Happy Women’s Day???

I would say it is another of those “Days” which holds very little relevance in our country. Corporates and institutions celebrate the day with competitions and parties for their female employees, women who consider themselves free and independent may indulge in partying too to celebrate womanhood. But can you actually look around and swear that India is a safe country for women? I quote Jawaharlal Nehru who said you can tell the condition of a nation by looking at the status of its women. If that is the case, India is in a very sad state.

I don’t deny that a large percentage of women have actually achieved economic and social independence over these years, and most of you women reading this note belong to that fortunate category. I am not writing here about the unfortunate unborn females or the illiterate women in our villages or the many other injustices that are meted out to women. I write here about an issue that concerns all women, for the simple reason that you are one.  Women have always been considered as an instrument of pleasure by men (I am talking about 80% of the men in our country, so if you are a man denying my statistics, please consider yourself in the 20% and keep reading!) As a result they are being raped, tortured, molested or simply mocked at. Sometimes even the wicked look of men can make women feel miserable. And this is not restricted to villages or remote places; it is actually widespread in the metros and large cities. You can come across this 80% of the men everyday; in your workplace, on the roads, in the buses, when you are shopping, and the list goes on.

So what has this resulted in? Women either live with it or shun such situations by depending on the men in their family to accompany them wherever they go. It is horrifying to note that some young women from remote locations or other countries fail to pursue their careers or higher education in the Indian cities as there is no proper security in place. Every day we get to hear about women being raped or assaulted in major cities. Instead of discussing how to eliminate these tormentors from the society, people debate on the attire of the victim, which according to them has led to such a situation. Are they acknowledging that there are wild animals out there on the roads that will attack on sighting flesh? So it is up to women to protect themselves by rather not coming out of their houses alone? Is there nothing the government and the law can do about this menace which has made life difficult for women? The government may on this special day announce some schemes for women, which will assure them the much-regarded votes in the next election. But the state of our country’s security is still a question mark.

Anyway, as my note, like this special day, will not bring any change in the country or the state of its women; let me wish you all a Happy Women’s day. As you immerse yourself in the celebrations, do not forget to watch out for those two-legged wild animals that may be around looking for its prey! Men who feel miserable when other men are being called so, kindly also think about how miserable their victims feel.