I often wondered why inspite of we progressing so much in
fields of technology, food production, healthcare etc. , are still a developing
nation. Recent events answered my question. It’s our MENTALITY. A small word, which
simply means our attitude towards a particular event/person/thing. 65 years after our independence, we still have
a mindset that probably never developed since last 100 years and there’s little
chance of it, if we continue on the same path.
In India a woman is worshipped in various forms of Goddesses,
often associated with the word ‘Maa’(mother). Temples are probably the only
place a woman (Goddess) is respected. I have often noticed the ‘Mulgi shikli, pragati
zaali’ (Educating a girl contributes to progress of the society) slogans on
various vehicles but I fail to understand why the same society wants the girl
to cover her head with a dupatta and not carry cell phones or for that matter
not leave the house without being accompanied by a male member of the family.
Aren’t we maintaining double standards here? On one hand we want our girls to
be educated and confident and on the other hand, we dictate what they should
wear and where they should go. Shouldn’t the choice of what a girl should wear
be left to girls themselves ? Some would say it’s for safety purposes. But I truly
don’t think that even salwar-kameez clad women in India feel safe.
Just like beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, vulgarity
too comes from the way we see and think. If there are cases of eve teasing, the
girl’s dressing sense will be the main focus of the issue (our mentality). If a
girl wears short dresses, she is considered to be easily approachable and an attention-seeker
(again our mentality). Almost all morals and values are to be followed by
women. I ask why? We don’t wear clothes to excite anyone. If we are comfortable
in something why should we be denied the right to use it just because some
idiot hasn’t got his values intact! Why should only girls bear the burden of so
called “Indian Culture”? And if you think this is a problem only with rural
areas, unfortunately it is not! In cities crime against women are as high or
even more as compared to rural areas. Again the main culprit being, our
mentality. We are just literate, not educated. Because if we were educated, we
would atleast understand how to respect and treat another human being if not a
woman.
