Women’s rights under the Constitution of India mainly include equality, dignity, and freedom from discrimination; additionally India has various statutes governing the rights of women. In India, they tell us that women can be anything they wish to be. They can be fighter-jet pilots, corporate CEOs, paratroopers, athletes — and, of course, Prime Minister.
Then why?
Here comes the most recent and debatable topic
Sabrimala Temple:
“Entry for women in Sabrimala is unnecessary”
“Letting women in will turn the temple into sex tourism spot”
are such statements given for women. There was a protest against the entry of two women who were in their early 40s. It’s a hypocrisy when it comes to gender rights. The conflict over womens rights to worship is one such challenge, playing out over the confused idea of what is pure and what is not. But God forbid we dare to argue that, in 2019, menstruation should not bar us from praying at a temple. What sort of global power can the world’s largest democracy aspire to be when our monthly period is still used to make women feel like polluted pariahs who must be kept at a distance? Is this not unacceptable modern-day untouchability? Still a gender biasedness? Our favourite question to all political parties: Why such strange behaviour against women? Is worshipping a crime now? The riots, temple shut down… Arghh!!
We also have a very much recent example of Shani Shingapur Temple in Maharashtra which lifts a ban of women’s entry to the temple followed as an old ritual.
There are few Temples in India where male entry is banned too. One at Chakkulathukavu Temple in Kerala itself. This Temple is dedicated to Goddess Durga and On 1st friday of December where only females worship and keep fasts for 10 long days, men aren’t allowed to enter the temp
With a similar concept, there are few other temples which prohibit male entries to the temple – Temple Pushkar Rajashthan, Kamakhya Devi Temple Assam, Attukal Bhagwati Temple Kerela, Bhagwati Devi Temple Tamilnadu._
As we celebrate International Women’s Day in India, some part of our nation still does not believe in Empowering Women. Women Empowerment means emancipation of women from the vicious grips of social, economical, political, caste and gender-based discrimination. It means granting women the freedom to make life choices. Women empowerment does not mean ‘defying women’ rather it means ‘Replacing patriarchy with equality/unity’. Women may have a long way left to go, but we’ve certainly come pretty far from where we once were. With our feminist forebears in mind, let’s celebrate women’s equality with some badass feminism and keep pushing Laja further as may be one day all her cuts and compromises will turn into a bookmark.
Kehte hai na:
Ek Maa, Ek Behen, Ek Biwi sab Ek Ladki ka chehra hai,
Bohot Kimti Bohot Khubsurat, Khuda ka diya hua Tofa hai,
Hum wo kar jaye jo koi soch nahi sakta,
Kuch Sarhado ne, kuch Bandisho ne roka hai!
IT’S MORE ABOUT POWER AND NOT RELIGION.
1 thought on “Women Rights”
A good and thoughtful post, lets have more like this please!