Maybe It’s Time To Stop Being A ‘Mard’ And Start Being A Human Now!

In India, the word Mardaangi is an emotion of being the better gender. Mardaangi is being too superior to do anything that a woman is expected to do. 

Manhood. According to the Oxford Dictionary, ‘manhood is the state or time of an adult man rather than a child (boy)’ However, in India, the definition of manhood is totally different.

In India, Mardaangi is an emotion of being the better gender. Mardaangi is being too superior to do anything that a woman is expected to do. It is being the ‘knight in shining armour’ for a ‘damsel in distress,’ and not her partner.

‘Mai mard hu’

‘Main mard hoon, I can’t stay at home while my wife goes to work! I’m not supposed to take care of my child. But I’m supposed to earn that money and be the protector and caretaker of my family!’

Okay. Not to sound so archaic, but, I think, deep inside the mind of every modern Indian man, there could be thoughts similar to this one. If he doesn’t have them, congratulations, he’s a feminist! (don’t worry, that’s a good thing)

We know that men are prejudiced to be the ones to bring home the bread, to take care of their families, and to protect their loved ones. Let’s emphasise on prejudice.

So, if this is a prejudice, what is the ideal situation? How would a society where men aren’t pressured into doing this, and women aren’t expected to be the perfect wife look like? What is the scenario where staying at home doesn’t hurt men’s ego, and women are just fellow humans?

We all deserve an equal society!

A society where men and women are equal. Where they don’t have to go to work or stay at home because of their gender, but because they choose to. A society where decisions are made based on rational thinking, not because of gender difference.

The truth is that there are some societies that are, ideally, gender-equal. But how many are there? How many men are there that don’t put their gender first? Not enough.

Gender equality is not a luxury, it is a basic ethic. Differentiation on the basis of gender is immoral, and it must be stopped by every human on the planet.

Being a man should be equal to being a human. Actually, being a woman should be equal to being a human too. We are equal. There’s no difference in our capabilities, and we shouldn’t formulate any.

Don’t be a mard. Be human.

Picture credits: Still from Bollywood movie Kabir Singh 

Paakhi Maheshwari

Paakhi is a seventeen-year-old published author, blogger, and the founder of "An Insipid

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