Suddenly India has come under the evil influence of a set of pretenders and pseudo-reformers wishing to supposedly ‘cleanse’ the social atmosphere of the nation. It was about these reformers that the famous Indian novelist Kushwant Singh said: “Indians are sanctimonious humbugs.” The leaders of the new wave thinking proclaim from house tops that women are next only to deities in India and they are being worshipped and adored by a grateful country. But as a matter of fact, most Indian men are chauvinists and ignore women in all facets of life.
The Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament, should ideally consist of 30 per cent of female members. However, women are not sufficiently represented in any of India’s official corporate bodies run either by the government or by the private sector. This anomaly has been continuing as a curse, the brunt of which, is stoically borne by the ignored female population of India.
Now curiously enough, a minister has spoken against the habits of Indian women. The feminists countered him by asking why should men have all the fun? Many Indian women still are treated socially inferior and denied any opportunity to come up in society and challenge the improper distribution of seats in the Lok Sabha or in legislative assemblies in the different states of the country.
It’s time the Indian leaders gave serious thought to this vital issue of improving the plight of women in the country especially in the rural areas of north Indian states where the poor women still walk kilometers to collect drinking water. Daughters still remain at home doing household chores and looking after younger children while the parents are away at work in the fields and sons attend schools. Is this gender equality? Is anyone listening?
- The reader is a writer based in Kerala, India
