To Every Women that MUST BE Loved and Respected

No sooner did it clock 00:00Hrs tonight than I started receiving messages after messages about women’s day. It is all over the place. It is on WhatsApp Groups, Facebook walls, emails, text messages, blogs and where not? One witty message actually said, “Dear Men, although every day is a women’s day it’s an International Women’s day today. Take care.” (This means you are likely to suffer little more than any other normal day)

No matter what, I must appreciate the poetic expedition of some and the creative adventure of others. Everybody is trying to show their love and respect to women, at least by words and images. Some are only forwarding because they want to be ahead of others and some want to show that they are aware of the day. In a way, this is a good wave. This is so required in the world where we live. We live in the world where every opinion and counter-opinion holds true in given circumstances. We have gotten in to a habit of saying, ‘something can be true for me but not for others’. Relativity takes front seat and absolute values are thrown out side of the window. Is this what has happened when it comes to absolute worth of a woman too?

Why am I saying all this? I am not trying to be feminist. Feminism is too hard. I am saying this because Women’s Day is like all other things we have embraced without any question and without understanding its gravity and thinking about the impact it has on our own lives and that of others’. Do we even know why we need International Women’s Day? Do we really need it in the first place? Have we even understood who the WOMAN is? I guess we haven’t. Because if we say that we have understood then a Telugu actor and MLA N Balakrishna would not make statements like he made few days ago.

I read it this morning and I started to think about this actor’s wife. I don’t know how she has reacted to this. Is this what she wants to hear her husband say in public? Worst yet, does she really want him to do what he is doing? I don’t know her answer. If she agrees with him then is that the women we are fighting for on this International Women’s Day. And if she doesn’t, this man has shown utter disrespect to her and to the womanhood as a whole.

He has released an apology, after a police complaint was lodged. Balakrishna needs to understand that life is real, it's not filmy. In fact, he is the one who shot at a producer in his house and police questioned his wife because the gun that was carelessly (or for a purpose?) used was licensed under his wife’s name, and he says, "He respect all women". I think he forgot to add, 'conditions apply' in his statement. That is what I mean when I say relativism takes the front seat.

Are we really thinking about women around us? I think there is more to the Women’s Day than just wishes and forwarded messages. I am sure many of us have liked posts without reading them and forwarded messages without really understanding. We cannot just say Happy Women’s Day to a woman and think of her as a second grade citizen at the same time. We cannot talk of women's dignity in public and harass them in private.

If you are someone who is going to forget about her womanhood tomorrow and thrash her, abuse her for some silly things may I suggest to you? Please do not wish her today for the sake of the day. Stop being hypocritical. Otherwise take a pledge that you are going to (absolutely) respect and (absolutely) love her under all circumstances. Unless men change, women's position will always be a big question.

Happy Women’s Day!

Every generation is smarter than the previous

 

I often look at people and observe their talents and way of thinking. Sometimes I am stunned by the amount of knowledge they have and sometimes by the lack of it.

 

Recently I visited a family and I met a little girl (age 12) and I love her for what she is. This little girl told me that she had been to a doctor and he had her X-ray done and told that there is a problem with her paranasal sinuses and that is why she has the problems that she has. I stood there, wondering, how on earth these kids get all that? Not more than a decade ago average adult did not even know what sinus was. These kids know a lot more than many adults in their 30s.

 

When it was said in early 90's that world of information will be available on the handheld devices and that even TV would be a part of your phone, I thought that statement was little too exaggerated. So phonny (funny), I am posting this article from my phone.

 

So much information we have at hand. Kids are learning at a pace humanity had hardly imagined they would. They are being served (or bombarded?) with so much knowledge and they learn to play with words at very early age. No wonder approximately every day 15 words are being added to English language alone. Thanks to young minds. They learn to use and abuse all that is offered and we can see this generation is smarter(you decide +ve or -ve) than ours. In fact every generation is smarter than the previous.

 

What are we actually doing to them and what are we doing to ourselves? The Bible says many shall run to and fro and the knowledge shall increase. I remember few years back while doing small survey about our education system I had read that more than 70 % of engineers that produce every year are not fit to be hired. Its time that we wake up and teach the next generation to be wise and not just to accumulate so called 'Knowledge'. "Sell everything and buy Wisdom! Forage for Understanding! Don't forget one word! Don't deviate an inch!", says Proverbs 4:5 

India has lost an "Amanat"

In the morning I turned my phone on and I saw, on Facebook, my friends posted about the 23 year old daughter of India passing away, media called her ‘Amanat’. I could not help myself but started crying shaken by this lost life. I did not know her. I haven’t seen her. No matter how hard I try to put all my senses together and mix it with all possible extraordinary knowledge I will not be able to understand what this girl has gone through. With all my heart and head put together I will still be at my best and understand just a fraction of her misery.

If someone asks me ‘what do you think you would do to such criminals?’ my heart will say forgive them and give them a chance to restore but my mind might say hang them. I am neither a High Court Judge nor a Messiah but as conscious human I understand one thing, this is immorality at its peak, murder of the system a million times plus one and the whole society at stake.

Newspaper, TV and social networks are hammering the issue day and night. The objective behind it is to find out “Whose fault it is?”

Is it the fault of the society that talks about the animal rights and treats human as animals? Or the society that is close to dogs in their houses but turns a blind eye to the hungry at their gate? Is government to be blamed by the citizens? Or government has a right to blame the nation? Is the western influence at fault or is there a fault in our own culture? Does it really matter to get into all of that and make a display of our own nakedness to the world? Or is it all right to bring it to the streets?

I think the solution lies with each one of us. Can we stand up and try to influence at least one man to put himself in the shoes of his mother, wife, sister or daughter and feel what they feel? Can we influence at least one woman to think and act in a way that she will not fall prey to any nonsense?

All the ladies reading this, to all the mothers, sisters, daughters here; I want you to know that you are precious, I value you for what God has made you and I respect you for who you are.

I have been reading and hearing about Amanat’s incidence and not surprised for the reactions of people all over. In fact I welcome them and congratulate all of those who are out there on streets. It is for the first time India has seen something like this and I pray it will bring a significant change. I am hopeful, very optimistic and eager to see what India is going to do. I really want to see a better January-2013 and better yet December.

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