Time To Think And Act - By Susan Anand
Our country is one of the oldest surviving civilizations on earth and its culture contemplates women being accorded the status of high reverence. The list of female deities we worship is endless. It is, however, a paradox that today we...
Our country is one of the oldest surviving civilizations on earth and its culture contemplates women being accorded the status of high reverence. The list of female deities we worship is endless. It is, however, a paradox that today we are conscience stricken and embarrassed to express our concerns over the denial of basic human rights to women.
A quick overview of our cultural history would reveal that in Vedic period, women had a status equal to men without prejudice. The Atharv Veda contemplated on the importance of educating the girl child. The intellect of Gargi and Maitereyi – the legendary women – was acknowledged during Upanishads period. The women in this period were even empowered to select their life partners/husbands on their own. It is a matter of pride to know that the religious ceremonies were considered incomplete without the participation of wife. To go further as per Hindu hymns, the wife and husband had equal rights to property and the wife was described as “Grah Swamini”.This suggests that we are inheritors of a rich culture. The degeneracy we are now encountering has surely not been described in our scriptures.
Today we carry the tag of “killers of daughters” and a country considered “the most unsafe for women”. The situation is so disheartening that if daughters luckily or rather unluckily succeed in entering the world crossing the hurdles of female foeticide or infanticide, they are punished with childhood marriages, harassed for dowry and denied equal rights in ancestral property, thus meeting their wretched fate. One is forced to think that why the Almighty created this creature?
We must remember that besides scriptures, there have been Indian males who have always protected and fought for the honor of women and never allowed anybody to degrade them. Who can forget Raja Ram Mohan Roy and his Brahmosamaj, Ishwar Chand VidyaSagar, Swami Dayanand Saraswati or Keshab Chander Sen to name a few. Even the abolition of Satipratha system can proudly be credited to indian men.
The present scenario however, paints a very grim picture of the status of women. Female foeticide, rapes, dowry deaths and harassment have become the order of the day. This is nothing but the manifestation of mental illness and moral bankruptcy of our ailing society.
Today we need to address the issues through a systematic social change because there cannot be any legislation for virtue! These are social issues and need to be handled at a social plane. The solution lies within us. We cannot allow our Indian culture to be painted black as the country which is most unsafe for women. Our system is definitely strong and conducive enough to let the women rise and achieve whatever they deserve and desire.
It is disheartening that while we feel anguish for such dastardly happenings and sympathise with the victim but very quickly and easily dissociate ourselves from them. We always expect reforms from the outside i.e. legislation but never try to do introspection within us and set our own house in order. The enactment or prolongations of the laws alone would not suffice, rather a respect for laws needs to be nurtured and ingrained in the minds of the people.
In fact the violation of the laws, whether traffic or economic offences which are most common, has become so customary that it is considered normal to flout them. So, instead of shouting at the inadequacy of law, respect for the law should be imbibed amongst the citizens. Undoubtedly, the character of a nation depends on morals and legislation but morality cannot be founded on authority even if it were divine.
We should all collectively ensure the building of a society based on sound morals and resolve to make our children good human beings. Let stories of “Panchtantra” once again be recited to them to help them become an asset for the society. We should not forget that fighting for one’s principles is always easier than living up to them. Let us live up to them!
(The Jalandhar-based Author is an Advocate of the Punjab and Haryana High Court)
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Date:
Thursday, January 1, 2015