1

The world poet TAGORE SAID, “WOMEN ARE THE ORNAMENTS OF SOCIETY”

Once it was also well said BY O’L .HENRY “THERE IS A WOMEN AT THE BEGINNING AND AT THE END OF EVERY GOOD DEAL OR WORK”…………

“The strength of a woman is not measured by the impact that all her hardships in life have had on her; but the strength of a woman is measured by the extent of her refusal to allow those hardships to dictate her and who she becomes.”

Men make roads; but it is the women who teach children how to walk on them.

THEN WHY WAS THE CONDITION OF THESE WOMEN WERE WORST IN THE PAST IN INDIA?

DOES THE SAME PREVAIL IN INDIAN SOCIETY EVEN NOW?

The birth of a girl, so goes a popular Hindu saying, is akin to the arrival of Lakshmi – the four-armed goddess of wealth, often depicted holding lotus flowers and an overflowing pot of gold.

That should assure pride of place for women in Indian society, especially now the country is growing both in global influence and affluence.

But unfortunately “as a child, she faces abuse, rape and early marriage and even when she marries, she is killed for dowry. If she survives all of this, as a widow she is discriminated against and given no rights over inheritance or property.

Many of the crimes against women are in India’s heavily populated northern plains, where, in parts, there is a deep-rooted mindset that women are inferior and must be restricted to being homemakers and child bearers.

In addition, age-old customs such as payment of hefty dowries at the time of marriage and beliefs linking a female’s sexual behavior to family honour have made girls seem a burden.

2

Indeed, a girl’s fight for survival begins in the womb due to an overwhelming desire for sons and fear of dowry, which has resulted in 12 million girls being aborted over the last three decades, according to a 2011 study by The Lancet.

This has led to a decline in the number of women in proportion to men in many areas, resulting in a rise in rapes, human trafficking and, in certain cases, practices such as “wife-sharing” amongst brothers.

In fact, the curse of dowry continues even after marriage. One bride was murdered every hour over dowry demands in 2010, says the National Crime Records Bureau. Some are “stove burnings” where in-laws pour kerosene, the commonly used cooking fuel of poorer homes, over women and set them alight, making it appear accidental.

“The courts are flooded with cases of gender-related crimes,” said retired Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju. He said honour and dowry murders should be punished with death.

“These are not normal crimes. These are social crimes because they disrupt the entire social fabric of the community. When you commit crimes against women, it has a lasting impact.”

Experts say child marriage remains among the biggest hurdles to women’s development in India and has a domino effect. Almost 45 percent of Indian girls are married before they turn 18, says the International Center for Research on Women.

In the narrow, crowded alleyways of Sapara slum on the outskirts of Delhi, 15-year-old newly married Aarti has never been to school and says she was married off because her father has tuberculosis and couldn’t work or afford to look after her.

“I said no, but my mother said my father was sick, so I had no choice,” Aarti said, wearing the traditional bright red bangles of new Hindu brides.

3

“I spent my time doing domestic chores. I like to play with dolls … but my grandmother has taken them away now. She says I don’t need them anymore.”

Though women have occupied a significant, albeit paradoxical place in Indian society through the ages. This is evident in historical accounts, ancient stories, poetry and narrations. Throughout, women have been viewed as the pivot around which the family revolves.

In the Vedic Age, women enjoyed a privileged status, in no way less than a man. After the Vedic Age the position of women in society weakened. Further during the Muslim period the customs and traditions which advocated subordination of women exacerbated prevalent Hindu thinking of the time. Seclusion of women, for reasons of security and respectability, female infanticide, and other such practices became commonplace at the time of Muslim rule and persisted thereafter. At a later period in history, during the early British regime, the situation was no better. However, with the passage of time, the British presence had the effect of generating self-awareness among women and they made their presence felt in the freedom struggle.

Thousands came forward as volunteers at the call of Mahatma Gandhi who spurred the movement for Women’s emancipation. Among them were Sarojini Naidu, Vijaya Laxmi Pandit, Mrs. Aruna Asaf Ali and others. He addressed women directly, inspiring and encouraging them to shed their stereotyped roles and render their services to society as educators, politicians and working professionals.

The twentieth century saw the emergence of Mahila Samitis and other organisations devoted to the upliftrnent of women. They educated society about the ill-effects of the purdah system, child marriage and ill-treatment of widows. They campaigned for equal rights for women in franchise and education. As a consequence of their efforts and women's indirect participation in the World War, "the Indian Reforms Act of 1921 enfranchised a small section of Indian population for the first time and women were also included". Thus, the situation has gradually improved with time.

4

Despite of all these still many women are sexually harassed on streets and in the workplace, molested in buses and trains and raped at home and in public spaces. If they spurn the unwanted advances of men they risk becoming victims of acid attacks.

And once again the news of a 23-year old Para-medical student being raped in a private bus in Delhi has outraged most concerned citizens as usual. Even our parliamentarians have raised their voice with emotions and anger, Union Home Minister announced punishment for the inefficient policemen.

In the wake of Nirbhaya’s tragedy, many are calling for police reforms, heightened security for women in public places, and fast-tracking cases of rape in the court system. Some are demanding harsher punishments for convicted rapists, including the death penalty and chemical castration.

But imposing the death penalty or chemically castrating rapists will not solve the problem.

BUT THERE ARE NO IMMEDIATE RESULTS, which is what our politicians, media and even the general people want. Moreover, in this era we have no another Gandhi or Vivekananda today. And if we were to be honest, even their projects for social change registered very limited success.

Hence the big questions arise is, “Should a country like India wait for few generations to get rid of a heinous crime like rape and various atrocities on women"?

If not then what are the solutions?

On the other hand it's no secret that our criminal justice system comprising police and judiciary is broken. It is a dead horse.

The only way to revive the horse is to reform the system. Police reforms and judicial reforms are the answer. There are many reports laying out the roadmap of these reforms which are yet to be implement.

5

Due to this incidence we may see the Veeranganas on the street (Guwahati follows this model), or helplines for women’s crime, or women-only police stations, public-police partnerships, government-funded public campaigns against rape, a call for CCTV cameras in buses, or some other such suggestions. Each of these steps has merit but they are all akin to temporarily treating the symptom when the malignant malaise devours the innards. The real answer is fixing our policing and criminal justice system. More police, better trained police, police free of political control, professional investigations, quick convictions, early disposal of appeals, prompt justice — the wishlist is already known to be repeated.

But none of this will happen. We will end up with some cosmetic steps to satisfy the outraged public and keep the media at bay this clamour is now slowly subsiding. The media will also move to the next story. And will we wait for the next rape?

If not this mindset needs to be changed immediately within the home. Indians need to love and treat their children of both sexes equally, and instill in their sons the importance of respecting women.

Despite the immensity of the challenge, the Indian societies mainly the youths are encouraged by the recent mass protests. Before the incident of Nirbhaya’s tragedy only feminists and women’s groups talked about the corrosive impact of India’s patriarchal culture. Now it’s a positive sign that not only women but men are also taking to the streets in unison, and standing shoulder to shoulder in demanding much needed change and this should not be go to vein.

“FINALLY I WOULD LIKE TO REMEMBER YOU THAT THE STATUE OF LIBERTY “WHICH IS THE SYMBOL OF PEACE AND LIBERTY IS NO OTHER THAN THE WOMEN. BEING AN IMMORTAL STATUE IT CONTROLLS THE ENTITRE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. ALSO IN INDIA ONE OF THE TRAIN RUNNING FROM MUMBAI CST TO KARJAT IS DRIVEN BY THE ONLY WOMEN IN CENTRAL RAILWAY BY A WOMEN NAME “SUREKHA YADAV” WHO IS THE FIRST WOMEN ENGINE TRAIN DRIVER IN ASIA AND IS ON A HIGH ZOOMING TRAINS RUNNING THROUGH

6

THE METROPOLIS OF MUMBAI. THUS THE WOMEN THAT GIVES BIRTH IS THE ONLY RELATED VICTIM OF HER OWN “CHILDS BIRTH”. THUS RESPECT WOMENS AND THEREBY EVERY LIFE

Finishing my speech with a heart touching SMS send by one of my male colleague

Baby Diary: 15th June: - I get attached with mom. 17th June: - I am a tissue now. 30th June: - Mom said to dad, U’r going to B a father’. Mom – Dad are very happy. 15th July: - My food is what my mom eats. 15th Sept: - I can feel my heart beat. 14th Oct: - I have little hands, head n a stomach. 13th Nov.: - Today I was scan ultrascan. WOW……! 14TH Nov.:- I was dead……!My Mom n Dad killed me………..WHY….?Is it just because I was girl……..?When people love to have a MOTHER, WIFE AND OFCOURSE A GIRLFRIEND TOO THEN WHY NOT A DAUGHTER……….? Thank you everybody for listening me with patience.

Mahua BhattacharjeePGT English