Women’s Day 2023

To let our womenfolk, realize the importance of self against the long-standing social
prejudice is the reason why we need to remember and celebrate the Women’s Day with
great enthusiasm. It’s not against traditions and certainly not against men. For in a
traditional family a woman generally finds herself pitted against mothers-in-law and sisters-in-law and seldom against fathers-in-law or brothers-in-law. So, women have to be liberated from women only- from jealousy, from shrewdness and from general antagonism. But aren’t we marching in 21st century with prejudices and discriminations being a thing of past?
Ask these questions to the girls who have gone and settled in foreign lands but dread calling their husbands over there; lest they get shackled again in the cruel chains of domesticity.
Even in the modern and educated India, “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” slogans still needs to be emphasized upon to discourage female feticides in rural or urban parts alike and yes, the relevance of Women Day is still very much there.
For the women in paid sector, onus is always on women to prove themself by working
harder. Then, they are burdened with official commitments as well as managing the
household in addition to caring for children and our seniors. Maternity leaves and child care leaves are almost non-existent in the private sector. Comments loaded with sarcasm is aplenty. Sexual & mental harassment at work place is another area where much progress is needed.
Roads and public places still witness bizarre and unacceptable crimes against women. Yes, the unruly elements of the society still need to be eliminated.
On the brighter side, slowly but surely, we are marching ahead towards gender equality.
We are more vocal and have more say in our lives today than our mothers or grandmothers used to have. With only a child or two preferred in a family, only-girl families are more visible in the society nowadays. These girls are more vocal and more determined towards fairness. And the society is seemed to have been accepting the melting of traditional stereotypes and prejudices with a gradual pace.
Women aren’t subdued in everywhere. In our tribal cultures of Odisha and Jharkhand,
women are deemed to have more respect. In our north-eastern states, matriarch are head of the family. I will recall a story I heard long ago, coming from these regions. Once in order to subdue unruly boys who used to come asking for petrol, never intending to pay and always misbehaving with the staff, petrol pump owners only had to appoint female attendants there. The unruly boys saw their mothers and their authority in the women present at the petrol pumps and rectified their behavior.
Just chanting Ma Durga and Ma Lakshmi is not enough. Respect for women have to come from deep within one’s heart.