B) Observations
of life situations that evoke questions and responses.
We
often heard of speeches which are given by our politicians, leaders
and from social agencies to improve the society and to empower girl
education as well as women. Their motivational speeches transform
individual’s thinking and perspective. Their agendas are always to
improve society and for the improvement they make certain rules and
regulations and pass them too. But are those rules really implemented
effectively? Why these rules are not followed? Before our
independence, our leaders always think of a country where each and
every individual gets their rights. And even after independence this
been has not achieved?
As
we are seeing that new developments is taking place at all fronts
such as sciences, health, commerce, agriculture, space sciences,
social sciences, health sciences are coming up but somewhere our
country is lagging behind in terms of awareness of education
especially in girl education. Two days before, I saw a girl who was
around 8-9 years. She was wearing a flowery printed dress which was
shabby. She was a having a book and she was trying to read it and
just besides her there was a tea seller’s shop and she was one of
the workers of that shop. I decided to go there and ask the tea
seller that don’t he know about the prohibition of child labor? As
I reached there ask him about this the child was started to say that
she is doing it on herself and no one has forced her. I was really
surprised as well as shocked and started screaming on her. I told her
that you are the ones who blame ours politicians for unemployment.
After all of these she started crying and told me ma’am: you don’t
my family situation. I am one and only child of my family. I wanted
to study but my father wants me to do household work, he wanted me to
marry. After this all of these my thoughts took me too far and
forced me to think, that what is wrong with our country? Why such
gender discrimination taking place still in the twenty first century?
Is our country really developing, where a child could not get his/her
universal rights? Every day in newspaper, television or in radio’s
we heard of girl abuse, molestation, child trafficking, when this all
be stop? Each girl child should have the same right as that of a boy.
As a citizen, it should be each and everyone’s duty to ensure that
each child whether it’s a girl or a boy should get their rights and
elementary education. Talking about the socialization of Hindu middle
class, a woman says-once a girl is married, she too cannot expect to
visit her family often. “Is it really necessary to follow such
customs or traditions? Are we really stepping towards development?
Are these we called? “Socialization” There is another aspect of
the process of socialization i.e. training for feminine task like
work around the kitchen, dirty household work and childcare generally
in the feminine sphere. The distinction between feminine and
masculine work comes early in childhood and becomes sharper as the
child grows up. A girl who does not like to do feminine work is
reminded that if she thinks that she becomes a male,” she has
mistaken”. How can she escape it? Having been born a female? Even
in the serving and distribution of food within the house is that the
leftovers food should be eaten by female and not by male members of
the family. Family and society never accepts a girl who does not want
to perform the so called household work. Even in the period of
globalization and socialization, society keep on thinking that men
are meant for physical and outdoor tasks whereas girls are meant for
household and indoor tasks.
We
often see that in an Indian family, the girls are being neglected in
terms of food and nutrition, healthcare, education and
decision-making. Even at the time of birth, the family members keenly
want a boy child. The desirability of having sons and undesirability
of having more daughters is made explicit. We often heard a
statement: Four daughters? Each one will take ten thousand (Rs.10,
000) and walk out of the house. Bringing up a daughter is like
pouring water in sand or like watering a plant in another’s
courtyard. The family never wanted a girl child they think that girls
are meant for others belongings. The undesirability of having a girl
can be seen easily. Sometimes I think that our country India is
consider to be a secular country and each one is equal before law. A
country where we worship women as a GODDESS then why on the other
hand women gets deprived of their basic rights. This can be stopped
only when we will give our best bit of contribution to raise a voice
against this discrimination and an equal proportion of equality for
women. Then our country can get rid of this discrimination which has
been practicing in our society. . Though, we have grown by leaps and
bounds yet, the most basic structure of society is showing no sign of
improvement. A large percentage of Indian women have faced or facing
this menace, whether it is a public transport system or public places
or shopping malls, a women find themselves vulnerable to threat of
eve-teasing everywhere. Eve-teasing is a complex problem and it
required more attention than what it has actually got. The term ‘eve’
actually signifies that the eves are the women who provokes male for
vulgar comments and behavior. But that is almost like blaming the
victims for their sufferings. Every man needs to know how to behave
with women. Our country can developed only when girls and boys are
equally treated. A country could not develop without the contribution
of women, both are equally needed. There should not be any
discrimination on the basis of caste, race, gender, religion. Each
and every individual should get equal opportunity weather a girl or a
boy because we all are human beings and we all have the same
capability, the only difference is once perspective and nurturing of
the child.