We live in a free, democratic republic. The great Indian subcontinent. Over the year, as a people, we have endured invasion and oppression by an array of foreigners- beginning with the Aryans, the slaves, the Lodhis, the Khaljis, the Portuguese, the Dutch, and finally the British, before we found our own freedom for good, on a fortunate midnight in 1947.
But are we really free? Asking this question of ourselves might not produce a very comforting answer. Because all one needs to do is look around to find that even though we might have fought our way to freedom from the outsiders, we are still to tackle our greatest oppressor- ourselves.
The children are not free from the parents, the meek and poor are not free from the rich elite and most importantly women are not free from the society. Most important, because that is the most glaring problem that our nation faces at the moment.
As opposed to what many of us think, the oppression of women has little to do with the patriarchal agenda any more. The judgemental eyes every female faces every second of her life in the 21st century India has just as many pair of female irises as male – perhaps even more. The young women of the country who dare declare their own freedom face the risk of condemnation and isolation by the conservative aunties of own society more than the uncles.
If a girl has a lot of male friends then she is “cheap”. If she shies away from talking to boys then she is narrow minded. If she is used to wearing fashionable clothes, she is characterless and if she finds her style in desi suits and pyjamas then she is a mere “behenji type”. If a girl wishes to join the army or study mechanical engineering, then everybody tells her it is unrealistic for a girl to dream such things. If she wants to be a journalist, then apparently the profession is not safe for her because, let’s face it, which Indian household wants to let its daughters out of the house late at night? The society owes an answer to every girl who wonders what it is that’s really good for her.
But no such answer is going to come from our 21st century Indian society which is used to wearing costly watches but doesn’t have time to spend with anyone. The same society that lives in flats and bungalows without knowing the names of their own neighbours. Society as we know it is designed to condemn and judge, not to nurture and uplift.
Indians worship Sarasvati and Lakshmi but care more about the dowry than the bride. We are free from everyone else but not from ourselves. How then can we really build a society that understands the true meaning of freedom, which is free from its own prejudices and stereotypes and the oh-so-judgemental eyes?
In order to do that we need not organize any strike or protest with weapons. Such a freedom can only come through a radical transformation of our own mindsets, when every human being learns to respect every other human being irrespective of their caste, creed, wealth, or most importantly, sex.
Most important, because no society or nation can ever liberate itself by freeing just one half of the population and imprisoning the other. The plight of women is the plight of the whole nation. The oppression of women can only lead to a whole new generation being born to oppressed mothers. When we really understand this fact we will learn to respect not just mother India and mother Durga, but also all the mothers and daughters and sisters and wives that walk among us silently, living in the chains of our own freedom.
