03 January 2013, 04:44 PM IST
The 'dented and painted women' remark of President Pranab Mukherjee's son Abhijit has invited widespread criticism. So has been the case of other politicians who made ridiculous comment about women. It reflected their deep-rooted patriarchal mindset and the quest to appease their equally patriarchal vote bank. We saw and heard 'elite' and 'intellectual' of the society in live debates on various news channels passing judgment on the mindset of these politicians. The same set of people have been passing judgment on the conduct of political class, police functioning, bureaucratic system and diktats of Khap panchayats and almost everything which takes place in the country. But I doubt how many of them including media persons really follow what they preach.
I am saying so because many of these 'elite and intellectuals' (the privileged class) start signing a different tune when their interests are hit or they join politics. We have seen several veteran 'secular' journalists who becoming advocates of harline hindutava and 'honest' ones advisers of corrupt Congress regime. We have also seen a lawyer who contested election against Atal Bihari Vajpayee describing him as 'communal' but today is a big supporter of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi. Similarly, some 'honest' lawyers are defending UPA's 'corrupt' rule. They get away by saying that that it is part of their profession. The same excuse is taken by the film-makers, actors and ad gurus who on TV talk of high values but depict women in traditional stereotype roles or as a commodity and a sex object. If we really want to change the society, it should flow from the top including the English speaking privileged class.
The patriarchy is not only deep-rooted in our Indian society but also embedded in the traditions, concepts and language we have lifted from the West. We must question the commonly used words and phrases which reflect gender bias. No matter, how gender sensitive we claim ourselves to be, the lingo plays an important role in shaping our views. Why a woman shelving clothes is referred as 'bold' and a poor woman tribal who fights against all odds for survival but does not have enough to cover her body is termed as 'bechari'. The beauty with brains is another term which should be scrapped. It gives impression that 'beauty with brains' is a unique feature. The fact is that the term has been coined to serve 'market forces' which exploit women to sell products ranging from men's undergarments to washing machine. The mindset in conditioned in such a way that women find nothing wrong in the term and feel great.
Often, people (mostly lawyers in court) use the phrase "Caeser's wife should be above suspicion" to define probity in public life without realising the inherent gender inequality. The question is why should Caesar's wife be above suspicion and why not Caesar himself? Julius Caesar married Pompeia to establish himself in Roman politics and later divorced her to keep his status intact. It is said that after Caesar was elected chief priest in 63 BC, Pompeia hosted a festival in which only women were invited but a man sneaked in. But he was caught and prosecuted for sacrilege. The man was acquitted for want of evidence but despite that in order to 'prove' himself 'worthy' of his position, Caesar divorced Pompeia saying that Caesar's wife must be above suspicion. Caesar himself was said to be involved in romantic affairs during his lifetime but the principle of 'being above suspicion' was never applied on him.
Further, in the phrase "prostitution is the oldest profession", the word profession tends to justify a practice which ideally should be called "oldest form of women exploitation". Pre-historic human beings lived in groups. Some would have been good at hunting, while some in making weapons and other things required for survival. The food collected was divided among all the members. There would have been occasions when a women (pregnant or with small kids or for any other reason) would have found it hard to collect food, which forced themselves to be exploited by men in exchange of food required for their survival and that of their children. The question is why hunting or weapon craft is not called as oldest professions. Today, thousands of women and girls are forced into prostitution every year. Over 99% don't opt for it willingly. But prostitution exists because men run the rackets and they are also the consumers.
Every culture and language has hundreds of such derogatory expressions for women. Even abuses are women-centric. The language of laws is also full of gender bias. Almost all the religions (in practice) discriminate against women. Scriptures prescribe equality but in reality women are treated as property of men. Eve is blamed for Adam's sin. In India, we say "yatra narastu poojyante, ramante tatra devata" (gods reside where women are worshipped) but a crime against woman takes place every minute. Even after passing 'agni-praiksha' following her release from Ravana's captivity, Sita was abandoned by Ram when a person questioned her integrity. She escorted her husband to forest for 14 years but on return was sent to forest again at a time when she was pregnant. There would be number of arguments justifying Ram's action but the fact is that the principle of purity is always applied on women and not men.
I find India's freedom struggle as golden period for women empowerment. If there were men reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy (prohibition of sati), Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar (widow re-marriage) and Jyotiba Phule (women education), women like Rani Laxmi Bai, Savitri Bai Phule, Anandi Gopal, Sucheta Kriplani, Aruna Asif Ali, Lakshmi Sehgal and Durgavati Devi among others achieved goals considered impossible for women till then. Gandhi's non-violent movement brought even rural and backward women in large number at the forefront. The movement saw women fighting not only against the colonial rule but also against social ills like dowry, child marriage, domestic violence etc. Bhimrao Ambedkar worked for emancipation of dalit women who were being forced into prostitution to serve upper castes. It has his efforts that gave Hindu woman right in father's property and right to divorce.
Ideally, these women should be our icons but unfortunate part is that today's generation (particularly the privileged class) knows nothing or very little about their lives and works. A young Aruna Asif Ali, just 33-year-old, led the Quit India movement in 1942 when all big leaders of the Congress party were arrested to preempt the agitation. She hoisted the Congress flag at Gowalia Tank Maidan in Mumbai while facing police cane-charge. She led the movement while remaining underground. Her property was seized by the British rulers and an award of Rs 5,000 was declared on her but she continued the struggle without aspiring for political power. A doctor by professions, Captain Lakshmi Sehgal, a commander in Indian National Army of Subhash Chandra Bose, fought bravely against British forces, was arrested and jailed. After freedom, she settled down in Kanpur and quietly served poor till her death.
Durgavati Devi popularly know as Durga bhabhi was a great revolutionary who planned and executed several operations. Wife of Prof Bhagwati Charan Vohra, also a revolutionary, she influenced minds of legendary revolutionaries like Chandrashekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh. Most of us know her as the lady who played as Bhagat Singh's wife to help him escape from Lahore in November 1928 after killing John P Saunders, Assistant Superintendent of Police, to avenge the killing of Lala Lajpat Rai. After Bhagat Singh and his comrades were sentenced to death, Durga bhabhi led the movement and decided to avenge his death. Meanwhile, her husband also died wile testing a bomb. She was arrested and jailed. After independence, she lived in oblivion serving poor. These are few women among many who came out of hypnotic influence of men and did what they wanted to do. And, they always kept nation above self.
Men also need to take inspiration from these women and work to change the society. We need to undo the historical injustice done to women. Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, philosopher and India's second president, once said "The position of women in any society is a true index of its cultural and spiritual level." The men and women should also remember what Mahatma Gandhi said (To call woman the weaker sex is a libel; it is man's injustice to woman. If by strength is meant brute strength, then, indeed, is woman less brute than man. If by strength is meant moral power, then woman is immeasurably man's superior. (Young India: 1930)". He also said the "Woman must cease to consider herself the object of man's lust. The remedy is more in her hands than man's. She must refuse to adorn herself for men, including her husband, if she will be an equal partner with man. (Young India: 1921).
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