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Women empowerment is great but for girls from the slums in India, it is still a pipe dream.
I always get very excited on receiving responses on my articles from readers across the world. I love to discover that my articles are able to influence women that need some push. I thoroughly enjoy reading the discussions that get ignited as a “comment” on my posts. Seeing a woman taking charge of her life, deciding what she should wear, how she must talk or walk, etc., amuse me to no end. However, I realise now that my articles are meant for women who are well-educated, that is those who understand English and are net-savvy, which basically constitute only a minuscule percentage of our population (less than 1%). The rest is full of those people who have no clue of the rights of women, no understanding of family planning, no idea of the importance of education and health.
As I walked down the streets of the slum where I teach, I saw the live paintings of real India in its rawest form; where a low-income family thrives with five kids; where an LED TV is a higher priority than computers (for kids); where spending money on marriage, property, bike or car is a higher priority than on education; where the girls are borne out of series of unplanned pregnancies in want of a boy-child, and are brought up only to be married off as soon as possible ; where the mothers are to bear the babies and cook food; where the boys are mostly involved in local gangs, putting boundaries on their sisters, with no achievements in life; and where the fathers are burdened with an endless list of daily expenditures.
To people here, admitting their daughters into a nearby local government school is all that takes to educating them. The mid-day meal and government funds work as a strong incentive for most families for sending their kids to the school.
I realise that all the articles on “women empowerment and education” that I have been reading and writing so far make no sense to this massive section of the society. To people here, admitting their daughters into a nearby local government school is all that takes to educating them. The mid-day meal and government funds work as a strong incentive for most families for sending their kids to the school. The parents are willing to come to school to enquire about the various funds that government gives them based on caste and category, but not to check their child’s progress. After coming back, if at all they go to school, the daughters must participate in the household activities. Forget Algebra and Geometry, learning basic addition and subtraction is a devil’s task for them. These girls rarely can speak about their feelings in their mother tongue, forget about speaking out loudly for women rights.
Nonetheless, after the commencement of this naked truth, the importance of the role we play in the society gets even stronger with each passing day. In a country where such a large proportion of our society is still in so much darkness, crimes are bound to happen; bad governments are elected; particles of corruption can smoothly run through the blood of people in power and position; and so much more. It’s like the passive smoking phenomenon in which “the one who shares the air with that of the smoking person, also shares its side effects whether he smokes or not”. So if we want a healthy and safe life for our families, we need to make sure that we are not breathing in an intoxicating air. The implications of illiteracy are larger than life.
The basic operation of addition and subtraction is a devil’s task for them, forget about the complex equations of Algebra and Geometry. These girls rarely can speak about their feelings in their mother tongue, forget about speaking out loudly for women rights.
And the sooner we realise it, the better!
Image via Shutterstock.
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People say that women are the greatest enemies of women. I vehemently disagree. It is the patriarchal mindset that makes women believe in the wrong ideology.
The entire world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024. It should be a joyful day, but unfortunately, not all women are entitled to this privilege, as violence against women is at its peak. The experience of oppression pushes many women to choose freedom. As far as patriotism is concerned, feminism is not a cup of tea in this society.
What happens when a woman decides to stand up for herself? Does this world easily accept the decisions of women in this society? What inspires them to be free of the clutches of the oppression that women have faced for ages? Most of the time, women do not get the chance to decide for themselves. Their lives are always at the mercy of someone, which can be their parents, siblings, husband, or children.
In some cases, women do not feel the need to make any decisions. They are taught to obey the patriarchal system, which makes them believe that they are right. In my family, I was never taught to make decisions on my own. It was always my parents who bought dresses and all that I needed.
14 years after her last feature film Dhobi Ghat, storyteller extraordinaire comes up with her new film, Laapataa Ladies, a must watch.
*Some spoilers alert*
Every religion around the world dictates terms to women. The onus is always on women to be ‘modest’ and cover their faces and bodies so men can’t be “tempted”, rather than on men to keep their eyes where they belong and behave like civilized beings. So much so that even rape has been excused on the grounds of women eating chowmein or ‘men will be men’. I think the best Hindi movie retort to this unwanted advice on ‘akeli ladki khuli tijori ki tarah hoti hai’ (an alone woman is like an open jewellery box) came from Geet in Jab We Met – Kya aap gyan dene ke paise lete hain kyonki chillar nahin hain mere paas.
The premise of Laapataa Ladies is beautifully simple – two brides clad in the ghunghat that covers their identity get mixed up on a train. Within this Russian Doll, you get a comedy of errors, a story of getting lost, a commentary on patriarchy’s attitude towards women, a mystery, and a tale of finding oneself, all in one. Done with a mostly light touch that has you laughing and nodding along.
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