BENGALURU: The theme for this International Women’s Day was Breaking The Bias. Growing up in the ’90s in Delhi was like waking up from the childhood slumber to the buzzing India — there was cable TV and many news channels.
I remember following Barkha Dutt who was a revolutionary anchor and We The People was a talk show that not only shaped journalism but also impressed strongly upon many teens and young adults of that generation. We grew up in a progressive India, an inclusive, egalitarian society that was just marching ahead with enthusiasm of a growing kid who has a whole spectrum of sky to float, soak, discover and evolve. India and its people were looking ahead with opt imism and rejoicing over the journey that they had made in little time after independence.
I have heard from my grandmother how in the olden days, women used to grind the grains in ‘chakki’ almost everyday manually. While these brave women gave us the red carpet to walk on, Indians journeyed from taking papads for their family to becoming strong women of today who are contributing their bit to not just their home but to society as well.
And here we are today, when girls are facing difficulties to go to educational institutions for wearing hijab. Did we break the bias, did we make it to where we could have been, did we not struggle enough — we, the people of India, not just men or women but people as a whole, do, we the people of India, deserve this?
Our exclusive society celebrates successful women or rather they themselves do so by employing the various PR firms to support them but do they bother about those who are yet struggling for basic human rights. In recent Netflix series The Fame Game, Madhuri Dixit rings in the head of many when she says for the newcomers in the industry today there’s a PR managing their image and more while there is no talent. Where are the Gangubais in society who fight for a real cause, not caring about themselves but about progress of women and specially the prostitutes. Why do they have no rights of wellness and health, right to minimum payments, safety and security, and education. Would not legalising help? It could save the sex workers from exploitation and harassment.
Watching the movie Gangubai, that too in a movie theatre after long time, was exhilarating. The little nuances in cinematography, the old busy lanes that are always abuzz, the so typically old kothis that are synonymous to Indian culture and the sound of music. I realised how well timed this movie was, and how subtly yet powerfully the message of rights of a select section of women has been whispered and delivered. How femininity lies in strength, how women stand up and stick to each other, how women show solidarity for each other.
Is your women tribe strong? This year, if we are really able to break the biases, then we might want to be there for each other as women.
Many emancipated men and women are heard asking what is the need of celebrating Women’s Day. I believe it’s not for those ones who are already there, it’s for those who are still struggling to be heard, those who are waiting for a chance to good life.