Originally a comment by Nini Thomas on “In our culture, there is no place for a woman.”
“India’s daughter” is being banned, great job by our government, kudos!!! Looks like this has invoked more furor than the rape case. The views expressed by the rapist is not new, these views have been expressed by so many people across India. This just goes on to prove that our so called culture is more worried about Log kya kahenge (What will others say!!).
We have had so many candle light marches, but it has failed to light our hearts and remove the darkness in our mindsets.
Our biggest achievement as a country was the successful mission to Mars, I hope that this mission helps us get a better insight on how men think and feel… maybe next mission should be to Venus to know where things are going wrong for women.
Even today I have seen mothers telling their little boys as young as 5 years, “Boys don’t cry, Boys don’t cook” and the words of wisdom for girls are “ Don’t play with boys, don’t talk loudly, help your mothers in the kitchen etc.”
I don’t have anything against girls entering kitchen, or talking softly, but are we not engraving this gender divide in our families by saying so…
Even today if a women is married off, and she has to by all means reduce the amount of time she spends with her family, after all she no longer belongs to that house. I know women who say that they don’t like going to house town for vacation because, they need to spend more time in husband’s house, and if they wish to go to their house, it’s a favor and not a right.
Women should not express opinion on any topic when men are talking. It is a sad truth that working women are not as liberated as it looks, they shoulder dual responsibility; work at office, come back and do the work as a housewife, mother and wife. In case she can’t handle it, she can quit the job and sit at home, after all her salary is supplementary and not so important. When will we understand that job does not always boil down to money, it much more…but when will we understand.
Yes I do have lot of fury within me, but it’s for me to decide how I vent it out, either I burn the whole world, or mold the next generation by inculcating better values in my children. Fathers, respect your wife… Respect other women in your life – mother, sister etc…. Mothers, be an example to your daughter, and show to your son’s how they should treat women.
Women time to rise and say I don’t want to be treated like a down trodden, I don’t need reservations, I will rise and stand, yes it’s right to raise your voice, we don’t need others to talk for us, we need to dust off a lot of age old taboos, and open our minds and say “No one can screw our lives, we have control over it”!!!!
Indian culture has no place for women is a statement which encapsulates the views of how women are looked at….
Well said, Nini Thomas. I cannot disagree with anything that you said in your comment.
Regarding this one point:
I have mentioned earlier that I am completely against banning forms of expression. But, just this morning I read another viewpoint – from Kavita Krishnan; she said that she was calling for the postponement – not ban – of the broadcast of the documentary, because the matter was sub judice. I don’t know immediately what to make of it. She has accused Ms. Udwin, the filmmaker, of unfairly trying to influence the sanctity of the Indian judicial system, but that argument doesn’t make much sense given the already public proclivities of the Indian judiciary, which is supposed to have over 30,000 rape cases pending in front of it.
I did wonder about the tainting a jury aspect, but the reporting I’ve seen so far hasn’t much mentioned that.
Kausik, Ophelia, I thought the Indian court system did not have juries?
Udwin says that she had got permission from the officials for the interviews at Tihar jail. If they gave official permission on paper, then the judicial system should take it up with the prison officials in case they think that the case has now been tampered with.
Yes, it does not.
There is a new allegation floating that Udwin paid a hefty sum to the family of the convicted rapist in exchange for the interview. Personally, I don’t hold her guilty in that. That’s how the system works in India – unfortunately, and she took advantage of it.