ON BEING TAUGHT.

Education amuses me. Yes you heard it right it is amusing me more and more with every passing day of my life. I clearly remember my primary classes when very often the topic for writing an article on examination seat was “importance of education”. Not just I but most of my friends too started the article with the line saying “education plays a very important role in our lives”. It is now that I know is clearly does so, however I cannot say so for my classmates who wrote the same line on examination sheet. Oh no wait if you are thinking that it is important because I am now in that list of literate people of this country and will hopefully get a job, then you are wrong. It has done much more. For example: it has taught me how to be a girl, rather a good one; how saying yes to what others want from me and in that process just ignore the voice of my own just like a hot guy would ignore a fat girl standing right in front of him; and the best of all how should I feel stupid for addressing the elephant in the room (jise hum “ye toh ese he hota hai” bol ke, bar bar vahi cheez dhorate hai).

Let me very bluntly say what I have finally thought of as a possible solution to the gender inequality around us. It has become so imbibed in our lives that we happen to now take it as the right way of living. Yes I know it that all this mess is because how we have being thinking about gender roles in our society. Ok so here is a joke- women have different compartment in metro and Indian railway, their seats are reserved in parliament, and also we have only girl’s school and colleges, we have different que at every counter. All these steps have been taken in order to make women feel safe and equal and all of that bullshit. My only question is that how is she supposed to survive in the world which is obviously not only female, by being in schools and colleges made for women. The metro ride she takes for few hours in women’s coach is in no way helping her to escape the creepy eyes on her once she is out of the coach. So it is like travel in metro women’s coach and then find yourself a women’s college or school. Similarly to the old notions of first living under the eyes of your father and then you husband. Sometimes, however your brother could also take care of you in their absence.

I have seen parents getting their daughters admitted in girls institute in order to punish her. I mean wow… who came up with this idea. It is like being in an institute for girls only, your eyes will turn blind to the males on this planet. Grow up people, this is the only possible thing I have to say to you. I am dead sure that you who is reading it, might think how I am jumping from one thought to another so quickly in this article. Even I am feeling so.  It is just that we all want to be good. And the notions of being good as we are taught in our education system are clashing badly with what we aspire to be, what makes us happy and in which we are comfortable. Let us just be uncomfortable for a bit. So that it is no more like that soon.

International Women's Day

Initially I had no plans to write this article today, but then I have been thinking about this since morning and have finally decide to put down my thoughts. This article from my point is important not because today is international women’s day but because it is a voice of many (50% population) like me. Though my aim is that it becomes the voice of the whole 100% population (which included both men and women). I believe that feminism is as much a concern of men as it is of women.

 It has been 7mins since I have been trying to figure out from where to start talking about the issues concerning women. But clearly I do not know which one to put first. Because they are so many in number. From their health to hygiene, education to equality, freedom of speech to voting rights, and many more. Referring to manu-smiriti, it says that ‘drum, donkey, illiterate, women, animals and untouchables deserve to be physically punished’. I have no idea what logic explains such statements, where a women and an untouchable is placed equal to animals and are considered worth physical punishment. You must be wondering why on earth am I bringing this thing up, this is an age old custom. I feel very sad to point out that these practise still exist and the worst part is that the people in big cities who are educated enough are a part of this culture. Even today a large number of FIRs are registered against domestic violence and I am sure there is no count of the ones not registered.

I feel tremendous happiness seeing women achieving high positions in different sectors. But if we notice these are very few (can be counted on your fingers). There are hardly any women representatives in the parliament. A woman prime minister is a rare view. But if by chance a woman reaches a point as high as men have been achieving, she will be more appreciated for her looks and nurturing habits rather than the hard work she does every day at her job. A woman wearing short is not at all acceptable. It leads to all sorts of gossips and talks. On the other hand it is absolutely fine for a guy to move around in shorts and vest, showing off his nipples. Have you ever thought that they might also arouse women sexually, by such dress code? No. because women are by birth considered pure. They don’t have hormones and neither do they have sexual desires. They are considered nothing more than sex toys.

If you recall what I said in the beginning of this article that these issues are not just women issues, because when we are defining what a women should be like, we automatically imply that this is not how a man should be like. So guys, let us just try and make this world equally comfortable for both the sexes.