WOMAN: Not just a feminine gender!

Amidst following the normal routine of day-to-day life, an unpleasant incident took place in Delhi a week ago and shook the whole country within no time. The shameless act of sadism has hurt the sentiments of the people and the nationwide discontent among the masses has made a point this time. It has raised the questions on safety of a woman in the society. People are in desperate angst to seek severe punishments for the devils of such blatant acts. All are demanding for death penalties replacing 7 year lenient punishment on the grounds of ravishing a woman in the constitution. But if you contemplate on this issue do you think one change in law would make a difference in criminal records?

 If you trace a criminal’s mind you would find that he never takes the punishment in cognizance while doing a certain crime. His entire mind is focused only on accomplishment of his cruel intentions. Unless his intentions are suppressed he doesn’t give a single thought to anything else; not even the fear punishment. Article 302 states death sentence or life imprisonment against the charge of murder but still there are serious assassinations, slaughtering and slaying prevalent in the country. Thus, a mere death sentence or life imprisonment for the rapists is not the sole solution. There have been analogous assaults against woman since decades followed by similar protests by NGO’s and Women empowerment group but nothing changed. If you take a look at statistics you will find a negligible change in the pattern of such crimes.  

The main reason behind this stagnancy is that the issue is never being seen in a broader prospect. We are just emphasizing on safeguarding a woman’s milieu but there are other dimensions too which are subsets of women exploitation. She is still killed before being born, she is still harmed for dowry demands, she is still deprived of her freedom; and she is still dominated by men and society right from selecting a top to marrying a man of his choice. Why she is still playing a second fiddle in the society? All the atrocities on women collectively puts question on one dimension as a whole, the existence of women in the society. 

By looking at one aspect of molestation alone we cannot solve the remaining subsets because all the elements together form one vicious circle whose center point is always neglected by the society. Her existence seems dominant from above when we see women in forefront of every sector and activity but some layers down we all know how she is perceived in the society. The discontent prevailing among the masses today is simply a nine days wonder. The same society which is supporting the Delhi victim will fail to accept her as a daughter-in-law after her recovery. The truth may sound harsh but it’s a fact that we have forgotten the real existence of women in our world.  She is our mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend and not just a feminine gender!

Nowadays, we say men and women should be equal. Equal education, equal rights, equal opportunities, equal status etc. but can we raise a girl with the same propensity the way we nurture a boy? The day she turns from child to a girl she is bounded by the social barriers. The society develops a different outlook when she wishes to wear the clothes she desires. In seconds of a chronometer the skepticism enters in her life when she asks to go out for outdoor picnics, birthday parties, etc. No sooner does she ask for her freedom than her right to equality comes under shadows. The question is not about her competition with men for her fundamental right of equality; it’s about giving her a desired life. And the mishaps such as that happened in Delhi puts cages around her freedom.

Whom should we blame; society, culture or lifestyle? Every factor contributes in constructing those cages. What image does a boy have of a woman when the modern culture itself fails to portray the real image of a woman? The effect goes worse when he turns 18 as most of the Bollywood movies run on exposure. The eyesight inevitably turns blue when it finds a girl with an iota of glamour quotient. Who is responsible for fusing that image of women in young minds?  Every school has this thing called ‘boys versus girls.’ No boy can digest the victory of a girl against him; whether it’s grabbing the 1^st rank or becoming a class monitor, boys hate the fact of girls being ahead of them. The same feeling prevails after marriage when a wife earns more than his husband. Who is responsible to create that indifference? 

To some extent even women have contributed in curbing the real image. It is only a woman who can inject the womanhood in a girl. But the modern mom is so busy in her lifestyle that there is hardly anytime left in making her daughter aware of that womanhood. Moreover additional focus is being given in modernizing her daughter as the girl of 21^st century. The daughter’s glamorous lifestyle gets surrounded by modern dresses, blackberry, parties, boy-friend, etc. at the heart of this modernization the virtues which would have made her a woman is taken for granted. Who is responsible in curbing the womanhood?

A woman is an epitome of creation, love, compassion and divinity. The nature’s gift of creating a human being is attributed to a woman; the highest form of emotion known as mother’s love is awarded only to a woman; the biggest authority of forgiveness is also accredited to her dexterity and above all it is under a woman’s feet where the most divine place called heaven lies. A man has to perceive a woman in that way and not just a feminine gender. If a man is bestowed with great virtues he will certainly behave as a gentleman even in front of a naked girl. A devil’s mind doesn’t differentiate a woman on her clothing, age or relationship. Unless a male is injected with the virtues of dignity and not given the eye-sight to perceive a female as a divine woman he will keep assaulting her character. Ask yourself does a piece of legislation can help in giving woman the status she deserves and resurrect her existence and safeguard as well. For that, mere changes in law will not help it has to be accompanied by changes in perception.

If we create a better perception of women in the eyes of men, society and world we would certainly make a difference. And those roots of perception can grow stronger if sown by woman itself. A mother can easily inject that perception in his son along giving necessary vaccinations; a sister can easily tie that perception along the threads of rakhi; a wife can easily create that perception along creating the whole world around him; a teacher can easily teach that perception along the general etiquette, a lady can easily portray that perception along exhibiting the divine nature.

The male-dominated society might change and whenever a man would come across any female the perception would make him realize that she is the symbol of pride for his home, society and the nation and that 
 she is a woman and not just a feminine gender !