Eclectic times - Cover pics March 2011

I haven’t been able to decipher India’s relationship with women. There is a huge disparity that is surfacing amongst women across the various social segments. Like all other inequalities, the extremity is building up fast due to the upsurge of women’s liberation. In the current scenario, we have two distinct types of women: on one end of the spectrum is the woman with the voice, the confident urban lady who doesn’t need to struggle for her worth anymore and, on the other end, is the woman without a voice, the doormat who constantly needs to prove her existence; empowerment is not even remotely close to her imagination.

In most western countries, women’s liberty is no longer an issue, as that era of striving for gender rights is long gone. They have been successful in achieving a balanced form of liberty across all strata. There is no striking difference amongst the urban or rural, rich or poor. However, the discrepancy in India is far and wide. On one hand we have women on the top rung of the ladder – in organisations, corporates, government, etc. – while, on the other, we still have derogatory age-old social practices like female foeticide, girl child-killing and bride-burning.

What I find ironic here is the fact that we come from a rich heritage where women are idolised religiously, often in the form of shakti. Surprisingly, this reverence seems to be restricted only to deities. Most often, the common woman doesn’t receive any form of respect or recognition at all from her family or society. Gender inequality becomes apparent in issues of education, household work, personal desires – right from the time a girl is born and throughout her journey as a daughter, sister, wife and mother, where her preferences are always given a back seat.

There is no denying that there is considerable outcry for women’s liberation by our feminists. The main issue that needs to be tackled is to shorten the “gap” in our society, which will ultimately necessitate refinement in our cultural, societal and psychological ways.

To bring this idea to the forefront, we have highlighted five Northeastern women as our cover story, women who have reached the epitome of success in their respective fields. But, we have also touched on the other end of the spectrum, on issues regarding those women who are either unaware or apprehensive of voicing their rights. Plus, on a lighter note, we round off the issue with a man’s candid perspective of living with a feminist.

Dedicated to every woman, with or without a voice, this Women’s Special issue is our tribute to all women!

By Tanushree Hazarika