Goan Chodab Nahi (We will not leave our village)

This song captures the sentiments that have been misunderstood for a while now. Not only did I feel that did needed to be heard by people, I have realised that people with sensibilities will understand what this songs means.
This song is sung by a tribal leader himself, it is in no way a choreographed version of trials and tribulations faced by the tribal population of our country. This song is sung by Bhagwan Maaji who is singing to inspire his folks to put up a fight so that they can save their forests and village. This tribal leader calls for solidarity with all fishermen, tribals and dalits because I think he feels that they are the ones who will best understand their atrocities.

Song : Goan Chodab Nahi (We will not leave our village)
Sung By : Bhagwan Maaji from Kashipur, Rayagada District, Orissa

 

A Starry Night

Starry Night Over the Rhone By Vincent van Gogh, 1888

Of hope and all that is bright,

Not happy enough to be complete,

Yet complete enough to inspire hope.

One that reminds of legacy,

Of the same wondrous night that has been.

The Infinite Meanings of Roses.

Obsessing over Sherlock

I have a lot of regard for people who have the capacity and ability to be compulsive and obsessive about things, events and people. For me, an obsession is a translation of passion and interest which makes you non-indifferent to things around you. And if you are not indifferent to things around you, it means that you have something to care about or have a motivation for detesting other things.

Last month when I was watching Sherlock, I was deeply inspired. Well, inspired being one of the things. While I was putting my mind to study for my semester exams, I could not manage but think about Sherlock. I am happy to conclude after my prolonged thinking session that Sherlock is one of the most real geniuses that have taken birth in Fiction, ever. I say real because he is not some kind of a superhero who is sensitive, passionate and has a highly functional brain all at the same time. He is a flawed person like any one of us but still manages to be in front of others because he manages to use a larger percentage of his brain. I have time and again read that people are only as intelligent as the amount of grey matter that they choose to use or put in practise. I was more than delighted to discover that Sherlock proves to be one such character who puts a ‘larger’ part of his grey matter to use, it not only makes him more real but helps in creating an impression on the readers (of the book) or audience (of the BBC television series).

And as John Watson (a character from Sherlock) says in one of the season finales, Sherlock is one of the most human human beings, except that I think that he is one of the most human genesis to have been born, at least in the mind of a great writer. What inspires me about Sherlock is the potential of the human brain which as has been reiterated by many time and again, is infinite and only what you chose to be defines the kind of person you become. This is what impresses me about a character, its ability to be real in the most unreal situations, its ability to display noble human characteristics when you would expect humans themselves to succumb to the scrutiny of societal norms.

In Denial.

There are organic changes that take place. Changes in oneself, in a family, a society, a country and even as a world. Now some of these changes affect only the people in the group and others affect a larger group of people altogether. Change is on the cusp in our country but will it really be fulfilled? It has been so for the last few years. People endlessly have expressed their disgust, anger, outrage and most importantly worry on the gang-rape of the 23-year-old in Delhi last year. She bore the brunt of society that is hypocritical of women and their progress. Hypocritical because, on one side the society names her a goddess and on the other side barely notices the helplessness and decriminalization she faces daily. How can this be? There are parts of our society where there is equality for namesake at least and other parts where women are objects to be conquered.

People are angry, both men and women; but this worry itself does not necessarily force a change in the society. I want to be optimistic about change, change in the outlook of women but cases of such sexual violence which should not be compared in terms of brutality have barely survived the memory of India except the survivors who suffer indelibly from the trauma that gives them nightmares which only brave-hearts like them can survive. Therefore, all there is to do is hope that change follows.

One of the reasons that people forget about the innumerable cases of violence and the consequent inability to bring about change in the society is because of the denial our society lives in. When there is no acceptance of the violence,  it does not seem to exist for the people. However, the violence exists, brutality exists, discrimination exists. And this is when the survivor becomes a lone fighter because when the society does not recognize violence there is no question of a survivor being recognized.

The denial we live in is also camouflaged in many things. We recognize the injustice but fail to notice the very same injustice in our homes. If we were to investigate such injustice in an area, our home is never a part of the area being investigated in the first place. We tell ourselves that what is being done in our home is anything but injustice. We refuse to accept, we refuse to see the discrimination. Because accepting that such gore discrimination can exist in our homes, in our community brings shame to our name. Accepting that something is wrong with the system that our society has been working with, that it is flawed and unequal; it shakes the very foundation of dominant class of the society. And that is why our society chooses to live in denial. Living in denial is an easier option than catering to the grievances and problems.

The protests that take place each time an ‘incident’ happens seem to affect people in ways different from earlier. Some incidents in the very recent past have affected people enough to talk about women’s issue more than the earlier time something like this happened. But we as a society have to decide whether these periodic protests really are the opening chapter of equality and justice for women in our country or are they just concerned voices that will fade out as time goes by, because after all we are incredibly tolerant to evil, more tolerant than we would care to admit. 

‘Please’ don’t dare.

One of the several things English Vinglish stands for is the determination of people, determination of women. In all cultures women have had to face humiliation and insult whether it is wrapped under the etiquette and mannerisms of other people or as raw as physical or sexual harassment. What was the instigation of such behavior towards women is a different story all together but one thing is certain, you cannot harass a person to an extend that she is not able to get back up again. This is because, even if a shred of life remains in the body of the woman, she will rise and her rise will be inevitable. It is not about overcoming anyone or anybody but about the self belief that will make the woman do things that only she knows she can do.

English Vinglish is another such light-hearted example of a woman’s story who is no less than anyone but she should not be taken for granted just because she chooses not to compete. That is a message I get from that charismatic Indian woman, don’t dare me.  I don’t know about other cultures but in India, many women are proud homemakers. Women who choose to be homemakers are women who can be anyone they want but because they are the homemakers of the society they take utmost respect in that. As always, there is a catch to this as well; in some households the members of her family do the mistake of taking her for granted, thinking does not deserves the respect other people do and this is what has exactly been replicated in the movie. One thing the movie does for me is that it very conveniently projects the end to a situation where women are assumed ‘natural caregivers’ and can have no parallel or alternative ambition or interest.

I am not saying that this ignorance prevails in all households but it lingers in more homes than we care to admit. English Vinglish is one such tale of liberation, moreover it is a story of what a determined woman can do. She necessarily need not have conflicting ideas or actions but her actions and ideas should definitely be not taken for granted or assumed prior to her stating them herself.

Feminism and Patriarchy

There is a very strong relationship between feminism and patriarchy, there always has been. Now, for one’s convenience we can claim that the system of patriarchy brings natural order and peace in the society but this is just for convenience for one half of the humanity. What it actually does is installs the views of men as legitimate and all powerful and absolutely correct on women’s perspective and views. In spite of all the moral shortcomings of this system, I would like to give this system some credit for the systematic arrangement it has had in place for countless number of years. So what this system did was, it gave the status of men’s action and views as being correct in absolute terms. This in turn affected the society in ways that probably even these ”men’ did not imagine. I am not assuming that whatever the men of our society do is wrong, their actions and decisions can be prudent but not always. And exactly the same assumption goes for women. But if you do not let the decisions and actions of women come to light, you are not letting the society reap the benefits of their prudence too.

I have seen such institutionalized forms of patriarchy that sometimes it is hard to even identify that something can be influenced by it. Patriarchy is about the interest of men and the ‘patriarch’ over all others and these all others are inevitably ‘women’. This is where the patriarchy and women’s issue initially come in contact with one another. Patriarchy says that the head of the family will always be by default a man. So by limiting the position of this so-called ‘head of the family’ to men, this system automatically puts men on a higher pedestal than women. Not only this, patriarchy empowers the domination of women by men. It not only sees it as legitimate but also natural.

Now if one is to comprehend the opposite of this patriarchal system, the literal opposite would be a matriarchal system but a moral opposite would be an equal status of men and women. A social system which is equal is morally the opposite of patriarchal system because it is the only answer to the gore discrimination against women the patriarchy. When the social order consists of equals, where both women and men are given equal opportunities to compete and win and simply survive, it is here that the prevalence of feminism can be stated to exist. Feminism is about women realizing the potential that they naturally own, it is not about being ‘anti-men’ but about being able to live as women and not under the constant judgement of men. Therefore, I say when a society adopts a system which is meant for the benefits of men and women equally, it is here that women too flourish and realize their rights in entirety. Feminism is both the means to achieve an equal society and one of the results of an equal society. When the systematic subjugation of women is threatened by the voice of feminists, it is only then patriarchy starts to fade away.

The Equality Project

India, the country I live in is my homeland and I’m proud of it in spite of its imperfections which really are more than just imperfections. Which nation doesn’t have those? But this doesn’t solve the million problems my country faces daily, which the citizens of this country endure, fight and are sometimes left helpless because sometimes they, as individuals can do very little to improve a certain thing and other times they have to face that the system has failed them many times. I know these realities, my country has problems, all its citizens are not ready to change, cooperate or help, most of these cannot be solved in a day yet there is something that I notice daily. This ‘something’ is that we don’t consider everyone equal; be it in an office, at home, between men and women, between rich and poor, everywhere people have a certain prejudice that forces their minds to not consider all people equal.

What I mean by ‘equal’ ?

I understand that not everyone can be economically equal or financially be at the same level. What I mean by equal is that we are not giving enough emphasis to people who are poorer than us, less educated than us or if they are not ‘men’. I know that the last one might bother a few people but it is what it is, our country is poisoned with the prejudice and discrimination against a girl child and later a woman.

Why am I emphasizing on issues related to women?

The number of problems our country is dealing with, I find that this particular issue, the one of women is one of the very important one. The reason behind this is that I find discrimination against women illogical on the verge of stupidity. Stupid because discrimination against women is one utterly materialistic thought based on the inflated egos of people who if possible will have a cynical view on everything considering the fact that they can have prejudiced view on the other half of humanity. I’ve seen, read and heard about discrimination of many kinds but this is something that I find simply outrageous. I am by no means belittling other discriminatory prevalence in our society but being a woman myself and witnessing the constant discriminatory practices right from my home to national television, I think that our country needs help, almost as immediate as initiating a project to establish equality.

How can equality be established, is it by starting a ‘project’?

I know that equality cannot be established by starting a project, it’s impossible. Yet, I would like to call it a ‘project’ because of the urgency this issue demands and the systematic re-wiring of some minds it requires to achieve this equality.

Where this equality needs to be established?

I am compelled to write about this because of what I had heard on the news about the brutal and inhuman abandonment of babies because they were unwanted by their parents by the virtue of them being a girl. However, I believe that I will be writing about equality and discrimination against women around the world. Equality is a universal concept, it is as universal as it gets.

Equal rights, equal duties

We in fact, are doing it!

When we talk about big things, big ideas and even bigger ideologies; sometimes we tend to forget about the smaller but more important things in our daily life. In India, running a shop, like a proper functioning business is considered a man’s profession as far as a grocery store, a sweets shop or a general store is concerned. There are other shops where women are in majority but there is a sort of differentiation in the business ventures where both men and women have their majority. But there are people, more specifically women who are making the line of differentiation blur and more appropriately fading it for the better.

There is nothing a woman cannot do, this is quiet correctly stated when considered in proper context and I witness this on a regular basis. There is a shop in my neighborhood which is run by a woman and it is the nature in which she deals with her costumers where I feel lies the normalcy that is inherent her running the shop. While many people might frown or raise eyebrows in pleasant surprise, she seems to carry on the business in an efficient way.

Another example is of my friend, who I seem to think I know all about till I saw her running her shop for her father when he was not present. This friend of mine, is one of those people whom I’ve been best friends with but I saw her in completely different light when I saw her managing her shop. I think, simply blabbering about equal rights and duties and talking about ‘modern’ and ‘feminist’ ideas in no way qualifies a person to a feminist or a ‘propagator’ of equal rights. Women like these chose to implement the ‘equal rights, equal opportunities’ idea in ways I had only heard of, never seen. But seeing them do things that catch people’s eyes and things that actually make this society modern is better seen than heard about. When I saw my friend in her shop, controlling everything and doing all that is supposed to be done, I discovered a completely different side of her, one that was confident, secure and one that she could proudly help her family when it was needed.

I know that it is not a new thing , women running successful businesses but to witness it in a perspective light makes me proud and gives hope to women who are still deprived of equal opportunities just because they are women.

 

Satyamev Jayate – Truth Alone Prevails

A main stream actor taking on social responsibility in the way Aamir Khan has is something that does not happen in India on a regular basis. Aamir Khan is the host of a new television show ‘Satyamev Jayate’ meaning truth alone prevails which is also happens to be the National Motto of the country. Our country faces many problems today, some we face as a nation, others as a society and the rest as global citizens. In the past few years the people have been quiet disheartened by what seems to prevail in the country; corruption ,discrimination and unawareness to name a few problems.

A show like this one reminds us of the need to change for the better and what hurdles our country is facing to meet this goal. Watching this show makes us dwell on the good, the bad and the ugly. Sometimes it is not about feeling proud of the progress and the development but to look back on problems which are still unattended. And this show is just about this. This show is not about sting operations or any radical revolution to change how things are but delicately throw light on brutal facts and challenges our country faces, our society faces.

The first three episodes of the show have highlighted issues of female foeticide, sexual abuse of children and dowry. The show is trying to bring the topics  that are often hushed and pushed into oblivion, into our living rooms for open discussions. Because if we do not discuss our problems, we are almost increasing them.

In spite of the novelty this show brings in addressing issues out of which some are ancient and the others unrecognised in the modern indian society, some people critisize the show on few logics that only they can understand. The people who criticize the show based on the personal life of Aamir Khan, it goes to show their own inability to accept problems and recognise the evils of our society. Some other have called this show the ‘Indian Oprah’. So, what seems to be the problem if it is so? Maybe what this county needs is an initiation like this one, to at least bring problems to light and not let the victims suffer in darkness.

I am not saying that a show like this one will bring about an end to all our problems but it certainly is a step in the right direction as long as awareness and change is concerned.  A show like this one will enable people to think and hopefully things will change.