International Women's day - What does it means for India....

March 8th, this is the day which is celebrated as the International Women's day(IWD) by some 66 countries every year. The intent behind celebrating this day has been to recognize and applaud women's economic, social and political achievements. This recognition and celebration is warranted urgently in a country like India, where women are yet to find an equal footing and level playing ground and to emerge as equals in a male chauvinist society. However what an irony this same day was marked today by new lows in Indian parliament culture where vulgar scenes were created on the floor of the house to high-jack the much awaited "Women's reservation bill". A day of celebration had turned into a day of shame for India.

Let me try to analyze few points here, firstly intent of the political parties who have been supporting this bill. Officially UPA, NDA and Left front all support this bill in its current form. Together this group forms well above 2/3rd majority in both the houses of parliament (which is required to make a constitutional amendment). However less than 10 MPs were able to prevent this huge majority from passing this immensely important bill. I am sorry but I don't think so. The intent of these parties are questionable, otherwise just compare, voting on motion of confidence (where the Lok Sabha is split into two) is managed remarkably, but a bill on which almost the whole parliament agrees doesn't gets through. I regret to say but clearly the intent is not honest.

There is a section of women in India who are of the opinion that they don't want this type of reservation which is given as a charity to them. This is the new face of modern Indian women, who are confident of their own abilities and want to get their rightful place but through their own efforts and not on a platter of reservation. These are also the women who know about IWD and celebrate it. However there are millions of others who face the trauma of domestic violence everyday, who at times are denied even the basic human rights.

In a country where women have to struggle even for the right to be born and where female foeticide is rampant, where some religious panchayat issues a fatwa ordering a rape victim to accept the rapist father-in-law as her husband and to treat her original husband as her son, where panchayats in Haryana pass draconian judgements everyday in their Khap panchayats the dream of gaining a rightful place looks like a distant mirage. Empowerment of women should happen and reservation for them in legislative bodies is the only way to do it.

We look westwards on a lot of things, but I feel how to give equal place in society is something which we should learn from western society. An ultra-conservative and male dominant society of early nineteen hundreds today gives their women an equal footing in every sphere of life and maintains social equilibrium. Such a shame that in our country instead of hailing the success of female icons like Sania Mirza, people make issue of her skirt on tennis court.

Imagine the economy of a country as a horse cart where men form wheel-1 of the cart and women form wheel no-2. Now suppose I tie wheel no-2 to an iron pole with chains, while wheel-1 is free and horse is ordered to start pulling the cart. What do you think will happen? the cart will keep going in circles around the pole without being able to make any progress. Now imagine I untie wheel-2 but lock it at the axle such that it  can't rotate, what do u think will happen now? Though it would appear while the horse is pulling the cart that both the wheels are moving with it but actually wheel-2 would be experiencing severe tension at the axle and will finally come-off after few miles of journey, thereby bringing the whole cart to a grinding halt. This is the condition of Women rights in India, where rights given are a mere facade without honest intent.

Ideal solution for the cart of country's growth and economy to move forward is to have both the wheels free to rotate. Since wheel-2 has remained tied for centuries it requires some oiling before it can rotate at its best and the reservation bill is that oil. However what a pity political parties have locked the oil in a locker, have deliberately hidden the key and now all of them are pretending to search for it. Its time women of this country break open the locker.

I sincerely hope by the 101st IWD next year this bill is passed and the 14-year-long "vanvaas" is ended. There is no way a country can prosper and have high welfare index with 50% of its population not having political, social and economic empowerment.