CHENNAI: It’s 2017. But when it’s the dreaded ‘three-day war with thyself’ for women, there are households that still, isolate her from the ‘pure world’. Yes, there is a ‘science’ behind certain rituals and traditions but, how many of us know the ‘why’ to make an informed decision? Let’s Talk Life, an open mic forum will be curating a panel discussion on ‘Religion through the eyes of modern women’, to find responses to unanswered questions and draw the link between religion and feminism.
Sharada Vijay and Nandhitha Hariharan, founders of the platform talk, pose questions about unfair practices and more. “When we conducted a workshop on feminism and caste, we found that it was a new experience for a lot of people to link the two ideologies,” recalls Nandhitha. In fact, many were taken aback by the fact these two could be interlinked. “That’s when we realised that a lot of women don’t have a sense of awareness about the traditions they follow and how there is a possibility that it might be against the feminist ideologies they believe in,” she explains.
For instance, the age-old practice of ‘Kanyadan’ has been receiving brickbats by a section of women. “Many are against it these days, while there are some who do it, because it’s a tradition. So, how do you go about this? It needs a lot of intersection,” avers Sharada.
Women’s rights activist Kirthi Jayakumar, who will be one of the panelists during the discussion, will be talking about her understanding of religion through a feminist lens. “I will be exporting it into a conversation around intersectionality. I will also look at themes of interaction and manifestation of choice, circumstances and consequences as a basis of intersectionality,” she tells CE.
Asma, a journalist-cum-social activist who will be joining Kirthi in the panel, clarifies that describing a woman as ‘modern’ is not about the way she dresses, talks or works. “A modern woman is a ‘thinking woman’. Any person who thinks, can and should have very little patience with religion,” she states.
At a time where views on religion and feminism cannot be shared without offending ‘sentiments’, she shares, “Feminism is a progressive force, while religion is inherently regressive. That’s why all religions, are against feminism. Both are antithetical to each other.”
So, how would she describe religion to a young girl? “Get rid of religion if you can. If you cannot, at least see it for what it is — a regressive construct whose prime job is to keep patriarchy alive,” she adds.
The panel discussion will take place on October 15 at Backyard, Adyar, from 5 pm onwards