If Pratibha Patil becomes the next President - The first woman President - of India, does that mean anything? Does that signify women's liberation? Absolutely not. My English professor, a long time ago taught me a word - Tokenism. I now understand that word in its true sense! By throwing the bait to one, the government is shutting the mouth of a million women in the country. One of the richest and most powerful countries in the world, the US, which has relatively better men-women social equality, is yet to see the dawn of its first woman President!
Are women truly liberated in India?
1) Women are still harassed in the work place
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070016079
2) Women still have restricted "Freedom of speech and expression". They cannot utter the word "Sex" on camera - I pity South Indian film star Kushboo
http://www.hindu.com/2005/09/29/stories/2005092916020300.htm
3) Indian women are deprived of the freedom to wear what they want! - I pity Sania Mirza
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4229052.stm
4) See what the UN says about the fate of widows in India. This is the latest report - about 6 months old - widows suffer multiple suppression in India and are given "worthless and invisible" status!
http://www.wunrn.com/news/2007/01_07/01_08_07/011407_India_widows.htm
5) "City of widows" - Fame or shame??
http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9711/16/india.women/
6) Dowry less marriages outside main cities is a dream. The article here says, "Legislation banning dowry was passed in 1961 but is still flouted"; "the laws are hardly enforced"; " women are afraid to file a complaint against their own husbands"
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=HOTEN20070012704
When laws are not enforced, is there a reason for amendment?
Do you want more? Having a woman President is not going to change anything.
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3 comments:
True, having a lady president isn't going to change everything overnight. However, I do like the idea of one of the biggest democracies of the world having a lady president. But I don't like the choice of Mrs.Patil - personally, the CPI(M)'s choice for the last time, Capt Lakshmi Sehgal, was more worthy.
Who listens to us, anyway! :-(
Well, its certainly not the end goal of women's rights in India to have a women president but until women are not represented in the higher echeleons of the government, how will policies ever be made to ensure that women feel liberated in India. And why not have a women president who will inspire a few of the Indian women to achieve a lot more in life. No comments on whether Pratibha Patil is the right person to do that though... I dont mind admitting that I am totally ignorant about her past achievments and her qualities which deem whether she could be a proper Presidential candidate or not...
@Priya - I think Bloggers are powerful..somebody somewhere is listening to us!
@Born a libran - I agree. But her hands are/ will be tied. We had Indira gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Jayalalitha, Mayawati, and the list continues. Nothing's changed! They had more powers than just signing papers!
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