just a slap on the wrist?
What a dichotomy - only to be found in India! This is a land where the Goddess as Lakshmi, Durga & Saraswati is venerated and worshiped in a majority of households, a country which has seen powerful women such as Indira Gandhi hold center stage - and yet, this is the same country where millions of women struggle to live with a bit of dignity and respect. Women's rights, what's that?!
And while it is easy to blame everything from Bollywood movies and TV soaps to the chauvinistic attitude of Indian men, isn't it true that we women are our worst enemies most of the time? Instead of bemoaning the lack of support from society, I think we are best served by standing up for ourselves. True, society needs to change, attitudes need to change - but this change needs to happen from within. I am not talking of dramatic and drastic upheavals - just simple things, like a mother being able to sign her child's report card for school!
In a society where men and women are genuinely treated as equals, there would be no need for 'women's rights'. Surprisingly, China has much to teach us in this respect. 'Women hold up half the sky' is one of Chairman Mao's teachings, and the Chinese seem to have taken it to heart. There is no special treatment for women - and totally absent is the condescension and patronizing attitude so prevalent in India.
I'm going to get off my soapbox now. Everything that needs to be said and then some more, has been said about the condition of women in Indian society. Adding my two cents to the clamor doesn't do anybody any good. Coming back to the Delhi case, I sincerely hope that our judiciary decides to make an example of these sad excuses for men, and sentences them most severely. That would certainly be a step in the right direction, and hopefully, the beginning of a new era of respect.
Meanwhile, back in the real world - has anybody else noticed that news about the trial for the accused in the Delhi case have slowly slipped off the radar? Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places, maybe the TV news are covering this? After the tidal wave of public fury and outrage, it would be a shame if the case just fizzled away and true justice was denied! On the other hand, would anyone be truly surprised if the perpetrators got away with just a slap on the wrist?
What a dichotomy - only to be found in India! This is a land where the Goddess as Lakshmi, Durga & Saraswati is venerated and worshiped in a majority of households, a country which has seen powerful women such as Indira Gandhi hold center stage - and yet, this is the same country where millions of women struggle to live with a bit of dignity and respect. Women's rights, what's that?!
And while it is easy to blame everything from Bollywood movies and TV soaps to the chauvinistic attitude of Indian men, isn't it true that we women are our worst enemies most of the time? Instead of bemoaning the lack of support from society, I think we are best served by standing up for ourselves. True, society needs to change, attitudes need to change - but this change needs to happen from within. I am not talking of dramatic and drastic upheavals - just simple things, like a mother being able to sign her child's report card for school!
In a society where men and women are genuinely treated as equals, there would be no need for 'women's rights'. Surprisingly, China has much to teach us in this respect. 'Women hold up half the sky' is one of Chairman Mao's teachings, and the Chinese seem to have taken it to heart. There is no special treatment for women - and totally absent is the condescension and patronizing attitude so prevalent in India.
I'm going to get off my soapbox now. Everything that needs to be said and then some more, has been said about the condition of women in Indian society. Adding my two cents to the clamor doesn't do anybody any good. Coming back to the Delhi case, I sincerely hope that our judiciary decides to make an example of these sad excuses for men, and sentences them most severely. That would certainly be a step in the right direction, and hopefully, the beginning of a new era of respect.
No comments:
Post a Comment