100 Years of What?

The 92 year old Kalyanikkutty Amma just

blinked her eyes when her great grand daughter
told her that it was World Women’s Day that
day. The glimpses of disbelief in her eyes
evidenced her ignorance of this vital piece of
knowledge, through all these 92 years of
hardships and struggles. But the immediate
question from her just outshined all those big
sermons being heard outside – “Why do they
make a lot of noise out there?”

History says that World Women’s Day was

previously World Working Women’s Day,
established inorder to spread awareness to
protect the rights of women at work. It’s a
thought that developed out of the rapid
industrialization that witnessed the expanding
number of working women, in the early 1900s.
But this observation gained a new dimension in 1977 when the UN General
Assembly proclaimed March 8 as UN Day for Women’s Rights and International
Peace. And now, after almost 100 years of women-friendly thoughts, are our
women safe? Do they get to enjoy the privileges of a healthy living, be it
physically or emotionally or socially? Answer is a shameless NO, as ever.

The news that hit the Indian dailies on March 8, was the denial of Euthanasia
plea for Aruna Shanbaug, a nurse in vegetative stage for the past 37 years.
Newspapers of the country celebrated this sensitive issue and all the media,
including social networking sites saw active discussions and heated debates. For
majority of the public, the denial to die with dignity was considered a serious
flaw in the administration of Indian Judicial System and thorough non-human
judgment. But our opinions about Aruna cannot be validated as we are all mere
spectators of what the media has told us. No where her opinion to live or not is
found to be recorded. What if she wishes to live in the care and caressings of
those hospital staff? What if she opt to live with dignity and not to die with
dignity. The judgment read right – “The Indian systems are not emotionally
mature to accept Euthanasia”. But the same Indian judicial systems freed the
villain of Aruna’s sufferings after just 10 years of imprisonment, where as Aruna
is living a life-sentence granted by her destiny.
And another daily read the next day “Food, fun, shopping, plays and discussions
galore on Women’s Day”. A lot of messages have been seen sent through mobile
phones and social networking sites wishing “A Happy Women’s Day!”. But isn’t
this commercialization diluting its social signification and isn’t it an evidence for
the deviation from its true core? Those who are capable of speaking and
celebrating a Women’s Day, including myself, are in no way eligible to represent
this day, as they are well aware of their rights and enjoy life in a well protected
social aura. How can the creamy layer of women just make merry like they do for
Christmas or New Year when the major lot of women in this country is still
unattended and is reeling in the stinking age old social taboos?

Increasing women’s participation in the legislative

assemblies or denoting the number of participants
in arts/sports/social front cannot be counted as
an indicator of women empowerment in India.
This is simply because, only the number increases
whereas those ignorant pockets still have dowry
deaths, child marriages, sex abuse, flesh trade,
molestations and all those brutalities that can be
inflicted upon women. It was during my
adolescence in 1998, that my brains registered the
first case of the so called eve-teasing where Sarika
Shah a college girl was sent to the heavenly abode
by a group of sexually aggressive men. And now
almost 13 years later, we “celebrate” Women’s Day
amidst the much celebrated cases of Ruchika,
Arushi, Aruna, Bhanwari Devi, Soumya, Muskaan,
Radhika Tanwar and the lot. And much more are
yet unheard and unanswered. No wonder that an
e-magazine described India as “The Rape Kingdom”. If we, Indians, continue to
refuse educating and helping ill-fated lot of Indian women to realize their value,
the Women’s Day of 2012 can be celebrated by crowning India as the Rape Empire
of the world or by conducting a reality show to find the Rape Capital of the
country.
Social stigmas are not permanent if given proper preventive vaccines and eye
openers through persistent efforts. Its you and me that can make a difference,
because we are now immune to unsafe way of living. Together we can!

(Read this also at : http://pen-of-a-nomad.blogspot.com/ )