Buddhadeb Basu's Blog - Posts Tagged "women-empowerment"

Women must ask their ‘right to living’
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In many parts of India, people celebrated women’s day on the March 8 this year. Some people gave speeches in many social functions corroborating the importance of women and their importance in the society. In this year, I was in Salem as a part of the business tour. In my hotel, a local group gathered to celebrate this day. I overheard a person saying that the society must learn how to respect all others mothers, sisters, and daughters as they do for their mothers and daughters. As per his elocution, this feeling to respect to women fraternity was missing. While staring at him, I could make out that he was expressing his lament for the ill treatment meted to the women in general. I was more than sure when the society was expressing their gratitude for females on that day, side by side in some parts; women were the victims of eve teasing, ill-treatment, and rape. Why is it so?

As per me, most of us advocate for their rights giving some lectures just for extending lip sympathy or show our greatness. In reality, we like to dominate the female sex. Whatever role we play in the form of either a father or a husband or even a teacher, we live to exploit them politely or impolitely. By doing this type of celebration, we try to spread more awareness and commitment to the society of women’s empowerment. We must do this but with wholeheartedly. Further, along with the economic and political empowerment, we must ensure that they also get the spiritual empowerment. But who will give this empowerment to them? I don’t think that male heroism will allow the society to incline for this activity. So, it is the women fraternity must come forward and snatch this right from the society for the purpose of their mental and physical freedom to move in the society and to choose their right to living on their terms. Some people occupying responsible positions pass strictures to women’s dress sense, their coming out from the houses at odd hours and many unwanted comments. They forget that giving a statement like these; they show their incapability to set right first the law of the society and second their mental block to give the community empowerment to the females.

Further, we create a wrong notion that women must lead a less spiritual life. Even today, in some temples of South India, their entry is restricted as the religious torch-bearers over there construe that female’s entry may anger the God in the temples. What a funny logic? We know that women are not allowed to practice certain spiritual rituals. The societies’ thought on this aspect are completely erroneous. The mass population belongs to male fraternity may not agree with this proposition, but because of procedural hassles and some conservative religious people’s dictum, the same rule is prevailing only to degrade women. They say that women have less religious rights. No holy scripture accepts it. Contrary to this perception, the ancient scriptures provide tremendous power and belief to women’s right, and it is their primordial energy behind the Creator’s whole creation.

In Indian mythology, of course, we come across the female empowerment as the symbol to eliminate injustice. If you observe the sequence of our worship pattern and celebration of religious festivals, you find Durga, the goddess of valour and vitality, Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity and Saraswati, the Goddess of knowledge and art. It transpires that all our life's money, security, and education are in the blessings of three three goddesses which control the sectors of defence, finance, and education.

One must believe that the real empowerment comes from within women and they must remove the thoughts of inferiority, if at all from their minds and stop doubting of their superiority. One thing is correct that no one will provide them empowerment. They have to come forward and convey without fear about their roles in the society. Women are powerful, multi-talented and multi-faceted. All women have a power of sixth sense, courage, valour, compassionate approach, belief in values and wisdom. Although the above traits vary depending on upbringing, values provided to them by their parents and surrounding and up-gradation of knowledge and skills through education, but they are all powerful in their right.

Every woman possesses the ability to create as well as destroy, if they like. No one should curb their abilities. The most important aspect of this universe about their supremacy that they can give birth and teach us to live. We know that our mother is our first life teacher, providing us the first lesson how to behave in a correct manner and what is the significance and purpose of the life. In fact, she imparts knowledge of practicalities to the whole family. In ancient days, the mothers were not that qualified, but still, they were the teachers in their ways for all of us. In that sense, every woman is a born leader. Women can transform the society in a big way. If you see the political environment, the male fraternity because of massive ego does not provide much focus to ensure the representation of women for the purpose of transformation. Now, there is a change, but the same is not adequate. We understand women are peacemakers in the family, in the society and the world.

Women can bring equanimity in diversity and can move for a cultural change which they do at home relentlessly. Women must remember one aspect that they have equal rights and they need not ask for the same from anybody. They should not wait to obtain their empowerment. They just have to utilize. The prime challenge for any women today is to strike a balance between feminism and dominance in any field. Many a time, they confuse about their innate power. They at time go to oblivion and forget they are the images of Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati. No one can snatch freedom and dominance from their motherhood and their feminine qualities. The excellent feminine qualities like softness, gentleness, compassion, nurturing instincts should not be lost while becoming powerful. When a woman is empowered, she becomes confident, creative and a precursor of establishing harmony in the family or society / professional environment. She is completely empowered when she has inner strength, peace of mind and self-confidence. Through the path of spirituality, they can nurture these qualities. These qualities will not only transform their thoughts, but also the attitudinal behaviour of the society towards them.

The need of the hour for the betterment of the society for women is to come forward and take the mantle in whatever way they can for spreading values. In building a harmonious society with more idealism, we need their strength.