Well,I would be on your side today as well.I have no point to oppose like those seven suspended members had.If you saw that discussion on Zee news…you must have seen three of them justifying their cause,one of them being my uncle Mr.Ameer Alam Khan.But I cant really understand what his perspective was today.If women aren’t given enough opportunities,it would be a denial to their right to freedom……esp. of those belonging to the backward class and those in minority.
I agree completely that in any field, the choice should be purely on merit. But I have always had this doubt and forgive me if I am wrong – if women work 12-hr shifts or more like men, who will be there for the children – grandparents/babysitters/daycare centers/maids? Or are we supposed to live in denial as far as the harsh realities at home and personal front are concerned? I had to cut down work hours to be with my kid and am in a dilemma cos I believe if we want to serve our country, we should give a 100%. No reduced work hours!
Just post women’s day though, its quite an irony that we are fighting for equality!
Hi Aish – I am not demanding eqality as equality already exists.I am merely stating that there is parity between the genders whilst we should allow democracy to make choices. In a family, it is a choice of the couple to decide who will be sending more time with the child. There is no harm if Dad’s take the lead and spend more time with the child. It is also how you prioritize things. If you cannot devote equal time for both, one are has to be compromised.The great thing is you live in a free world and you can make a choice.
I dont know if we are living in a free world (for all women) with a freedom of choice, but it does sound good! It was fun to hear Sagarika Ghose exclaim, “I hope there wont be any reservation quota in the media!”:)
Aish – Sagarika is controlled a fair bit by Rajdeep and her father who is the Director of doordarshan. She needs to tackle those issues first before worrying abt media reservations.
Hum thoda confuse hun? Does this law mean that every candidate who stands for an election will have to be 25% female and 75% male? Does that mean a DNA test or what?
KPS Gill is 100% man, he has proved that many times. Now, can he stand for elections?
But seriously, will the governance of India be run by cosmetic pragmatism?
Now, consumerism shall not be a law, it will be the lawmaker!
Sham is right. This is politics going too far. My question is how does gender decide that one is elgible to represent people and draft laws?
Sonia Gandhi speaks openly about empowerment of women… which is precisely how all the politicians in India are thinking of… that politics is not about representing people… it is about power – power to rule the lives of a vast nnumber of people!
Frankly, I do not feel this is an issue of gender equality although it is being sold as such by everyone from Sonia to Sania.
We have seen the effects of Indira Gandhi, Maggie Thatcher, Bhandarnaike in power. Men have more freedom and less accountability with women on top. The atrocities caused in their era, like the ruthless closure of the mining sector in UK and the nationalisation of property rights in India were executed to precision by very strong men who were protected by the woman.
What I mean to say is, political governance of a nation has nothing to do with gender though history may show that the results are different in certain cases. Indira Gandhi was a war monger and brutal when insecure.
I have nothing against the feminine gender, trust me. I love them more than their own type does. But I will not vote for one if I have a better candidate who might happen to be man, to protect my constitutional rights.
Sorry, correction in the last para of the last entry. (Sudhir when will you ever get it right first time?!)
It should read:
I have nothing against the feminine gender, trust me. I probably love them more than they love one another… But if it is a vote for protecting my constitutional rights, the gender will not matter.
Sorry again. Even on my own blog posts, I write 25 lines and delete 21!
Sudhir – My blog is about parity, the genders are like weighing scales. At times, under various conditions the scales tilt towards one or the other. But, after weighing possibly every thing one realizes the weights are the same. Likewise, in certain cases women are more able than men, in certain men more than women. I go by statistics, albeit for every case too there will be a woman out doing the man or the reverse. But, this is the law of nature as well the rule of democracy. It is sad this issue is being portrayed as if we women are the weaker lot and hence need politics to voice our issues. Politics is one of the forums for it, but we can voice it only if people want to hear us and we need to be elected over a man and get the right to voice our opinion. Besides if the country wants 50% women in power, we are deprived of it!
No problem. It’s nothing that I, a common citizen, can do anything about. I could have some cynical or satirical fun like Shaw, and that’s as far as I can go. George Bernard Shaw wrote a nice book titled, “Guide for the Intelligent Woman” and he ruined all it’s prospects by beginning the prologue with: “I don’t expect this book will be read by any woman!” That’s the result of a man having a laid back attitude.
I am a poor man. I can’t afford to laugh at gender politics. Manu Smriti be damned!
Lol Sudhir – Satire is a good thing, we women understand that too pretty well but not been as good as men to be creators of it. Would be interesting to learn more on the laws of Manu, Is your blog a good starting point?
I do not support all that is written by Manu. Manu Smriti is the first constitutional framework that was written to rule a civilisation. I love it for its structure and clarity. I don’t understand all his laws because much of it is not relevant today.
For instance, he strongly believed that only healthy women could ensure a healthy population. So it was a rule that women should be protected from illnesses. They were not allowed to go hunting or wander into deep forests. Their security was equally important as they came at a considerable price. In those days, a groom had to buy his bride from the father-in-law. The term housewife is commonly used in the book. But the term house-husband is not mentioned even once. I suppose Manu didn’t know better. He wrote the book in 1200 BC – can’t blame him for being dated!
My blog is only about the learning that I have accepted and practised. It is closer to P G Wodehouse than religious scriptures!
Sudhir – Manu sounds chauvanist from whatever little I can make out here. You have done the right thing following PG’s philosophy which surely makes more sense that Manus.:)
Poor man Manu… he probably didn’t have a choice in 1200 BC. He fathered more than a 100 children… (in those days when there were no photocopying machines.) I think he wrote those rules to run his own family rather than the general public.
In contrast, Rishi Bhrigu relocated to Syria and spent the rest of his life in isolation counting stars in the sky. He discovered astronomy in his last days before handing in his dinner pail.
Vedic myths (Puranas) are an interesting mix of fact and fiction.
Bhrigu was Laxmi’s brother-in-law. He was married to ‘Kadak’ Laxmi. He got fed up of her nagging and went to complain to Vishnu. Vishnu ignored him. Bhrigu was annoyed by his indifference and stepped on his chest. Laxmi was incensed. Vishnu banished him from the Kingdom – they say he put an eye in his feet that wouldn’t let him stay in one place!
Bhrigu then went to Shiva who was then at Manas Sarovar in today’s Tibet, which was his wife Parvati’s father’s Kingdom. Shiva made Bhrigu wait outside his palace for three days. When Bhrigu forced his way into Shiva’s chamber he found him in an erotic embrace with Parvati. He swore that he would ensure people would never remember his face, but they would know him only by his male organ in Parvati. He destroyed all his idols and replaced them with the male and female organ in mating. Since then, Shiva’s linga is worshipped instead of his idols.
Bhrigu then went to Brahma, the creator of living creatures, who expressed his inability to help him. Bhrigu cursed him as well that Brahma would be worshipped only after death even if he is a creator. To this day, Brahma prayers are done only before cremation of a dead body. Although the brahmic power creates life, Shiva’s linga is worshipped for procreation!
Bhrigu cursed and reversed the entire vedic culture at this stage. He then travelled across saraswati in the Harappa and entered Africa. He spent almost ten years traveling. He returned to Iran where he met Atharvan, also called Zarathustra. Bhrigu narrated to him the horror of cannibalism that he witnessed in Africa.
Bhrigu’s traveling had given him a great insight into navigational techniques. He created a universe around the North Star (Dhruva). He settled in today’s Syria.
In order to teach astronomy to his students he created the science of astrology. Also, called jyotish shastra. The Hindu patrika or kundalini or jatakam are his creations.
About 600 years later, a sage called Vyas compiled three vedas namely Rig Veda (for Theosophy), Samaveda (Aesthetics), Yajurveda (Rituals). He compiled a fourth one much later that included physics, metallurgy, chemistry, medicine, astronomy, astrology and mathematics. This compilation was taken from the avesthan literature and hence called the Atharva Veda. The sections on astronomy and astrology are taken from Bhrigu’s Samhita.
Today’s Syria, where Bhrigu did his work, is the birthplace of mathematics. This knowledge traveled in three different directions. In the arabian region where the original 3 dimensional calculations were used extensively for navigation; In the north and west they were taken by Pythogoras and other Greeks where the symbols and principles were retained but much of it was simplified to 2 dimensional analysis; and finally to India where both the versions were easily adopted.
Myth or fact? Who knows. It’s in the scriptures of both the Zoroastrians and Hindus.
Sudhir….my understanding was when Bhrigu kicks Vishnu on the chest, Lakshmi gets angry as Vishnu allowed Bhrigu to kick him where she resides and comes down to earth. Vishnu follows her taking the form of Venkateshwara who later becomes Lord Venkateshwara in Tirupati. What I learned from watching the Telugu movie Venkateswara Mahatyam played by Mr. N.T. Ramarao.
Yes. The Visnu Purana tells the story from Vishnu’s side. Laxmi is furious. Vishnu’s heart is her place which is defiled by Bhrigu. Laxmi refuses to accept her rightful place even after Bhrigu has been banished by Vishnu. Vishnu does not punish Bhrigu otherwise and treats him with respect. Laxmi leaves Vishnu and comes to stay in Tirupati. The rest as you say is the story of Lord Venkateswara.
The words heaven, hell and earth are very loosely used in mythologies. Bhrigu’s Gatha calls African jungles living hell, where man eats man and raw meat! Parvati’s home in today’s Tibet is described as Heaven. So is Vishnu’s floating palace in the ocean.
I love mythologies for their moral compass, rather than scientific accuracy.
My apologies for messing with metaphors. One of the most difficult part of studying scriptures is deciphering the poetry.
All the hymns are poems or songs – they are categorized as Stuti, Mahatmya, Shloka, Rucha, Stotra etc. in Sanskrit.
Some commentators translate them verbatim, like most of the translations of Max Mueller & Co, while some are written with complete devotion and senstivity like the translations by Gurudev Tagore and S. Radhakrishnan.
Puranas, such as the Srimad Bhagawatam, are written very carefully. They sound like the teacher is speaking to children sitting in a temple in the evenings.
I always find children are all-forgiving. When I tell these stories to children in the neighbourhood, they usually forget the names of the places and characters, but they can remember what was done and why!
That’s why I always say, myth or fact doesn’t matter. The moral compass is all that we take forward through generations.
I have a few shortcomings because of my tendency to read and compare notes. As a student, I become what I am learning. I am a Buddhist when I am studying Buddhist scriptures. I am a Christian when I am reading the testaments and so on.
But once the learning sessions are over, I am myself again – that is just a silent ‘nothingness’. Please ignore the lapses.
But Sudhir, The sages were not telling us a fairy tale here right? It was not a figment of their imagination, they were historians who recorded events.???
Surely ‘not’ fairy tales – but reality written in verse and a lot of artistic license. It is very difficult to say when they drift from metaphors to aphorisms.
As an example, allow me to quote a verse from Rig Veda translated by Max Muller:
The Title is: “Who Knows…”
Nor Aught nor naught existed; yon bright sky
Was not, nor heaven’s broad roof outstretched above
What covered all? What sheltered, what concealed?
Was it the water’s fathomless abyss?
There was not death – yet was there naught immortal
There was no confine betwixt day and night;
The only One breathed breathless by itself,
Other than It there nothing since has been:
Darkness there was, and all at first was veiled
In gloom profound – an ocean without light –
The germ that still lay covered in the husk*
Burst forth, one nature, from the fervent heat. (S – *Note the metaphor!)
Then first came love upon it, the new spring
Of mind – yea poets in their hearts discerned,
Pondering, this bond between created things,
And uncreated. Comes this spark from earth
Piercing and all-pervading, or from heaven?
Then seeds were sown, and mighty powers arose –
Nature below, and power and will above,
Who knows the secret? Who proclaimed it here
Whence, whence this manifold creation sprang?
The gods themselves came later into being.
Who knows from whence this great creation sprang.
He, from whom all this great creation came,
Whether His will created or was mute,
The Most High Seer that is in highest heaven,
He knows it – or perchance even He knows not.
Ah@..Great one Sudhir – This has made me believe that nothing is known, the known is the unknown. It explains that there is not one thing in this world which is is based on an emperical formula. Not sure if even Gurus or teachers or Einstein can explain the mysteries of life and death. Which again makes me say, not sure what the purpose of us humans are too. The poem actually reminds me of Vishnu Sahsranama, the 108 verse which I am sure you know by rote, I know most of it and from whatever little I have tried to translate it, it seems to explain it all, but our finite human brain is unable to grasp it. Maybe only the enlightened know it all, or do they??
Gender parity matters universally. I am probably not explaining myself well, but I will give it another go. If a woman is conetnt looking after the house, she may excel in it while the man goes out and excels in his job. The end result leads to a happy home. Reverse situation, if the woman has a good career, and the man wants to sit at home and looks after the kids, it again leads to a good family life. Then, one more case if both the man and the woman work, share their responsibilities at home equally and excel at work too, it would again lead to a happy life. It does not matter what role each of these genders adopt, so long as they are good at it and understand each others role it would naturally lead to a better life. My poin is, there is no dictum that all women have to sit at home or 33.3 % have to sit at home, it should be the same in politics, why put a dictum on how many can sit in Ls or RS. Infact, there can be 0% to 100% of women who can, it is their own choice and the choice of this country.
You can write as many comments Sudhir, i njoy reading your posts!
Sharmila – This reply made it clearer to me. Though I feel, right from a minor issue like giving up our maiden name for our husband’s, the scales tilt. Women dont need reservations, only a freedom of choice. You are right.
Once again a beautifully written post by you ! Am glad that you mentioned, “Most men consider…”, and not “All men consider….” thus saving me from having to defend men folk !!
Yes, there are umpteen examples of how some (avoiding “most”) men treat women in a most unfortunate manner. I still have vivid memories of what I saw in Causeway Bay, late nite, as far long as 22 years ago , …quite a well-built Indian husband was happily walking, holding his tiny daughter’s hand, while the wife was struggling to keep pace carrying a huge pedestal fan – she would stop every few steps, catch her breath and continue her struggle….
What I didn’t tell you above is that my wife, who was with me then, also saw this, so naturally I don’t fail to remind her even now of those images if she voices a strong protest at home !! (Fortunately, this happens once every few years only !!)
On a different note, any fresh ideas on how to obtain infos re the date for the LTA award to LK ? I have also written to the organizers, but they didn’t reply. Also, any views on how the small EF here should muster/organise to meet him ? My wife thinks am crazy, but I told her that I may have the last laugh…!!! If convenient you may wish to email me yr views, thanks.
Thanks Veekay! Yes,It it not about who is doing what between the genders. Some may do it better than the other, whilst the other may be better at something else. At some point there needs to be a neutral ground. Re – the awards, I have no clue either what date LK gets the award and I have asked him on the blog a few times but maybe due to privacy reasons he cannot answer. Let me know if you get to hear something. As of now, the only awards program is on the 30th and his award is not mentioned. Maybe we should try calling the organizers?
This 33% reservation for women will give following add-on benefits to the society,
1. It will ensure that less criminals would become lawmakers as women are rarely appearing in crime records.
2. Women of backward classes would be given a chance for progress.
3. In a country where female foeticide is a norm rather than an exception, it will definitely give some advantage to females.
4. A natural way forward will be reservation for women in government jobs.
Hi Anand – Agree with point 1 to some extent, going by statistics to date. I do not agree with point 2 because to get into politics you still need to be well connected or you need to be the wife of a big shot politician who is preferably dead or a friend of one who is alive and you need a lot of money for the ticket. Point 3 too there is no advantage, as only via education that people will realize the importance of the girl child, simply because no girl in India is groomed to be a politican like a doctor or an engineer. And my views are the same about the 4th point, gender percentages are not responsible for good governance.
1. You partially agreed.thanks.
2. Most of the male MPs are sons and relatives of dead or alive politicians.All women are wives to someone and friends to some.It doesn’t make them ineligible for participating or winning an election.
If you see stats of representation of backward classes by women in Parliament.You will find a figure in single digit out of 545+250 parliamentarians.They need better representation in highest body.
3. You will be surprized to know that female foeticide is more prevalent in educated society than the illiterates.
4. I fully agree that gender percentage is no way related to better governance. But the point I wanted to make was, reservation of Government jobs will uplift the status of women in Indian society at large.
Sharmila.one of your best. It was very interesting to read the discussion between You and Sudhir. Gender and Bias and its origin, Michel Foucault had some interesting theories on the same. Sharmila once again it is definitely one of your best and keep it going
I am not as good as Sudhir to explain but basically according to Foucault theories were developed to unconsciously control the opposite sex. All theories are a subtle way to control and depends on who develops it and why. Not that I completely agree with him but good food for thought
Lakshmi – Thanks. You are as good as everyone else!..very interesting theory indeed..mind games are something I have never understood. Should read this up.
I’m basically against all sorts of reservations, whether based on religion, caste, creed, gender, or domesticity. The reservation or quota system was implemented to redress the discrimination against some sections of society. That this policy has failed to deliver is another matter. That the benefits have gone to the wrong people is also a different matter. But the question that is really disturbing is, isn’t reservation itself a form of discrimination? Or is it that two wrongs make a right?
Perhaps in the distant past “our type” needed male protection in order to maintain the species, and had to put up with the heavy price extracted in return.
But times they are a-changing, and most of us have left the treetops and Savannas.
Quotas are a double-edged sword, one side pointing maliciously back at us.
I hope India will be able to jettison this law as soon as she feels able to.
Congrats Sharmila, for publishing such a great post with a touchy issue. You started this post with women reservation bill, but after including all the above comments, your post now covers almost all issues of India, directly or indirectly. Since I am a Hindu brahmin, I would like to start with mythology first. Nobody knows that our veds or purans are myth or not. But I agree with someone’s comment here that we should try to absorb the morale of our Gita,Purans,etc. I hope you don’t mind if I say almost all of our bollywood films till date are very much influenced by our Gods and Deities living styles. There is a simple funda for a hero to kill or defeat a villain. hero have to send her beautiful and attractive heroin in a more attractive way to the villain’s place to lure or deceive his inner sexual desire. then only can hero get a reason to kill the villain. now may i define a woman as a machine which can fulfill sexual desire, produce human, do household work & sometimes can be used as commodity with or without her consent. And the switch of the machine is always been in men’s hand (since lord Shiva yug to kalyug).kindly don’t compare my words with few educated women of our Indian society.
being a typical middle class Indian i believe in god 7 hopes he will do something good for his own creation(world).but I don’t have a reason so far why i should worship god? Some people says if we don’t worship god, then he will create havoc. is that means we worship god because of fear? some people says they got peace of mind whenever they prayed. that’s okay. but again they have also the same opinion that our god deserves, needs and wants to be worshiped. I have some questions to people of our world, if we wont worship god, would it be a worst crime going to happen than a child rape, would be there even worst earthquakes than Haiti ? why some of our god has ranges? e.g., Sai baba came to shirdi, lived and blessed people of nearby villages & died. do gods have regional feelings then? sai baba should have visited godhra,kolkata,punjab,mumbai or all places where riots happened after his death. some people says god watching us every moment. is that means after creating the whole world he has lost his power, or he like watching child abuses, bad people as rich & on top, while honest people remains busy struggling with there lives? sorry I couldn’t control myself to argue like a child. and i must admits that i am not a successful person and hence I don’t possess the right to put a blame on anyone or unknown power(god).
now, come to the point that what happens when women gets 33% of seats in politics? i believe out of that 33%,99% will be either a minister’s wife,daughter,niece etc. Or so-called a political friend. a political friend is a person who can spend multi crores of rupees during election campaign. There is also a possibility that some legal hidden prostitutes (some kips of politicians are also known by us as social activists)might get a chance and i think they deserves it, as they have sacrificed around 15-20 years of their beautiful body to our social & ideal politicians. now you may think that if i can see only the dirty part, then why i am supporting the reservation for women?
I am sorry as i am a very optimistic about India’s future ahead. an Indian woman still don’t know her rights and strengths. a woman can only know her value when she will be educated. here educated means a graduate or more & not a 5th grade passed. as per SARV SHIKSHYA ABHIYAAN all students will gets promoted to higher class up to 5th grade. that means a child who joins school, is a 5th grade passed after 5 years compulsorily.
if a woman be educated, whole family will be educated. Probably that’s why our politicians don’t want illiterate poor women to get education. otherwise they might lose all the votes. People will no more vote a person for 5 years, at the cost of a thousand rupee note. i believe education for all have d capability to change even a common man/woman into MLA/MP. though things will not going to change in a positive way immediately.
When a educated girl will see well behaved women like Rakhi Sawant and silly women like Kiran Bedi as MLA/MP, they can compare and gain confidence in themselves. there is maximum possibility that a revolution going to happen. a common human’s party will surely be formed, where women plays equal roles as men.
we Indians have it in our genes that we only can learn when problem would knock our door personally. we don’t mind preferring sleep to help our neighbor in problem.
India has Mayawati,Jayalalitha,etc. like lady terminators who are harming humankind more than an evil could have done( no other than a male politician). That doesn’t means it continues to happen for a long time.
Indian women are considered equal in paper only. They have a long way to go. So far they haven’t acquired even a 20% of their equality and we talk about 50%.Still dowry, honor killing, khap panchayat etc. exists. Still India is a country where a brother not wishes to share his parental property to his sisters, until she demands for it. And how can we demand honest positions for women from our existing corrupted male dominant governments.
Jo milraha hai usey leke aagey toh badho pehle! Aagey jakey haq chhinney ki v taqat aahi jayegi. Pehle se hi jyada ki umeed mein kuch v nahi milega.
Change needs time, lets wait and watch for some years more. Shamilajee, can we change the decision of our govt., though we choose them. I am not an expert in politics, like you guys here, but mark my words, it going to work. Kuch Kiran Bedi jaisi v paida hue hain aur bahotkuch paida hochuki hongi. WHEN A WOMAN LEARN TO HELP ANOTHER WOMAN, EVERYTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT. I Hope……I Wish……….I Believe………… (sorry if I have mentioned some wrong words)
Amaresh Rath
Amaresh – Lot of thought provoking points, some I dont agree with, I shall comment in a bit.This needs a lot of my time, excuse me for the next one day as I am traveling, but shall return and comment in detail.
Thought provoking Amaresh , and I apologise for not getting back earlier. The development of a society rests in equal opportunities being presented to both the sexes. India has a long way to go before triying to emulate the west in this regards. Education is key as you rightly point out, developing the girl child and creating awareness in rural areas is of utmost importance. Reservations only make women again appear to be the weaker force, when it is not the case. Sonia Gandhi, Mamta, Mayawati, Jayallalitha, Sheila Dixit, Sushma Swaraj are examples of strong women who are in the forefront based on their own merit. Caste should never be used again as a cause for reservation. It takes India back another 100 years whenever we speak and fight for reservations on this factor.
No women thinks herself less than that of men in any field.They rae proud of themselves.My question is what is need of providing them reservation when they think themself equal to that of men?
Sharmila says... 
March 9, 2010 at 11:55 am
A very fresh topic to be discussed now……will listen to the discussion on Zee news….will get back later
March 9, 2010 at 1:04 pm
Sure Salman.
March 9, 2010 at 7:42 pm
Well,I would be on your side today as well.I have no point to oppose like those seven suspended members had.If you saw that discussion on Zee news…you must have seen three of them justifying their cause,one of them being my uncle Mr.Ameer Alam Khan.But I cant really understand what his perspective was today.If women aren’t given enough opportunities,it would be a denial to their right to freedom……esp. of those belonging to the backward class and those in minority.
March 10, 2010 at 2:19 am
Salman – No, I did not see the Zee Tv debate. I did read your comment on the test. What was the surprise there? I was not able to understand.
March 10, 2010 at 7:46 am
Sorry for having got you confused di.I meant that the test should have been in the council itself.
March 10, 2010 at 8:41 am
Thanks Salman, yes it could have been in the same council.
March 10, 2010 at 11:44 am
Oops where did I reply
March 9, 2010 at 12:33 pm
Sharmila,
I agree completely that in any field, the choice should be purely on merit. But I have always had this doubt and forgive me if I am wrong – if women work 12-hr shifts or more like men, who will be there for the children – grandparents/babysitters/daycare centers/maids? Or are we supposed to live in denial as far as the harsh realities at home and personal front are concerned? I had to cut down work hours to be with my kid and am in a dilemma cos I believe if we want to serve our country, we should give a 100%. No reduced work hours!
Just post women’s day though, its quite an irony that we are fighting for equality!
March 9, 2010 at 1:09 pm
Hi Aish – I am not demanding eqality as equality already exists.I am merely stating that there is parity between the genders whilst we should allow democracy to make choices. In a family, it is a choice of the couple to decide who will be sending more time with the child. There is no harm if Dad’s take the lead and spend more time with the child. It is also how you prioritize things. If you cannot devote equal time for both, one are has to be compromised.The great thing is you live in a free world and you can make a choice.
March 9, 2010 at 1:46 pm
I dont know if we are living in a free world (for all women) with a freedom of choice, but it does sound good! It was fun to hear Sagarika Ghose exclaim, “I hope there wont be any reservation quota in the media!”:)
March 9, 2010 at 3:22 pm
Aish – Sagarika is controlled a fair bit by Rajdeep and her father who is the Director of doordarshan. She needs to tackle those issues first before worrying abt media reservations.
March 10, 2010 at 9:35 am
Well,now my amazement sounds funny 😛
March 9, 2010 at 1:12 pm
Sharmila ji,
Hum thoda confuse hun? Does this law mean that every candidate who stands for an election will have to be 25% female and 75% male? Does that mean a DNA test or what?
KPS Gill is 100% man, he has proved that many times. Now, can he stand for elections?
But seriously, will the governance of India be run by cosmetic pragmatism?
Now, consumerism shall not be a law, it will be the lawmaker!
March 9, 2010 at 1:32 pm
Oops, again. It is 33.3% female and 66.7% male.
March 9, 2010 at 3:23 pm
A sham on democracy Sudhir. I am sure KPS Gill fits the bill. We will not progress one inch with this change.
March 9, 2010 at 3:28 pm
Sharmila,
Sham is right. This is politics going too far. My question is how does gender decide that one is elgible to represent people and draft laws?
Sonia Gandhi speaks openly about empowerment of women… which is precisely how all the politicians in India are thinking of… that politics is not about representing people… it is about power – power to rule the lives of a vast nnumber of people!
March 9, 2010 at 1:27 pm
Sharmila ji,
Read your article a bit more closely.
Frankly, I do not feel this is an issue of gender equality although it is being sold as such by everyone from Sonia to Sania.
We have seen the effects of Indira Gandhi, Maggie Thatcher, Bhandarnaike in power. Men have more freedom and less accountability with women on top. The atrocities caused in their era, like the ruthless closure of the mining sector in UK and the nationalisation of property rights in India were executed to precision by very strong men who were protected by the woman.
What I mean to say is, political governance of a nation has nothing to do with gender though history may show that the results are different in certain cases. Indira Gandhi was a war monger and brutal when insecure.
I have nothing against the feminine gender, trust me. I love them more than their own type does. But I will not vote for one if I have a better candidate who might happen to be man, to protect my constitutional rights.
March 9, 2010 at 3:02 pm
Sorry, correction in the last para of the last entry. (Sudhir when will you ever get it right first time?!)
It should read:
I have nothing against the feminine gender, trust me. I probably love them more than they love one another… But if it is a vote for protecting my constitutional rights, the gender will not matter.
Sorry again. Even on my own blog posts, I write 25 lines and delete 21!
Kab sudharega, Sudhir!
😦
March 9, 2010 at 3:30 pm
Exactly Sudhir,The gender must not matter, we have now made it into a matter!
March 9, 2010 at 3:28 pm
Sudhir – My blog is about parity, the genders are like weighing scales. At times, under various conditions the scales tilt towards one or the other. But, after weighing possibly every thing one realizes the weights are the same. Likewise, in certain cases women are more able than men, in certain men more than women. I go by statistics, albeit for every case too there will be a woman out doing the man or the reverse. But, this is the law of nature as well the rule of democracy. It is sad this issue is being portrayed as if we women are the weaker lot and hence need politics to voice our issues. Politics is one of the forums for it, but we can voice it only if people want to hear us and we need to be elected over a man and get the right to voice our opinion. Besides if the country wants 50% women in power, we are deprived of it!
March 9, 2010 at 3:45 pm
Sharmila,
No problem. It’s nothing that I, a common citizen, can do anything about. I could have some cynical or satirical fun like Shaw, and that’s as far as I can go. George Bernard Shaw wrote a nice book titled, “Guide for the Intelligent Woman” and he ruined all it’s prospects by beginning the prologue with: “I don’t expect this book will be read by any woman!” That’s the result of a man having a laid back attitude.
I am a poor man. I can’t afford to laugh at gender politics. Manu Smriti be damned!
🙂
March 9, 2010 at 4:10 pm
Lol Sudhir – Satire is a good thing, we women understand that too pretty well but not been as good as men to be creators of it. Would be interesting to learn more on the laws of Manu, Is your blog a good starting point?
March 9, 2010 at 4:38 pm
Sharmila,
I do not support all that is written by Manu. Manu Smriti is the first constitutional framework that was written to rule a civilisation. I love it for its structure and clarity. I don’t understand all his laws because much of it is not relevant today.
For instance, he strongly believed that only healthy women could ensure a healthy population. So it was a rule that women should be protected from illnesses. They were not allowed to go hunting or wander into deep forests. Their security was equally important as they came at a considerable price. In those days, a groom had to buy his bride from the father-in-law. The term housewife is commonly used in the book. But the term house-husband is not mentioned even once. I suppose Manu didn’t know better. He wrote the book in 1200 BC – can’t blame him for being dated!
My blog is only about the learning that I have accepted and practised. It is closer to P G Wodehouse than religious scriptures!
🙂
March 10, 2010 at 2:21 am
Sudhir – Manu sounds chauvanist from whatever little I can make out here. You have done the right thing following PG’s philosophy which surely makes more sense that Manus.:)
March 10, 2010 at 3:25 am
Poor man Manu… he probably didn’t have a choice in 1200 BC. He fathered more than a 100 children… (in those days when there were no photocopying machines.) I think he wrote those rules to run his own family rather than the general public.
In contrast, Rishi Bhrigu relocated to Syria and spent the rest of his life in isolation counting stars in the sky. He discovered astronomy in his last days before handing in his dinner pail.
March 10, 2010 at 3:33 pm
Ha ha..Bhrigu did all this?? Syria??
March 10, 2010 at 6:11 pm
Sharmila,
Vedic myths (Puranas) are an interesting mix of fact and fiction.
Bhrigu was Laxmi’s brother-in-law. He was married to ‘Kadak’ Laxmi. He got fed up of her nagging and went to complain to Vishnu. Vishnu ignored him. Bhrigu was annoyed by his indifference and stepped on his chest. Laxmi was incensed. Vishnu banished him from the Kingdom – they say he put an eye in his feet that wouldn’t let him stay in one place!
Bhrigu then went to Shiva who was then at Manas Sarovar in today’s Tibet, which was his wife Parvati’s father’s Kingdom. Shiva made Bhrigu wait outside his palace for three days. When Bhrigu forced his way into Shiva’s chamber he found him in an erotic embrace with Parvati. He swore that he would ensure people would never remember his face, but they would know him only by his male organ in Parvati. He destroyed all his idols and replaced them with the male and female organ in mating. Since then, Shiva’s linga is worshipped instead of his idols.
Bhrigu then went to Brahma, the creator of living creatures, who expressed his inability to help him. Bhrigu cursed him as well that Brahma would be worshipped only after death even if he is a creator. To this day, Brahma prayers are done only before cremation of a dead body. Although the brahmic power creates life, Shiva’s linga is worshipped for procreation!
Bhrigu cursed and reversed the entire vedic culture at this stage. He then travelled across saraswati in the Harappa and entered Africa. He spent almost ten years traveling. He returned to Iran where he met Atharvan, also called Zarathustra. Bhrigu narrated to him the horror of cannibalism that he witnessed in Africa.
Bhrigu’s traveling had given him a great insight into navigational techniques. He created a universe around the North Star (Dhruva). He settled in today’s Syria.
In order to teach astronomy to his students he created the science of astrology. Also, called jyotish shastra. The Hindu patrika or kundalini or jatakam are his creations.
About 600 years later, a sage called Vyas compiled three vedas namely Rig Veda (for Theosophy), Samaveda (Aesthetics), Yajurveda (Rituals). He compiled a fourth one much later that included physics, metallurgy, chemistry, medicine, astronomy, astrology and mathematics. This compilation was taken from the avesthan literature and hence called the Atharva Veda. The sections on astronomy and astrology are taken from Bhrigu’s Samhita.
Today’s Syria, where Bhrigu did his work, is the birthplace of mathematics. This knowledge traveled in three different directions. In the arabian region where the original 3 dimensional calculations were used extensively for navigation; In the north and west they were taken by Pythogoras and other Greeks where the symbols and principles were retained but much of it was simplified to 2 dimensional analysis; and finally to India where both the versions were easily adopted.
Myth or fact? Who knows. It’s in the scriptures of both the Zoroastrians and Hindus.
🙂
March 11, 2010 at 2:25 am
Sudhir….my understanding was when Bhrigu kicks Vishnu on the chest, Lakshmi gets angry as Vishnu allowed Bhrigu to kick him where she resides and comes down to earth. Vishnu follows her taking the form of Venkateshwara who later becomes Lord Venkateshwara in Tirupati. What I learned from watching the Telugu movie Venkateswara Mahatyam played by Mr. N.T. Ramarao.
March 11, 2010 at 2:49 am
Lakshmi Jag,
Yes. The Visnu Purana tells the story from Vishnu’s side. Laxmi is furious. Vishnu’s heart is her place which is defiled by Bhrigu. Laxmi refuses to accept her rightful place even after Bhrigu has been banished by Vishnu. Vishnu does not punish Bhrigu otherwise and treats him with respect. Laxmi leaves Vishnu and comes to stay in Tirupati. The rest as you say is the story of Lord Venkateswara.
The words heaven, hell and earth are very loosely used in mythologies. Bhrigu’s Gatha calls African jungles living hell, where man eats man and raw meat! Parvati’s home in today’s Tibet is described as Heaven. So is Vishnu’s floating palace in the ocean.
I love mythologies for their moral compass, rather than scientific accuracy.
Thanks,
March 11, 2010 at 4:34 am
Forget about myth or fact Sudhir, your knowledge is a fact. But, I have my reservations abt calling key aspects of hindu dharma as a “myth”.
March 11, 2010 at 5:09 am
Sharmila,
My apologies for messing with metaphors. One of the most difficult part of studying scriptures is deciphering the poetry.
All the hymns are poems or songs – they are categorized as Stuti, Mahatmya, Shloka, Rucha, Stotra etc. in Sanskrit.
Some commentators translate them verbatim, like most of the translations of Max Mueller & Co, while some are written with complete devotion and senstivity like the translations by Gurudev Tagore and S. Radhakrishnan.
Puranas, such as the Srimad Bhagawatam, are written very carefully. They sound like the teacher is speaking to children sitting in a temple in the evenings.
I always find children are all-forgiving. When I tell these stories to children in the neighbourhood, they usually forget the names of the places and characters, but they can remember what was done and why!
That’s why I always say, myth or fact doesn’t matter. The moral compass is all that we take forward through generations.
I have a few shortcomings because of my tendency to read and compare notes. As a student, I become what I am learning. I am a Buddhist when I am studying Buddhist scriptures. I am a Christian when I am reading the testaments and so on.
But once the learning sessions are over, I am myself again – that is just a silent ‘nothingness’. Please ignore the lapses.
.
March 11, 2010 at 8:48 am
But Sudhir, The sages were not telling us a fairy tale here right? It was not a figment of their imagination, they were historians who recorded events.???
March 11, 2010 at 9:59 am
Sharmila,
Surely ‘not’ fairy tales – but reality written in verse and a lot of artistic license. It is very difficult to say when they drift from metaphors to aphorisms.
As an example, allow me to quote a verse from Rig Veda translated by Max Muller:
The Title is: “Who Knows…”
Nor Aught nor naught existed; yon bright sky
Was not, nor heaven’s broad roof outstretched above
What covered all? What sheltered, what concealed?
Was it the water’s fathomless abyss?
There was not death – yet was there naught immortal
There was no confine betwixt day and night;
The only One breathed breathless by itself,
Other than It there nothing since has been:
Darkness there was, and all at first was veiled
In gloom profound – an ocean without light –
The germ that still lay covered in the husk*
Burst forth, one nature, from the fervent heat. (S – *Note the metaphor!)
Then first came love upon it, the new spring
Of mind – yea poets in their hearts discerned,
Pondering, this bond between created things,
And uncreated. Comes this spark from earth
Piercing and all-pervading, or from heaven?
Then seeds were sown, and mighty powers arose –
Nature below, and power and will above,
Who knows the secret? Who proclaimed it here
Whence, whence this manifold creation sprang?
The gods themselves came later into being.
Who knows from whence this great creation sprang.
He, from whom all this great creation came,
Whether His will created or was mute,
The Most High Seer that is in highest heaven,
He knows it – or perchance even He knows not.
(Rigveda) – Tr. by F. Max Muller
===
Following are some the deities in the Vedas:
Agni; Indra; Varuna; Brihaspati; Yama; Vishnu; Rudra; Maruta; Ashvin; Surya; Soma; Savitra; Usha; Mitra; Vishvadeva.
As you will notice many are either personifications of real natural forces or deities who ruled them.
Hence the need for a Guru who can explain the subtlety or a lifetime dedicated to research!
🙂
March 11, 2010 at 1:12 pm
Ah@..Great one Sudhir – This has made me believe that nothing is known, the known is the unknown. It explains that there is not one thing in this world which is is based on an emperical formula. Not sure if even Gurus or teachers or Einstein can explain the mysteries of life and death. Which again makes me say, not sure what the purpose of us humans are too. The poem actually reminds me of Vishnu Sahsranama, the 108 verse which I am sure you know by rote, I know most of it and from whatever little I have tried to translate it, it seems to explain it all, but our finite human brain is unable to grasp it. Maybe only the enlightened know it all, or do they??
March 11, 2010 at 2:33 pm
Well, who knows..!
🙂
March 10, 2010 at 5:00 am
Sharmila,
Last entry, promise. 🙂
This is more on a serious and contemporary note.
In my opinion, the subject of public representation in power-centers is not gender specific.
The dynamics of scientific thought changes reality. Principles of natural justice have to change with the reality.
We are now in a society owned by the rich and powerful arms of industrialists who are not responsible for the defence and law & order.
How does gender parity matter?
March 10, 2010 at 5:25 am
Gender parity matters universally. I am probably not explaining myself well, but I will give it another go. If a woman is conetnt looking after the house, she may excel in it while the man goes out and excels in his job. The end result leads to a happy home. Reverse situation, if the woman has a good career, and the man wants to sit at home and looks after the kids, it again leads to a good family life. Then, one more case if both the man and the woman work, share their responsibilities at home equally and excel at work too, it would again lead to a happy life. It does not matter what role each of these genders adopt, so long as they are good at it and understand each others role it would naturally lead to a better life. My poin is, there is no dictum that all women have to sit at home or 33.3 % have to sit at home, it should be the same in politics, why put a dictum on how many can sit in Ls or RS. Infact, there can be 0% to 100% of women who can, it is their own choice and the choice of this country.
You can write as many comments Sudhir, i njoy reading your posts!
March 10, 2010 at 6:23 am
Sharmila – This reply made it clearer to me. Though I feel, right from a minor issue like giving up our maiden name for our husband’s, the scales tilt. Women dont need reservations, only a freedom of choice. You are right.
March 10, 2010 at 8:32 am
Bingo Aish!
March 10, 2010 at 6:40 am
Dear Sharmila,
Once again a beautifully written post by you ! Am glad that you mentioned, “Most men consider…”, and not “All men consider….” thus saving me from having to defend men folk !!
Yes, there are umpteen examples of how some (avoiding “most”) men treat women in a most unfortunate manner. I still have vivid memories of what I saw in Causeway Bay, late nite, as far long as 22 years ago , …quite a well-built Indian husband was happily walking, holding his tiny daughter’s hand, while the wife was struggling to keep pace carrying a huge pedestal fan – she would stop every few steps, catch her breath and continue her struggle….
What I didn’t tell you above is that my wife, who was with me then, also saw this, so naturally I don’t fail to remind her even now of those images if she voices a strong protest at home !! (Fortunately, this happens once every few years only !!)
On a different note, any fresh ideas on how to obtain infos re the date for the LTA award to LK ? I have also written to the organizers, but they didn’t reply. Also, any views on how the small EF here should muster/organise to meet him ? My wife thinks am crazy, but I told her that I may have the last laugh…!!! If convenient you may wish to email me yr views, thanks.
March 10, 2010 at 8:36 am
Thanks Veekay! Yes,It it not about who is doing what between the genders. Some may do it better than the other, whilst the other may be better at something else. At some point there needs to be a neutral ground. Re – the awards, I have no clue either what date LK gets the award and I have asked him on the blog a few times but maybe due to privacy reasons he cannot answer. Let me know if you get to hear something. As of now, the only awards program is on the 30th and his award is not mentioned. Maybe we should try calling the organizers?
March 10, 2010 at 7:21 am
This 33% reservation for women will give following add-on benefits to the society,
1. It will ensure that less criminals would become lawmakers as women are rarely appearing in crime records.
2. Women of backward classes would be given a chance for progress.
3. In a country where female foeticide is a norm rather than an exception, it will definitely give some advantage to females.
4. A natural way forward will be reservation for women in government jobs.
Anand
July 24, 2010 at 12:04 am
I don’t agree with your second point.Not all the women are from backward classes.
July 24, 2010 at 12:09 am
is it not human discrimination?
July 24, 2010 at 5:07 pm
Yes, I agree. Caste should never be the basis of reservation. It makes us go back 100 years in development.
March 10, 2010 at 8:40 am
Hi Anand – Agree with point 1 to some extent, going by statistics to date. I do not agree with point 2 because to get into politics you still need to be well connected or you need to be the wife of a big shot politician who is preferably dead or a friend of one who is alive and you need a lot of money for the ticket. Point 3 too there is no advantage, as only via education that people will realize the importance of the girl child, simply because no girl in India is groomed to be a politican like a doctor or an engineer. And my views are the same about the 4th point, gender percentages are not responsible for good governance.
March 10, 2010 at 11:25 am
1. You partially agreed.thanks.
2. Most of the male MPs are sons and relatives of dead or alive politicians.All women are wives to someone and friends to some.It doesn’t make them ineligible for participating or winning an election.
If you see stats of representation of backward classes by women in Parliament.You will find a figure in single digit out of 545+250 parliamentarians.They need better representation in highest body.
3. You will be surprized to know that female foeticide is more prevalent in educated society than the illiterates.
4. I fully agree that gender percentage is no way related to better governance. But the point I wanted to make was, reservation of Government jobs will uplift the status of women in Indian society at large.
Anand
March 10, 2010 at 3:31 pm
We should tweet about these four points with PritishNandy.
March 10, 2010 at 1:21 pm
Sharmila.one of your best. It was very interesting to read the discussion between You and Sudhir. Gender and Bias and its origin, Michel Foucault had some interesting theories on the same. Sharmila once again it is definitely one of your best and keep it going
Lakshmi
March 10, 2010 at 3:29 pm
Lakshmi – Thank you very much! Means a lot and great to see you back here. What were Michel Foucalt’s theory?
March 11, 2010 at 2:20 am
I am not as good as Sudhir to explain but basically according to Foucault theories were developed to unconsciously control the opposite sex. All theories are a subtle way to control and depends on who develops it and why. Not that I completely agree with him but good food for thought
March 11, 2010 at 4:35 am
Lakshmi – Thanks. You are as good as everyone else!..very interesting theory indeed..mind games are something I have never understood. Should read this up.
March 10, 2010 at 1:32 pm
I’m basically against all sorts of reservations, whether based on religion, caste, creed, gender, or domesticity. The reservation or quota system was implemented to redress the discrimination against some sections of society. That this policy has failed to deliver is another matter. That the benefits have gone to the wrong people is also a different matter. But the question that is really disturbing is, isn’t reservation itself a form of discrimination? Or is it that two wrongs make a right?
March 10, 2010 at 3:30 pm
Melwyn – Nail on the head!..Reservation by itself is a form of discrimination..
March 10, 2010 at 6:02 pm
Sharmila and Sudhir,
Perhaps in the distant past “our type” needed male protection in order to maintain the species, and had to put up with the heavy price extracted in return.
But times they are a-changing, and most of us have left the treetops and Savannas.
Quotas are a double-edged sword, one side pointing maliciously back at us.
I hope India will be able to jettison this law as soon as she feels able to.
March 10, 2010 at 6:13 pm
Dear me, Renate,
How does Sudhir come into “Our Type” ?!
Me Tarzan, I no jane 😛
March 10, 2010 at 6:21 pm
Sudhir,
Good thing I qualified and said “most of us” Apparently not all have.
March 11, 2010 at 3:40 am
Lets hope so too Renate
March 11, 2010 at 8:03 am
Is it of Pritish Nandy class? Thanks. I am delighted. Perhaps if you tweet he would take it seriously.
Anand
March 11, 2010 at 8:51 am
Hi Anand – Nandy takes everybody seriously, not just me!
May 11, 2010 at 4:58 am
Congrats Sharmila, for publishing such a great post with a touchy issue. You started this post with women reservation bill, but after including all the above comments, your post now covers almost all issues of India, directly or indirectly. Since I am a Hindu brahmin, I would like to start with mythology first. Nobody knows that our veds or purans are myth or not. But I agree with someone’s comment here that we should try to absorb the morale of our Gita,Purans,etc. I hope you don’t mind if I say almost all of our bollywood films till date are very much influenced by our Gods and Deities living styles. There is a simple funda for a hero to kill or defeat a villain. hero have to send her beautiful and attractive heroin in a more attractive way to the villain’s place to lure or deceive his inner sexual desire. then only can hero get a reason to kill the villain. now may i define a woman as a machine which can fulfill sexual desire, produce human, do household work & sometimes can be used as commodity with or without her consent. And the switch of the machine is always been in men’s hand (since lord Shiva yug to kalyug).kindly don’t compare my words with few educated women of our Indian society.
being a typical middle class Indian i believe in god 7 hopes he will do something good for his own creation(world).but I don’t have a reason so far why i should worship god? Some people says if we don’t worship god, then he will create havoc. is that means we worship god because of fear? some people says they got peace of mind whenever they prayed. that’s okay. but again they have also the same opinion that our god deserves, needs and wants to be worshiped. I have some questions to people of our world, if we wont worship god, would it be a worst crime going to happen than a child rape, would be there even worst earthquakes than Haiti ? why some of our god has ranges? e.g., Sai baba came to shirdi, lived and blessed people of nearby villages & died. do gods have regional feelings then? sai baba should have visited godhra,kolkata,punjab,mumbai or all places where riots happened after his death. some people says god watching us every moment. is that means after creating the whole world he has lost his power, or he like watching child abuses, bad people as rich & on top, while honest people remains busy struggling with there lives? sorry I couldn’t control myself to argue like a child. and i must admits that i am not a successful person and hence I don’t possess the right to put a blame on anyone or unknown power(god).
now, come to the point that what happens when women gets 33% of seats in politics? i believe out of that 33%,99% will be either a minister’s wife,daughter,niece etc. Or so-called a political friend. a political friend is a person who can spend multi crores of rupees during election campaign. There is also a possibility that some legal hidden prostitutes (some kips of politicians are also known by us as social activists)might get a chance and i think they deserves it, as they have sacrificed around 15-20 years of their beautiful body to our social & ideal politicians. now you may think that if i can see only the dirty part, then why i am supporting the reservation for women?
I am sorry as i am a very optimistic about India’s future ahead. an Indian woman still don’t know her rights and strengths. a woman can only know her value when she will be educated. here educated means a graduate or more & not a 5th grade passed. as per SARV SHIKSHYA ABHIYAAN all students will gets promoted to higher class up to 5th grade. that means a child who joins school, is a 5th grade passed after 5 years compulsorily.
if a woman be educated, whole family will be educated. Probably that’s why our politicians don’t want illiterate poor women to get education. otherwise they might lose all the votes. People will no more vote a person for 5 years, at the cost of a thousand rupee note. i believe education for all have d capability to change even a common man/woman into MLA/MP. though things will not going to change in a positive way immediately.
When a educated girl will see well behaved women like Rakhi Sawant and silly women like Kiran Bedi as MLA/MP, they can compare and gain confidence in themselves. there is maximum possibility that a revolution going to happen. a common human’s party will surely be formed, where women plays equal roles as men.
we Indians have it in our genes that we only can learn when problem would knock our door personally. we don’t mind preferring sleep to help our neighbor in problem.
India has Mayawati,Jayalalitha,etc. like lady terminators who are harming humankind more than an evil could have done( no other than a male politician). That doesn’t means it continues to happen for a long time.
Indian women are considered equal in paper only. They have a long way to go. So far they haven’t acquired even a 20% of their equality and we talk about 50%.Still dowry, honor killing, khap panchayat etc. exists. Still India is a country where a brother not wishes to share his parental property to his sisters, until she demands for it. And how can we demand honest positions for women from our existing corrupted male dominant governments.
Jo milraha hai usey leke aagey toh badho pehle! Aagey jakey haq chhinney ki v taqat aahi jayegi. Pehle se hi jyada ki umeed mein kuch v nahi milega.
Change needs time, lets wait and watch for some years more. Shamilajee, can we change the decision of our govt., though we choose them. I am not an expert in politics, like you guys here, but mark my words, it going to work. Kuch Kiran Bedi jaisi v paida hue hain aur bahotkuch paida hochuki hongi. WHEN A WOMAN LEARN TO HELP ANOTHER WOMAN, EVERYTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT. I Hope……I Wish……….I Believe………… (sorry if I have mentioned some wrong words)
Amaresh Rath
May 12, 2010 at 3:06 am
Amaresh – Lot of thought provoking points, some I dont agree with, I shall comment in a bit.This needs a lot of my time, excuse me for the next one day as I am traveling, but shall return and comment in detail.
July 24, 2010 at 5:04 pm
Thought provoking Amaresh , and I apologise for not getting back earlier. The development of a society rests in equal opportunities being presented to both the sexes. India has a long way to go before triying to emulate the west in this regards. Education is key as you rightly point out, developing the girl child and creating awareness in rural areas is of utmost importance. Reservations only make women again appear to be the weaker force, when it is not the case. Sonia Gandhi, Mamta, Mayawati, Jayallalitha, Sheila Dixit, Sushma Swaraj are examples of strong women who are in the forefront based on their own merit. Caste should never be used again as a cause for reservation. It takes India back another 100 years whenever we speak and fight for reservations on this factor.
July 24, 2010 at 12:01 am
No women thinks herself less than that of men in any field.They rae proud of themselves.My question is what is need of providing them reservation when they think themself equal to that of men?
July 24, 2010 at 5:05 pm
Sanjay – That is exactly the point I am making too.