The Myth they name it “Woman Empowerment in India”

First let me tell few stories here.

• This guy works in a reputed MNC. He is 32 , looking for a bride. We have few common friends, one day we were sitting in CCD and pulling his leg about his matrimony hunt. He said “ I just want a simple girl yaar, educated, homely, religious, caring and most importantly not working in IT like you! I have seen all you IT girls, can’t see one like you at home as well. Either school teacher or just stay at home”.

• One day the maid at my mom’s place reached late. She started dusting and cleaning but she was awfully quiet that day. We asked her ‘what happened Meera?’; she started managing her running nose then ended up in tears. She got married with this cobbler 8 years back, now they have 2 daughters and one young son. She works in 12 houses in our apartment; whatever she earns she buys food-ration and sends her daughters to school. The elder daughter wakes up after her mom leaves, makes boiled rice and potato for father and her siblings, goes to school and finishes house-hold chores in the evening. Meera broke into tears describing how her husband demanded mutton curry and rice last night after returning home drunk. Then he threw them out of house and cursed them for his ‘lifetime agony’.

• That day I was following the Union Budget highlights, first budget of Modi Sarkar after winning election. Finance Minister lamented apathy towards statistics of the girl-child education in India, announced 100 Crore for “Beti Padao, Beti Badao  Yojna”. After 2 weeks, I was shocked by the news headlines in Bangalore TOI. 6 years old student got raped in school premises during school hour, the school is at walking distance from my home, and one of the reputed schools in this area. It’s been 14 days, the suspects are yet to be arrested.

I could have brought up more stories here. But I don’t find it necessary as shamefully these stories are being published, read and discussed over tea somewhere, someplace else.

Is it a myth or truth that Women in India are really getting empowered?

My male friend is still in search of the ‘homely sweet bride’; of course he can’t take ‘another IT woman like you girls’ back home. She will be equally technically eloquent, may be earning same or sometimes more salary than him, will be managing few male employees under her or will be competing shoulder to shoulder with some of her contemporaries. How can he expose the well-suppressed ‘inferiority’ in domestic life, how can he be a part of this EMPOWERMENT!

In my native, Kolkata, if you have travelled in local trains, the vendor and ladies compartments will be overflowing with thousands of Meera. They leave home, work for their daily wedges, come back home, get beaten up by husbands every night and carry the mark as stamp of security throughout life. They don’t have permanent address, they don’t have protected shelter. So this domestic violence is a part of their EMPOWERMENT.

There is a huge difference how a boy and girl are brought up. Education, ethics, mental development, co-curriculum activities- these all are common for a boy or girl. But essentially a parent need to educate a girl (I don’t know from which age, I see news like 2 years kid gets raped !) how to keep herself safe. So when a girl leaves the womb of her mother and breathes in the air, she needs to know “Beti, this world is not a fairy kingdom, here monsters are not essentially coming with big teeth and red eyes. You need to keep an eye around you all the time, because anytime a monster can break the wall of your castle and take you away to jungle.”. And unfortunately some time the story gets modified a little bit “ Beti, don’t tell anyone that the monster came and what he did with you. It will be alright. The pain will be gone. The tears will dry. The fairy kingdom will be all right once again. But ssshhh don’t tell anyone!!!!”

In spite of all these,Women in India are empowering themselves. Entrepreneur, teacher, astronaut, doctor, Engineer, autorickshaw- driver, bus-conductor, traffic police, film-director, author, Olympic winner athletes, Mechanic (yes, if you go to Decathlon you will see girls repairing bi-cycle parts), CEO and Managers. The list is endless. The statistics are enviable. But in basic grass-root level, I still see the RESPECT FOR WOMAN is disgraceful and disheartening.

She was also a woman who carried you for 9 months and did bear the pain while bringing you up.Please give respect to women, if you can’t empower them at least do not snatch away the respect and power she deserves or owns.