Once upon a time a cat wished that she should come out of the trunk and see the beauty of stars,moon amidst black sky at night. Even though, , her parents warned her not to venture late at night, she somewhere wanted to feel the world beyond fear, connotations and dangers of the world. She walked out as her parents slept nearby . The moment she raised her head to see the quilt of sheer beauty , she was pounced upon by a Hyena. The Hyena clinching her by arms tried to control the fleeing cat while she resisted but luck was her side tonight..and in the attempt,the hyena slipped,lost the tight clutch and the cat fled.
Next morning , all the cats were really angry and complained to the lion about the hyenas and how they have been living under fear since the first attack 4 years ago. The number have increased only. But what lion saw during the meeting made him to think a different strategy. He observed a baby hyena standing near the cats looking at them innocently. He thought if the attackers become the supporters of the same cause,the problem wont exist any more. A group of eldermost hyenas were called and asked about the problem. The wise old Hyenas told that not all Hyenas attack cats. Such incidents were started by one of the notorious young hyenas of the pack to for saddistic pleasure and a new breed of hyenas has been created who compete against each other in games of power ---who can attack a cat and prove itself a Hyena of virtue. That they were maligning the name of Hyenas in the jungle,they did not know what to do.
Women inequality is not a recent issue. We have mythologies describing how women sacrificed themselves in fire on death of their husbaands,king marrying fourteen wives and each wife waiting for her turn to be showered more love than the rest.women at age of 12 head shaven once her 30 year old husband died,woman wearing corsets ...probably all this would have continued for not the industrial revolution that happened around 100 years ago.
Probably the first time , woman came down to factories and got the right to be called the bread winners, the first taste of economic and social freedom even though if tending to farms demanded and managing chores demanded more labour than now. Ans Feminism since then has been bogged down by some, ridiculed by many but has moved forward as a whole.
One of the many reasons that feminisim has not gained a universal acceptance is that it is often mistaken to be "anti-men" even by some women. Feminisim truly dosen't mean anti-men. It was never supposed to be . Recently, a viral video "MyChoice" featuring Deepika Padukone in the lead with goal to promote woman empowerment, went upto saying that being unfaithful in relationships is a woman;s choice and she had the equal right to do so."Equality" is fine but when it comes to crime- an eye for an eye can still be perhaps justified but, one sided attack be it by a male or female is a crime. The victim in , both the cases will be a living being with emotions,dignity and dreams. Infedility or power to counter-crime is never supposed to be women empowerment.
Women empowerment is each and every woman of the world gaining access to all her rights which she has been denied since ages in a patriarchal society. Her right to same facilities and honour of what she has been ripped of because she is a woman. Her equal right to be educated and employed as her brother at home so that she is not just mere helper and burden in the house. For she was born to learn and earn her own bread and live a life of dignity and independence and not be left as mere baby-producing machines once they grow up uneducated. Her right to sanitation and menstrual needs for she may not skip her school during those "punishment days" rolling on the bed in pain and shame. Her right to dignity for having periods and breasts is not a crime that she has to be ashamed of. Right to walk freely without fear of being teased or touched for she is not a doll to play with.
She is a woman- Strong yet sensitive, Prude yet humble, Practical yet philosophical, Angry yet forgiving . For the world would cease to exist without her , its time for at least "educated" men to understand that and rise up for the cause, for what seems to be just a women's problem today can turn to be the biggest men problem tomorrow.
So whenever you see a woman walking behind her man with brooded shoulders trying hard to catch her "superior husbands with an inflated chest's "speed tell her its okay to walk at her own pace. If you see a man tearing her wife's hard earned degrees and asking her to tend to family first sacrificing her dreams and education, tell her that she has right to make her own decisions. If you see a woman being harassed mentally by her husband,son or daughter, tell her she was
never supposed to be treated like a rag ever. Whenever you see your woman feeding your family first and sitting down later at the dinner table, wait for her, tell her that eat with her on the table is more important than piping hot rotis. If you see a mother tending her child and sacrificing her sleep and comfort to caress her child, tell her she is a wonderful mother and every child of earth is greatful to mothers like her. Tell your wife its okay not to wear corsets and metallic bras, struggles to shed those extra kilos and streach marks, in attempts to look more appealing to you plans to undergo knife, plastic surgeries ,if she is undergoing so much of pain for you - tell her she is beautiful anyways.
