The plight of women in India is something that is always perplexing for the outsider who does not know this society.
On the one hand we are ace at killing our women off even before they are born, or subjecting them to the worst forms of violence once they do manage to enter our world, on the other, we are equally good at putting them on pedestals and worshipping them.
For those of us who live here, however, these apparent contradictions are only too easy to understand. I sometimes think we are a deeply misogynist society, and worshipping women provides us a convenient way to hide this.
Why do I say this? Well. We’re in the 21st century, and we have an abominable sex ratio in so many parts of the country; indeed, we even have villages where there are no women at all. It’s still virtually impossible for a woman — rich or poor — to make a marriage of choice. Our statistics on rape mount by the day, and despite the existence of very progressive legislation on domestic violence, our domestic violence statistics would shame many people in the world.
So, is there anything to celebrate? I’d say,yes. Despite the fact that conditions on the ground in India still militate against women, International Women’s Day provides us with a reason to celebrate that despite the really heavy odds they face, Indian women have continued to fight the good fight, to battle the forces of patriarchy, to resist violence and domination and to raise their voices against injustice.
If things have changed at all for the women of India, it is because their sisters – sadly not their brothers — have raised their voices.
As we stand poised for the Women’s Reservation Bill to be passed in Parliament, it’s worth remembering that it would never even have got this far had it not been for the women’s movement. And it’s that which we need to celebrate.
Urvashi Butalia, director, Zubaan
Comments
