A couple of weeks ago, the first episode in the second season of Amir Khan's TV Show 'Satya Mev Jayate' went on air, and I was among the many viewers who were glued to the T.V screen waiting in anticipation as to what the new season had in store for us. A few minutes into the show and I was getting uncomfortable. I was undecided between reaching for the remote to turn off the T.V and continuing to watch the show. I was struggling to fight back tears as the narrator went on narrating one incident after the other - real life incidents of atrocities against women, atrocities of such heinous nature that it could make one shudder at the very thought of it. As the show ended, I couldnt but help feel angry, disgusted and alarmed at the plight of women in our country.
I guess a women's struggle begins very early on in life, even before she is born, not all mothers are fortunate enough to bring a baby girl into the world, what with the increasing number of gender selective abortions. From childhood you are told that you are a girl and there are a lot of limitations to been a girl. You are taught a list of things that you are supposed to do and also a list of things that you are not supposed to do and the justifications for the same. You refuse to accept them and you are labelled a rebel, and in most cases you are reprimanded. All these Do's and Dont's become so ingrained in the girl's mind that by the time she grows up, she no longer wants to question why is it so.
If there is one thing that plays the most critical role in changing the girl's outlook towards life, I would say it is 'education'. Nothing empowers a women more than education. It changes the way she thinks, it gives her the conviction to have faith in her strengths, to pursue her ambitions, and to find her rightful place in the world. However her journey is not easy. At every stage in her life, she has to fight to prove to the world what she is worth; she has to battle it out against people who ridicule her, people who try to let her down, people who treat her badly, and people who hurt her with their words and deeds. However every once in a while you do come across people who lend you a helping hand rather than wait for an opportunity to let you down. Despite of all the hardships, she succeeds, no matter how many times you let her down, she gathers herselves and comes back stronger than ever, such is the strength of a woman!
I might be offending many women who are reading this, but I am not of the opinion that men and women are equal in all ways; men do enjoy certain privileges that we women can never dream of, but that does not, in any way, make women inferior to men. Personally, I feel that women, even though they are portrayed to be more emotional and sensitive than their male counterparts, are better at handling emotions. They usually have been through so many emotional struggles that they can better handle emotional situations than men. They also are better task masters than men, as they are used to juggling too many things at a time and hence have mastered that art of managing many tasks with ease. They add more color to your life, they can bring you up when you are feeling down, and they really mean it when they say "I'll take care of you". Care and affection come so naturally to women. I always wonder how could someone ever be rude to a woman.
As women, we are not asking for respect or any sort of special consideration. The only thing we ask for is a right to live happily, peacefully, and without any fear. Today, when a girl leaves home, she herself is not sure as to what awaits her, what ordeals she has to go through to get through the day, or whether she would be able to make it back home safely. Amidst all the celebrations and hype surrounding The International Women's Week, I was wondering, what is it that today's women is trying to tell the whole world, is it that "Look, I have come a long way" or is it "Take a look at what I have achieved", well it might be, but I guess the strongest message that every woman wishes to send to the whole world today (and I guess since time immemorial) is a very simple one "Live and let live".
If there is one thing that plays the most critical role in changing the girl's outlook towards life, I would say it is 'education'. Nothing empowers a women more than education. It changes the way she thinks, it gives her the conviction to have faith in her strengths, to pursue her ambitions, and to find her rightful place in the world. However her journey is not easy. At every stage in her life, she has to fight to prove to the world what she is worth; she has to battle it out against people who ridicule her, people who try to let her down, people who treat her badly, and people who hurt her with their words and deeds. However every once in a while you do come across people who lend you a helping hand rather than wait for an opportunity to let you down. Despite of all the hardships, she succeeds, no matter how many times you let her down, she gathers herselves and comes back stronger than ever, such is the strength of a woman!
I might be offending many women who are reading this, but I am not of the opinion that men and women are equal in all ways; men do enjoy certain privileges that we women can never dream of, but that does not, in any way, make women inferior to men. Personally, I feel that women, even though they are portrayed to be more emotional and sensitive than their male counterparts, are better at handling emotions. They usually have been through so many emotional struggles that they can better handle emotional situations than men. They also are better task masters than men, as they are used to juggling too many things at a time and hence have mastered that art of managing many tasks with ease. They add more color to your life, they can bring you up when you are feeling down, and they really mean it when they say "I'll take care of you". Care and affection come so naturally to women. I always wonder how could someone ever be rude to a woman.
As women, we are not asking for respect or any sort of special consideration. The only thing we ask for is a right to live happily, peacefully, and without any fear. Today, when a girl leaves home, she herself is not sure as to what awaits her, what ordeals she has to go through to get through the day, or whether she would be able to make it back home safely. Amidst all the celebrations and hype surrounding The International Women's Week, I was wondering, what is it that today's women is trying to tell the whole world, is it that "Look, I have come a long way" or is it "Take a look at what I have achieved", well it might be, but I guess the strongest message that every woman wishes to send to the whole world today (and I guess since time immemorial) is a very simple one "Live and let live".
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