What’s all this fuss about Women’s Day? It was a simple question our maidservant asked the other day. But it left me groping for an answer. It is the celebration of women’s emancipation and achievements, I explained after pondering a while. She gave a sneering look which seemed to say don’t-give-me-that-crap.
“How does it affect my life. I have to slog anyway,” she remarked laying bare the bitter truth.
Sridevi hogged all the glory even in death but for ordinary mortals it is not the case. No one would give a damn if a woman is molested or has acid poured on her in broad daylight. Can we feign ignorance? Yet we allow the charade to continue year after year. Our capacity for self-deception knows no limits. For many women, the glitzy celebrations in their name smack of bitter irony and black humour. It’s nice to be the cynosure of the world, corner all the glory and attention for a day. And thereafter get back to the humdrum of life—a life of prejudice and gender bias. Isn’t it sheer hypocrisy to celebrate womanhood on a particular day and deny the fair sex a fair deal the rest of the year?
It’s a travesty of truth, a farce. The celebrations are a painful reminder of the fact that the situation of women is still pitiable. When it’s March 8, the whole world suddenly wakes up to the importance of females. Programmes are organised, renewed commitment to women’s empowerment is made. Politicians, of course, do not miss the opportunity to reel out the schemes meant for their uplift. Not that the status of women has not improved since 1909 when the first Women’s Day was celebrated. But equality, dignity and non-discrimination still remain a mirage.
Nirbhaya paid a heavy price as she dared to exercise her right to travel freely while Malala was shot for supporting women’s education. Even as I write, scores of women across the country might be falling victim to abuse and gender-based violence. Aren’t the celebrations downright mockery?
Women just want to be respected and recognised for what they are. But we tend to gloss over their contributions and deny their intellect. Rather they are credited with instinct and intuition. Far from being a simple chore, the running of home is the bedrock of functional society. Yet the work put in by homemakers seldom gets its due. Success is a relative term and one can be successful even without a bank balance.
Step beyond gender, love the individual.
Email: jsifthekhar@gmail.com