A mere imaginary skeleton of rights for women in India         
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They say - India is a democratic country. Every individual of this country has a right to fight for one’s right. If anyone thinks that somewhere he or she is getting condescended as far as one’s right goes, then the individual has a prerogative to raise a voice against it. But really, are there any such rights? OR to be precisely – Are there any such rights for women? And even if there are any, had they been implemented rationally in the past? Had their voices and cry asking for a help against their exploitation being heard at needy times at least once? And even if they are heard, had a justice being served to them? These are some of the questions that I am having from my childhood which are still befuddling me.

From our ancestors’ time, we have seen the way women are being treated in India. She is still honored as a doormat of the house. On one front, we brag about living in a 21st century and on the other side, we are still treating women the way they were treated by our forefathers. I guess, to some extent, India has used its intelligence and mind very well for stepping into the 21st century with strong footholds, but still it has kept its heart and soul to its lineage and never borrowed it. Women in India are still getting humiliated from the days of yore in rather more aggravated way than before.

From the day a baby girl opens her eyes to see a beautiful world, she is offered with the picturesque of discrimination where a birth of a boy is celebrated in a more cheerful way than when a girl gets her feet on the earth. Somewhere, in some part of India, at this juncture also, the scene can be still visible. The only thing is - It is not replicated in same number. However, the number is still too high to scrutinize the scenario.

The jinx for women just doesn't stop here. Whenever the situation demands to give the best education either to a son or to a daughter; every time a son finds an upper hand. The superstition of a dowry for a marriage is still followed in India and that too not just in rural part but in some highly sophisticated urban areas as well. The only difference is that, the vogue of doing the so called ritual has transformed into a more sinister way. Even after the marriage, she is not permitted to live freely. The onus of being the sole earner of bread and butter for the family is still handed over to the other counterpart in many houses of India and she is merely kept to look after the family. Is it the responsibility of a man of the house only? Can’t a female be the head of the house and the bringer of food?

In this highly globalized world, we have seen that women are no longer seen in a supplementary role only. In each field, they are completing with men with great efforts. In fact, in some fields, they have proven to be far more efficient than men. They know how to bring management in the business, the skill that they inherited from themselves while balancing the marriage life. However, the number is still too small to get overwhelmed with. In corporate world as well, only a handful number of women have been able to be at top positions mostly because of male oriented profession. In many cases, a woman handling both professional and marriage life has to raise a child by herself where the virile of the family just sits and watches the drama.

The injustice that is done towards women is not only confined to behavioral treatment towards them. In many parts of the India, instances of a woman getting raped is quite frequent. Most of the time, in such cases, the psychological ramifications for the victim looked more vulnerable than the physical ones.

The recent case of Delhi gang rape of a girl “Nirbhaya” (Pseudo name) is a perfect epitome to illustrate such heinous act. The thought of the way she got brutally gang raped today also brings goosebumps and shivering. Though the instance has brought an unprecedented revolution in the thinking of a common man and the government about such cases, did it really serve the purpose? The government has amended the criminal law for such cases, but, to eradicate such shameless acts, do we need to sacrifice a woman again next time? The steps on a precaution basis can’t be taken without letting such instances to happen again? I know the issue is still vast to prune completely, but small steps for women’s safety need to be taken to keep everyone wary of the severity of the issue. Also, the government has to find some plausible solutions for this and that too expediently.

It is so true that a woman in India has to do sacrifices at each level whether as a daughter or as a sister or as a wife or as a mother. But, what is pivotal is to bring the remedy to eradicate all types of discrimination that are done towards them and what we need to do as a part of the society is to serve justice to them, to feel their pain, to bring equality between the two sexes and to make their poignant life a little bit happy.

Note : There are so many such blatant acts of harassment, rapes, exploitation, female feticide, etc. happen every day to women of India of which we are totally unaware of and even if I want to mention them, I will be running out of papers and words.

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