Ponder: Are We Bharatiya /Hindustani Females Really Liberated?

Come 8th of  March  every year and  the  populace  across  the entire  globe  are agog  with  activities and enthusiasm  to celebrate (read observe)  the  International  women’s  day. On this day the  menfolk   irrespective  of  their  race, faith, profession, and  social   strata  endeavour  pay  their debt of gratitude to  all female who  touch their  lives:  mothers, grannies, aunts  siblings  cousins, wives  all  these  and more relationships that exist in innumerable societies and cultures.

Come  to think  of it  India has  emerged as the 3^rd  most powerful  economy in the  world. But  has this benefited  the common  female on  the street in any  manner ? Not really. There are countless  instances  of domestic violence, dowry  demand  resulting  in mysterious, tragic deaths of  the  hapless brides, divorces  on flimsy  grounds, marital rape,  molestation or sexual abuse  by acquaintances   and relatives galore; lately there  has arisen a diabolic phenomenon:  lovers, husbands  live-in partner  brutally  chopping their  sweethearts’ bodies  only  to  stack them in refrigerators or scattering  them in the woods for carnivores to  feast on!   If  these aren’t  disgrace nay cruelty  to the Eve then what is?

Or consider the  beggar woman  in tattered garbs  with a whining naked child in her arms; the poor  mite’s face plastered with dirt, dry  tears, and  phlegm. It is  heart wrenching  to  realize how all  the  progress and prosperity of the land fails to  provide daily  bread to the  humblest  of  its  citizens.

The recent decades have witnessed a mushrooming of  schools colleges  universities   and technical  institutes .  As per the latest  reports of National Statistical Office (NSO), the female literacy rate in India is approximately 70.3 per cent. In 2015, the Government  of India launched the “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” scheme to  create  awareness about gender discrimination and women empowerment in the country. A commendable step indeed.

But the change  must  come from   within   the  hearts of our  Men  at  the grass root level  of society. They are wont  to browbeat  and bully their women into  silence for fear of  physical abuse.  A shout out to them:  Please  for  Heaven’s  take treat  the women  with  dignity  respect and tenderness; they too have the right  to  a good  life. The time is Now

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