No I didn't get a sex change but it's the catch line at the launch of the Spring/Summer Collection of a woman's clothing brand.
Today while watching news I saw the shocking news of female infanticide still prevailing in Rajasthan. In today's world where we as Indians are talking about the great progress we are making as a nation news like this makes my head hang in shame. Will we blame the government for this? Well yeah if anybody wants to take the supposition in that direction then sure as usual we can blame it for this too by contending that not enough is being done towards education improvement in the hinterlands of the country. However, I believe government cannot do everything in this matter. It is the society and the people which have to make the paradigm shift in thinking and break these chains which are termed as traditions. Its the new generation of Indians which have to break out of these molds in which some of our archaic unreasonable "traditions" try to bracket us in. Keeping our cultural traditions alive is absolutely fine but basic human emotions, human right - the right to live can never be sacrificed in the name of demonic practices camouflaged as "traditions".
We still have popular TV serials like "Is desh mai na aana Ladoo" which make the practice of female infanticide as their punchline. I don't follow the serial and maybe it carries a social message pointing out the evils of this social curse but the couple of episodes I saw I didn't get the message. Probably in matters like this subtlety doesn't work.
Yesterday I was sitting with friends and heard about colleagues at work who are still thinking in terms of "arey yaar meri beti hai. mujhey uskey liye bhi tu sochna hai". When we have city bred, highly educated professionals living abroad talking in these terms one can understand how deeply ingrained the malaise runs in our society.
Will we ever reach a stage where women in India would be able to say "Thank God I am an India woman" and not worry about being termed "manhoos"?
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3 comments:
Well very true in a way but I feel that we have come a very long way in some places in our country. I do agree that this kind of thinking is still prevalent in certain areas/section but we also have folks who ensure that their daughters make a mark in the society. I for one will never ever let my daughter feel she is anyway inferior to guys out there. India is slowly & steadily making progress.....
yeah sure we are making progress but just like with most of the things else it is slow progress
well it depends what and how we define 'progress'
"dowry" is a much sought after practice in many well educated communities. the length a man has spent abroad is directly proportional to the amount of dowry his family can demand...as long as such practices remain nothing will change. 'girl' child will continue to be seen as a liability.
I think the govt. made some headway towards female infanticide by making a law that you have to deliver the child. Dont think they anticipated a scenario of killing female babies soon after birth...
Human beings are capable to do so!! Amazing.
So if you look at it, the govt. has made some policies at this level...on a different level the govt has made policies of legal marriagable age, tax benefits, voting rights etc. Now what we miss are policies in between - the time between a baby girl is born and reaches the age to vote and earn a living.
"aint no saint" - on international womens day, I have to say, your daughter will be a lucky one to be brought up in the way you describe. However, this will not mean that she will be spared of pressures and prejudices from the society around her.
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