Reservation doesn’t make women equal
Being a woman, I still feel uneasy talking about the special status for women, because I think that the very idea works against equal treatment for women. Some time back, the BEST initiated reservation of seats for women in buses.
The number of seats reserved was subsequently increased and now there is a demand by women’s groups for more seats. Sadly, since this facility was introduced, I have noticed a hardening of attitude of men towards women.
Nowadays, it is rare to find men offer women a seat, which was not the case earlier. Women want equal treatment, not special treatment. Seats in buses and trains are reserved for women, along with reservations for the physically challenged and seniors. But the idea of women as weak does not appeal to me.
Women, in fact, are rather strong, as many of them carry out dual responsibilities, working in jobs and also caring for the home. I dare to propose that Mumbai do away with the reservation of seats for women as it is suggestive of women being considered as weak, or secondary citizens. This anomaly must be corrected if women really want to be respected on equal terms. My idea of Mumbai is equal status for women which will resonate with the free spirit of Mumbai.
– Anupama Goswami
Safety of the unborn, first
Apropos of “4 lakh+ girls may have been killed in womb”, this discrimination is disgusting and against human life. Those who indulge in such acts should hang their head in shame for such cruelty. In fact, they should be punished. There is a need to rectify this situation immediately, or such crimes will increase. A society that does not care for half of its constituents cannot be called a civilised order.
There’s a lot of noise about reservations, but all this is only superficial if we will not permit a girl child to be born. If a female foetus is not safe in its mother’s womb, how can one expect safety for women? How does anyone’s conscience permit them to kill their daughters even before the poor thing can see the light of the day! When will we learn to care for the unborn? When will we learn respect for life?
—Prem K Menon, Mumbai
