Woman in India’s civilisational existence has always enjoyed an exalted position of eminence, dominance as well as loving concern. This, despite all the subjugation and exploitation witnessed ever since the invaders and buccaneers overtook the reins of power in our country.
One is aghast at the fallen status and inequitable position almost every woman in contemporary society appears to hold — be it a career woman or a housewife and irrespective of economic or social status.
Womanhood has become synonymous with struggles and social taboos or fight for identity as also existence nowadays, it seems!
But this was by no means the ‘woman power’ ancient India, and thus original Hinduism, had subscribed to.
To all those self-styled intellectuals who froth in the mouth with venomous diatribe and stereotyped descriptions of girls and women of all age groups and station in life, this International Women’s Day is an auspicious occasion to rewind into history of Ancient Hindu / Indian philosophy and dig out the essence of it all!
Why does Indian philosophy of attributing a ‘She as well as He’ formation to the Almighty and calling it so very fascinatingly the Ardhanareeswara remain unique?
No, it has nothing to do with the gender in subject of biology or human physiology at all. Nor does it bear any connection to the widely noisy bunches of gender-equality groupings. Mother Nature is the ultimate form of universal existence of Cosmos around our home planet. India boasts of a philosophy rich in symbolism and yet,every right thinking person of the modern technologically advanced-era that boasts of far-reaching discoveries will but agree that symbolism alone signifies the vastly unexplainable truths and mysteries of life.
To the uninitiated, this signifies ‘pagan-worship’, where the ‘He’ or the males in the society were given the position of a householder in unquestioned authority over all matters pertaining to the domestic sphere, while the ‘She’ i.e. women were announced to be the ‘weaker’ ones who enjoined with duties of raising the family and tending to well-being of a household. Yet, as and whenever there arose a crisis of sorts, the ‘She’ assumed a much higher form of empowerment and became the ‘Adishakthi’ avatar. No longer a docile loving ‘Radha’ or sacrificing-sharing ‘Rukmini’ or even the warrior-wife ‘Satyabhama’ but she dons the mighty role of ‘Bhadrakali’ out to destroy evil forces. So, even the egotist ‘He’ of the universal world is overwhelmingly overtaken by the silent yet most powerful Force of Womanhood.
‘She’ is the ‘He’ too then!
He then submerges himself into the identity of being the ‘other-half’ and she therefore, rightly, is the ‘better-half’!
Pride of a man is undoubtedly the woman in his life — mother, spouse, sister, daughter, aunt, grandmother, niece and granddaughter — all attain a prominent place in the psyche of the man.
It is a long-forgotten truth that in those days when electricity was unknown but earthen lamps lit the night life, women would be resting until dawn. None were left to fend for all others as happens in modern day lifestyle where career women return tired to turn into being a housewife.
Worse yet are those little school or college passout girls who toil all night as dedicated ‘accentuation-trained’ call-centre staff for distant lands and return home to sleep all day long, tired. These souls do not see the light of day, literally speaking. Life is artificial and reality eludes the lives of these specially empowered youth and mothers in today’s India.
What must today’s government do in order to truly salute the spirit of womanhood? Mere slogans and a few functions or chosen sidekicks of popular politicians would not suffice. Rather,that adds to a growing sense of disillusionment and depression among enlightened ones of society.
Here are a few humble suggestions offered in all naivety to ensure nativity of the Indian woman is not lost whilst on India ‘s soil.
First and foremost, begin to treat them as higher human beings. In the process, equal treatment at least will be meted out to these prized citizens of a nation whose identity itself is of a ‘motherland’ {Mother India}.
Begin issuing a RFID tag of sorts to mother and foetus from the point of recognition of a new life. This will help check the monstrous acts of not allowing a girl child to step into the world and enable more precise statistical data gathering and proper scientific utilisation of available resources in the country.
Third, make universal education free and state-sponsored, at least for every girl student up to the university level.
Imbibe basic training in self-defence and culinary arts as per the need of times we live in.
Fifth, as important as the above, enforce a compulsory life insurance coverage for every woman worker in private industrial establishments.
The list can run long and is not exhaustive: ranging from creation of 50 per cent seats for woman candidates in the legislative bodies to letting women choose the option to work during fixed hours only even at home.
Every suggestion which betters the plight of women in this decadent society with derailed systems will turn out to be a boon to the whole community!
Insecurity extends beyond the emotional quotient and financial dependence on chauvinist male or sadistic spouse where the latter acts as the predator and foe the lady of the house is burdened with for an entire lifetime have become curses of a failed government structure.
The nation where women are worshipped is a blessed land, full of prosperity and harmony. This has been the signature-tune of ancient Bharatvarsh!
Ignore the half-minds who will cite asuras as examples of atrocious behaviour towards women in bygone ‘mythological’ eras. Focus on virtues and righteousness exemplified.
In today’s Indian society, be wary of the pseudos who have occupied seats of power as their representatives. Behold the brave women who silently run their households despite the torturous acts of domestic violence perpetrated on them within confines of a ‘happy home’ or ‘made for each other pairing’ !
Stree-Shakti needs to be taken to an altogether higher pedestal which it occupied for thousands of years before the cannibal tribes and mixed breed of tyrants leashed our the demented ways.
Destruction of evil is one thing and enabling the innate potential of every girl and every woman of Indian nation is not just an altruistic way but the supreme state of social development.
Let this be hammered into every tool of mass propaganda such as the ubiquitous television studios and most popular social media apps.
All for a new Mother India!
(The writer is a jurist based in New Delhi.)