Mrs. Shalini Sinha
Principal, Study Hall School
In Indian mythology ‘Manusmriti’ is considered the word of Brahma, and it is classified as the most authoritative statement on Dharma. I serve you some of Manu’s writings on women:
- “Na ast strinam………..” – 5/158. Women have no divine right to perform any religious ritual, nor make vows or observe a fast. Her only duty is to obey and please her husband and she will for that reason alone be exalted in heaven.
- “Matra swastra ………..” – 2/215.Wise people should avoid sitting alone with one’s mother, daughter or sister. Since carnal desire is always strong, it can lead to temptation.
- “Balye pitorvashay…….” – 5/151. Girls are supposed to be in the custody of their father when they are children, women must be under the custody of their husband when married and under the custody of her son as widows. In no circumstances is she allowed to assert herself independently.
- “Asheela kamvrto………” – 5/157. Men may be lacking virtue, be sexual perverts, immoral and devoid of any good qualities, and yet women must constantly worship and serve their husbands.
It has left me speechless to say the least! If these are the ‘golden’ words from our much acknowledged text that forms the base of our society, I am not surprised why our society has turned out to be what it is today.
For ages it has been believed that the different characteristics, roles and status accorded to women and men in society are determined by sex, that they are natural and therefore not changeable. Right when a child is born, the dance of gender begins, with the birth of a son being celebrated and that of a girl being a reason to sulk. There are jobs that are women-centric and some that are men-centric, in our religious texts there is in place the way a widow should lead her life, but no such laws for widowers… India is replete with discrimination of the sort.
If anything has to be achieved in order to bring sanity in our society, we need to strike hard at the root of the structure of our society. The way to do it, which will lead to sustained result, is to include in schools and college curriculum components that will teach the children to think beyond their body.
The government needs to do more in order to make women economically independent. For instance today in India a single woman does not have a good chance of getting a loan. Once the Indian woman is economically empowered she will eventually develop the courage to speak up, demand her rights and fight for her rightful place in society i.e. standing tall along with her Man counterpart.
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I think the problem is much larger than the patriarchial form of society in India.It is progressing very fast, unable to keep pace with the rest of the world and also maintain its traditions, which the world holds in high esteem. This constant churning in society results in various forms of violence and the women become the easy targets because of their vulnerability.
But at root, it is the traditions of patriarchy that render women vulnerable and easy targets. And I am suspicious of the traditions of India that the world venerates! Let them not praise us for our tradition of family and family values. The patriarchal family in India is the biggest site of women’s oppression and violence against our daughters, sisters and mothers.
We want a democratic family in a democratic society. A patriarchal family is an anomaly in a democracy.
The government needs to do more in imparting education to all as it is the only means to create an amicable atmosphere for woman as well as man. It is also needs of hour to empower women that can make the Indian woman economically empowered.The evils against women should be discouraged widely & openly.None can denied that nowadys women are playing a greater role in formation of society as well as nation than her male counterpart.
Yes Ishaan, and you boys have a very large role to play in this. Let us see you all at the fore front fighting for the rights of your sisters and campaigning for gender equality. First of all let boys learn to respect women, give them an equal place in the world and treat them fairly. And boys like you can lead that movement! Get more of your friends to participate in this campaign.
Education is the only hope. Education doesn’t mean getting
degrees, it means being civilized. We require to work on this aspect of our society. Education can make people wise and sensitive. Our young generation must now shoulder this responsibility. They can change the attitude of people towards girls and it must first start from our homes.
Without picking out on any religious text, I personally feel that upbringing plays a major part in shaping a child personality and thinking. When these religious texts have been followed for so long, was the crime rate equally bad even 50 years back? No, it wasn’t.
The very fact that we all human beings are equal and are the offspring of one Adam, is sufficient to understand that the same blood is flowing in the vines of each individual, so why harbour a feeling of superiority complex, whether it is gender based , caste based, religion based or nationality based.
If we keep an attitude then our thought will always be polluted and purity of heart will never be achieved. Consequently all the ill will, malice and vindictiveness will make home in our hearts and the result is there for all to see in the form of such degraded society as ours.
Without picking out on any religious text, I personally feel that upbringing plays a major part in shaping a child personality and thinking. When these religious texts have been followed for so long, was the crime rate equally bad even 50 years back? No, it wasn’t.
The very fact that we all human beings are equal and are the offspring of one Adam, is sufficient to understand that the same blood is flowing in the veins of each individual, so why harbour a feeling of superiority complex, whether it is gender based , caste based, religion based or nationality based.
If we behave towards others with an “attitude” then our thoughts will always be polluted and purity of heart will never be achieved. Consequently all the ill will, malice and vindictiveness will make home in our hearts and the result is there for all to see in the form of such degraded society as ours.
Hence it is essential we change our mind set. It however is difficult to change a set mind.
It is really very shocking to see that these are the things which are stated in our Hindu mythology . I wonder how can someone classify it as the most authoritative statement on Dharma . I personally feel that the moral lessons given by the parents is the most important part in the upbringing of the youth which further implies that the people in our society should realize that both the genders( whether male or female ) are equally capable of doing the same things . Both of them are human beings having equal capabilities . At last all i want to say is that we all live in a democratic nation where everyone is granted equal rights , there should be no discrimination between the two of them .
Everyday, withput fail, men should thank women that they owe their existence to women. They wouldn’t be there in the first place if there were no women. This should tilt things in favour of women.
In the days of old the work in the family was divided between men and women for running the household properly.Both men and women were given equal repect but gradually men became proud of their bread winning role and stsrted treating the women inferior to themelves
Another tradition that resulted in giving secondary status to the girls is that the family name is carried forward by sons of the family whereas the daughters once married become a part of their husband`s family.The dowry system also contributed to the girls being treated burdens.The result was that the people started neglecting the education of their daughters as they were expected to get married go away.Along with that a great amount of money was required for their dowry.Girls started being treated as “unwanted”.The unfortunate aspect is that it is not only the uneducated and poor people who concider their daughters as burdens; it is also the rich,educated and the social modern people who treat the girls as inferiors and also indulge in female foeticide.
Live proudly call our nation ‘Bharat Mata’.Thereby denoting a culture which from ancient times has repected women.We belong to a culture where men were the bread winners and women stayed at home,not because they were weaker but because they were the home makers.They give love and care – sustain and nourishthe family – they are the ‘heart’ iof the family.
Now, when girls are going out of the house,studying,working at per with men – why are they being treated as they have outstepped their boundaries?At every step,we see girls being teated with disrespect.It is not only the uneducated poor but so called – ‘modern’people also indulge in female foeticide.And if the girl is born she faces discrimination.It is because we boys/men are afraid that our position is challenged.
So let us work at getting boys and men not to feel so threatened and to realise that a more egalitarian world is good for them too. India’s sons should be working hard to make the world a safer, more hosptiable and fairer place for their sisters.
History of traditions is very interesting. What we follow today is a result of thousands of years of permutations and combinations of customs to arrive at a certain tradition. In history we find there were times where these very traditions were challenged. I think the time has come again when traditions are being challenged. We all have to work towards bringing about equality in society, that’s the challenge.