on women's day..

Once again the day comes, once again they will shout their throats out, holding meetings and conventions, debates and cultural programmes in closed rooms,unleashing their oratorical wrath on men, condemning men and their things, passing some resolutions and taking some decisions.Once again life on the road outside would have changed hardly as a result of what they did.The girls, travelling in buses, standing on bus stops, walking on the streets, would continue being stared at, being commented at.Someone in poor Orissa would sell their girl for a few thousand bucks for brothels in Mumbai.Someone in Kashmir would have their daughter being thrashed because she wasnt veiled as per the militants.Someone in rural Punjab will have their daughter-in-law drop her third foetus because it would have been a girl again.

But it doesnt bother them.For them the most important and most urgent thing is tackling popular and the 'in' issues. Issues like the porn MMS, issues like murder of some high profiler,thrashing of pub goers and so on.

It doesnt matter to them that we have lost more than 1 crore girls in last 20-25 years because of infanticide and foeticide.

They seem to be hardly aware that we have more than 70% women, both rural and urban, suffering from deficiency of iron, one of the most crucial elements.

It is not visible to them that the social and economic security schemes hardly ever touch the lives of poor women, many of whom are often the sole bread winners for their families.

Oh what to talk about underage marriage and pregnancy!

For me, the genuine results would be those which affect a woman daily and the ones she can identify with.I dont wish laws made in their favour. I dont want them getting 33 % reservation in parliament.I do not want reservations for them in metro or separate queues for them.This hasnt created the world any better place for them.

As a concerned male,here are one of few things I wish for them in our country:

1) Abolishment of the publicity seeking women NGOs, waging a naari-andolan against men.
The war is directed against wrong enemy and yields wrong results. This has to be against a system of which both men and women are part.
2) A nationwide programme dedicated to eradicate the deficiency of iron and other vital nutrients in women.
Healthy women, healthy family, healthy country!
3) A competent and transparent Rape investigation system which will have all the nursing staff well trained to handle such cases such as collecting evidence when the victim first approaches them after a sexual assault and also trained in minimising trauma of the incident.
4) Eradicating infanticide and foeticide.
5) A sense of respect of their privacy, this could be as small a thing as asking for their permission for taking their photographs.
6) A cliched one, but very crucial,them getting educated.

I realise that more than a plan or a scheme, it will take a complete shift of points of view, a process which may take days and which may take centuries.Maybe it is the way it is supposed to be or maybe it is moving the way it is supposed to be.Who knows??
Hope I see the transformation coming soon...

Amen!