“There is no chance for the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is improved. It is not possible for a bird to fly on only one wing.” — Swami Vivekananda on the occasion of International Women’s Day, I would like to take you back to the time when women were treated as equal to men—the Vedic era. During the Vedic period, women had a pre-eminent position in our society. There was no discrimination when it came to their education or their involvement in social affairs. Women had similar access to education as men and were free to voice their opinions in domestic, religious and societal affairs. Their talent and their contribution to society were recognised, appreciated and respected.
Women were in fact treated and worshipped as Goddesses too. The Vedic civilisation identified women as Shakti (the embodiment of Power). This alone gives us a glimpse into the lofty status they enjoyed in our ancient social system. Further, Ghosha, Gargi, Maitreyi and Lopamudra were some of the prominent women philosophers of the Vedic times who made notable contributions to our religious texts. The fact that most of our rivers are named after women shows the exalted position they enjoyed in those days.Sadly, the honour and the high regard that women were accorded in ancient India lapsed into a state of decline over time. As a result, women who would once express their views with complete freedom, gradually found their voice being stifled in society. From being the ‘Pride of the family’, women’s position relegated gradually and we often come across instances of discrimination, harassment and domestic violence.
I get deeply distressed whenever I read news reports about dowry deaths and gender violence. An attitudinal change must be brought about through concerted efforts for this transformation at a larger scale in society. It is pertinent to recall the words of Mahatma Gandhi who once said, “the way we treat our women is an indicator of the richness of our culture”. I strongly believe that investing in women’s capabilities and empowering them is important for propelling economic growth and overall development. India’s long, rich history is replete with scores of examples of women achievers from different spheres of life, be it as rulers or as poets, writers and thinkers. Let me cite a few examples here. Prabhavati, the daughter of Chandra Gupta II, performed administrative duties in her kingdom; Razia Sultana was the only woman monarch to rule Delhi, the Gond Queen Durgavati and Rani Abbakka are other great names that come readily to mind. Similarly, legendary poetess Molla wrote Ramayana in Telugu while Akka Mahadevi, a 12th century Kannada poetess and the Tamil poetesses, Andal and Avvaiyar, left an indelible mark with their immortal works.
A casual study of India’s freedom struggle brings to the fore the role of our iconic women freedom fighters, who, despite many daunting challenges, left no stone unturned to free our motherland from the yoke of British rule. Some of these great women such as Sarojini Naidu achieved great prominence during the freedom struggle. Other front-ranking women freedom fighters include Rani Gaidinliu from Nagaland, Uda Devi from Uttar Pradesh, Velu Nachiyar from Tamil Nadu, Matangini Hazra from West Bengal among thousands of valiant torch-bearers of liberty. Women have always surmounted all challenges which came their way and have excelled in diverse fields, be it sports, science, music, entrepreneurship, literature, journalism and fine arts.
Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, a leader of exceptional merit, Sushma Swaraj, Astronaut Kalpana Chawla, Businesswoman Indira Nooyi, Environmental crusader Saalumarada Thimmakka, Boxer Mary Kom, Badminton sensation PV Sindhu, Cricketer Mithali Raj, Tennis star Sania Mirza and Weightlifter Karnam Malleshwari are some of the many extraordinary women who broke the glass ceiling in their respective fields. They stand out as examples worth emulating and have proved that women can accomplish anything they focus on. Unfortunately, the girl child is often a victim of discrimination and this is a regressive, worrisome factor. Parents must be counselled to stop discriminating between sons and daughters. The birth of a girl child should not be mourned—in fact, it should be celebrated with the same fervour as that of a boy. Girls should be encouraged to study as education would empower them with knowledge and confidence and prepare them to face the hard knocks of life.
Girls should be encouraged to choose their fields of interest—be it sports, music, art, literature or any other domain. Teaching boys from a young age to respect women would result in fewer gender crimes and give women a safer environment to live in. Children learn a lot from their parents and their family, and therefore, a greater responsibility lies on the family members to bring their children up in a gender-neutral environment. These small changes go a long way in making a big difference. The active participation of women is the key to a balanced, progressive society as much as it is for a family as a healthy unit.
Women should be involved as equal stakeholders in every sphere of activity for all-round socio-economic progress. Babasaheb Ambedkar had quite aptly said: “I measure the progress of a community by the degree of the progress which women have achieved”. Another important point that I would want to stress is the need for adequate reservation of women representatives in Parliament and state legislatures. By having more women representatives, we get a wider range of perspectives and this would lead to all-round development of our nation. This International Women’s Day, let us resolve to give women the wings to soar to greater heights and chart their path to success. This International Women’s Day let us encourage, educate and empower women and end all forms of exploitation and violence against them. This International Women’s Day let us ensure that women around us are heard instead of being ignored. This International Women’s Day let us ensure that women around us feel safe rather than scared.
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