Urge for Women Empowerment

Procter & Gamble had recently come out with an ad campaign which emphasized on, “When did the phrase ‘to run like a girl’ become an insult in society?” Such stereotypes are plenty in number and their use is increasing day by day. Kudos to the company for having come out with such a brilliant rhetoric! It puts us male chauvinists to shame and that is indeed the need of the hour. We have become too judgmental when it comes to women in society. Who gives us the right to decide that the number of partners we date can be the basis for concluding whether a man is macho while a lady a slut? When she musters up the courage to question this bias, society labels her as ‘arrogant’, ‘prudent’, and ‘too Western for her own good’. Does not the real problem lie in us me that we somehow cannot fathom a lady having a mind and a voice of her own?

I have a younger sister who is just about to finish high school. She has a plethora of dreams about what she would like to become, and looks up to me to seek encouragement, motivation, and guidance for the same. But since I have seen the world a little more than her, my concerns for her safety and security overshadow my willingness to fulfill her desires. This is not the India that I want to be a part of, and this is not the India that I bequeath to my progeny. I want a country where everybody can meaningfully quote Rabindranath Tagore’s, “Where the mind is without fear, where the head is held high.” There is no point showing solidarity as a country only on the 26^th of January or on the 15^th of August. The entire purpose of ‘Jana Gana Mana’ stands defeated when we repeatedly abuse the tri-colour on the remaining 363 days of the year.

Let me assure you that I have not wielded the pen today just to voice my complaints. I have also put a lot of thought into how women empowerment can be realized and have come to the conclusion that the change has to come from within. Women have to get more involved in policy-making, legislation, and even judicial responsibilities – because no one, absolutely no one, understands their situations better than they do themselves. Being a realist, I understand that the transformation will neither be easy nor be well-accepted. But it is high time that women show everyone that the hand that rocks the cradle can indeed rule the world. Unfortunately, we have already sacrificed one Jessica Lal, one Nirbhaya – we do not want any more bloodshed on our hands. Indira Gandhi, Kalpana Chawla, Indra Nooyi, and the likes are not meant to be treated as merely role models and exceptions. We must believe that they are what the mainstream is. For a long time, this great country has neglected its women and have only called upon them when hungry politicians needed votes or when horny men needed sex. Not any more please. As responsible citizens, let us put back the ‘Mother’ in Mother India.