It happens on Women’s Day every year. A flurry of activities organised for and by women working in the organised sector. Kitty parties, cookery contests, rangoli competitions and even beauty pageants form part of the itinerary for the day. The colourful celebrations culminate in a grand gathering to which a distinguished person (a woman, of course!) is invited as the chief guest. Women, enterprising and hospitable that they are, throw lunch and tea parties to their male colleagues. The women folk return home in the evening in a cocktail mood — a heady mixture of triumph and self-esteem.
It is both odd and funny that women set aside this day to make merry — with official sanction. Governments, charities, educational institutions, women’s groups, industrial houses, non-governmental organisations and the media celebrate the day. No grudges about their partying hard, but one wishes that a certain degree of thought, care, sensitivity and planning go into the festivities of the day to stretch it beyond cookery and kitty parties and make it more meaningful. The good news about the soaring success graph of professional women is reassuring.
Women are now in competition with men, seeking a one-way ticket for a journey to the Moon. But all this captivating firework performances are confined to the urban milieu, to the privileged few who fight their way up the ladder to prove their merit and mettle with the able support of not just their families, but also the resources made available to them by their sophisticated environment.
Womenfolk in rural areas, stagnated decades behind their urban counterparts, are blissfully unaware of the global euphoria that permeates the eighth day of March. Should the spotlight not be compulsorily on these under-privileged women who eke out their living by waging grim battles in a hostile and unfriendly ambience, on most of the occasions single-handedly?
India has the largest population of illiterate adults in the world, a majority of whom are women. One-fourth of the world’s illiterate population comprises Indian women. India is one of the worst performers in the area of maternal and child health. Our country has the highest number of child brides in the world. That’s too many thorny feathers on our cap, right?
This year, the theme of the United Nations for International Women’s Day is “Empowering Women, Empowering Humanity: Picture it!” Undoubtedly it is all about gender equality. But on a different level, it should also serve as a call to erase the discriminating factors that govern the urban-rural divide.
The accent should be on adding a new dimension to the observance of the Women’s Day by shifting its urban centric focus and turning the arc lights on the rural women to bring them into the mainstream by making their lives more productive, secure and honourable.
Urban women should rally behind this cause to bring about equality amongst women. Why not choose a rural stage for the Women’s Day celebrations this year?