Is Feminism evident in India?

Feminism isn’t about making women strong. Women are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.

G.D. Anderson

                           

     

                     Stree Shakti 

The Vice Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Prof. Santisree Dhulipudi 

Pandit in a recent interview, citing a conference,  made a pertinent contrast to the perception of feminism by the West and its Indian counterpart. While the West sees feminism juxtaposed against patriarchy, Indian philosophy looks at feminism, more as a balance, embracing certain values as epitomised by Mother Goddess Durga. Maa Durga does things on Her own. Like she  fought against evil to bring justice. That is feminism in the Indian context and oh! so right. As we celebrate Chaitra Navaratri, one hopes that these values get highlighted specially, now, at a turbulent time that we are all living in. 

Given a chance though, I would have asked the outspoken JNU professor, if a women's day is still relevant in India considering the rampant sexual abuse across ages that we get to read daily in the newspapers. Right from infant to aged, mother to daughter, brother to sister, father to daughter, every age and relation are getting severely abused and/or compromised. Worse, workplace abuses like family exploitations are often normalised. Yes, we live in neo-normal times where every relation becomes a suspect, every age a threat.  And a lot, we owe it to our own perception, that not only perpetuates, but also strengthens misogyny. Why else stereotypes like a girl is still associated with the colour pink and a boy is looked through the prism of blue? Why should the length of a girl's dress is jeered at ? Why should a responsible police woman be body shamed?  Why should an employee make lewd remarks when a mother is nursing her baby in a departmental store?

So, in the land of Goddess Durga, are females getting their due? Else, why should it take so long for the authorities to get a female VC for JNU? A premier public central university in New Delhi, JNU was officially inaugurated on April 22, 1969. Notwithstanding the allegations and controversies surrounding Dr. Pandit, the fact remains that it took over five decades for a female VC to take office in February 7, 2022. 

Here I want to add that on March 8, the International Women's Day (IWD), this year, I travelled by train to get into the pulse of the city. I did not get any reminders from anywhere, whether from the station or people in the women and general compartments that today is IWD. There were no messages on the tv placed inside the compartment. 

That day and for the next few days, thankfully I did not get to hear any advertisement promoting beauty products in the name of IWD, especially fairness creams. But neither did I get to read any women's day function and/or felicitation. Even banks used to send messages on this day. Now the flood has reduced to a trickle. I read up on the net. 

No felicitation or messages along the way from afternoon to night. I was traveling along western and harbour lines in Mumbai.

As the sky turned salmon orange, I walked into the Sri Shanmukhananda  Fine Arts and Sangeetha Sabha to honour an invitation for a dance programme, organised by its women's wing. Through a visual delight, a team of fluid danseuses fronted by legends and scholars, showcased the dexterity of different gharanas. Among others, I was particularly hooked on to the performance by the legendary dancer of Manipuri gharana, Padma Shri, octogenarian, Darshana Jhaveri. Performances (Ragamala)  by Vidushi Daksha Mashruwala's group (Odissi) was awesome and that of Vidushi Shila Mehta for Nimitta ( Kathak) was stunning. She also conceived and curated the entire programme titled,  Stree Shakti (female power).The programme transcended with grace, poise and power from the Adi Shakti to Lok Shakti amidst a gathering of mostly women as an audience. I felt good. Why?  Because they were not mute spectators. They were a live audience, clapping at the right context of a three hour long programme. This was that jubilant night when India lifted the ICC Men's T20  World Cup 2026. 

The only jarring note on this soulful night was the distasteful heaping of empty packets of clothes iron gifted to ladies from less privileged backgrounds by a certain political outfit. 

As I made my way back home, I suddenly remembered that repeatedly revived 70s slogan: The Future Is Female. Not male bashing. But definitely gender empowerment and erasing of stereotypes. 

Cheers!

#InternationalWomensDay #MaaDurga #JNU #SantishreeDhulipudiPandit  #thefutureisfemale #DarshanaJhaveri #Shanmukhananda #SudeshnaChatterjee

What women want

Each thing we release - whether it's a pair of shoes, an old grudge, or an outdated belief about ourselves - creates space for joy, connection, and new experiences.

Mel Robbins

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What is it about this Mel Robbins quote that urged me to headline it in my post, you may wonder. Well, the promoter is the billion dollar outdated belief that women specially in her role as a wife and/or mother cannot be or should not be selfish. Here being selfish is more in terms of awareness and dignity to ensure their well-being. That is why earning money is so important because more than just getting salaries, the job gives the lady a profile, an identity. 

How many Indian women prioritize their health and are concerned about their rights? How many among them take rest without guilt, eat a complete planned meal rather than what is left in the kitchen and/or stake ownership in properties? Experts note, they need to be mindful to make room for personal growth. Mental decluttering and self- empowerment are necessary tools to get an agile mind and robust body. And sisterhood, which is so often used, misused and abused in our tele serials, needs to be celebrated, observed speakers at an international conference held at a distant Mumbai suburb.

Women Development Cell, University of Mumbai along with Royal College of Arts, Science and Commerce held a one day international conference at the college campus in Mira Road. It is on Holistic Wellbeing of Women: Building Health, Dignity and Empowerment for an Inclusive Future.

This was held last month. I was a special invitee to this gathering to write a blog on it. Normally, such symposiums are either too pedantic or technical to interest common people like me. But I was compelled to sit through the entire session in the first half spanning over three hours. Though overwhelmed by the volume of the information and the wisdom inherent, I was still drawn into conversations with some students who attended the conference to showcase their findings. More on that in my future blogs.But I still need to talk about a very confident Alina Shaikh from the psychology department who post this conference has resolved to be financially independent before getting married. 

The chief guest was, professor and psychiatrist, Dr. Shubhangi R Parkar. The speakers include professor and lawyer, Dr. Sharmila Ghuge and social worker, Jyoti Mhapsekar.

A common refrain among most speakers were: solutions must be inclusive and dialogue sustainable. I particularly appreciated the importance given to the males: boys and men.

Right from the birth, in our society, segregation starts taking place identifying male child with blue colour and female with pink. And it doesn't end there. Gradually the segregation only gets bigger and bitter. There is segregation in attitude even in basic choices with women being easy targets: right from what to wear to when to reach home to primarily focusing on household work.

Here are some key takeaways - 

Waste becomes wealth when segregated. Because, then everything don't go to the landfills as a lot of waste gets recycled, thanks to the ragpickers. 

However, the next time you throw that acid bottle, take care to empty the bottle and wrap it in paper before throwing it. This will alert and protect the ragpickers who would otherwise burn their hand while picking up such bottles from spilled acid. 

Similarly, be conscious about not using plastic as they are non-biodegradable  and hence immensely contribute to our landfills. Methane, the gas that is nurtured in the landfills is 20 times more harmful than carbon dioxide. So why wrap soiled sanitary napkins in different plastic bags. Instead use paper. 

Merely getting education is not empowering. It will only happen when women get aware about their rights and empower themselves by doing some work that will earn them good money and  position. When there is sisterhood among women and when there are conscious males rallying around, progress in emotional growth and social life starts rolling in. 

Ideally, this post could have been a March 8 celebration. But since my birthday is on February 20, i.e. today, I am uploading it now. Let's celebrate being a woman and that too Everyday. 

Happy Women's Day!! 

#WomenDevelopmentCell #landfills #Methane #March8 #ragpickers # UniversityofMumbai 

The Brah(M)os: Beyond missiles

 Community is much more than belonging to something; it's about doing something together that makes belonging matter. 

Brian Solis 

                                               

Happy New Year! 

This is my first post this year. Hence this delayed greetings! 

A month through the new year, I flipped open my favourite nut boxes of memories and settled on a trip down memory lane almost around this time last year. The occasion was the 196th foundation of the Brahmo Samaj in Calcutta (now Kolkata), established through a monotheistic movement, whose pioneers were instrumental in ushering the Bengal Renaissance about two hundred years ago. It was celebrated in select locations in Kolkata, (also observed in Mumbai, where there are Sindhi Brahmos as well), within certain buildings that would house our Brahmo Samaj from day one. During this time, the buildings look resplendent in yellow and orange marigolds. These buildings are mostly located in North Kolkata and going by the popular parlance, are 'super senior citizens'. Over a hundred years old, these edifices are maintained well, at least the one I went to. The wooden seats are just like the pews you see in the church. There are no kneelers though. I am still hung up on those huge louvered windows (khorkhori janala). Wooden, slatted and usually green-painted shutters are an integral part of  Bengali architecture introduced during the British colonisation. My house in Kolkata still has these louvered shutters. They are so environment- friendly. You lift up the wooden slats to get some fresh air and put it back when the temperature gets cooler. Voila!!

As you, my esteemed readers guessed correctly, like the slats, Brahmo Samaj also came up in the colonial era. Programmes under the banner of Maghotsav started a little before the foundation day and continued beyond its birthday for a few more days. It is called Maghotsav  because the entire festival falls in the month of Magh. It is the tenth month in the Bengali calendar. People would love to dress on those days. We would put on our favourite attires. I wore a green silk saree when I reached 18 and applied some make-up, specially, foundation and lipstick. Those days, I would never step out without my Lakme lipstick. I still remember, one of my French teachers in Alliance Francaise would affectionately call me 'the lipstick girl'. 

Since our festival would inevitably fall in January, winter only added to the charm. It was about a week long carnival, complete with songs, sports, sale of clothes, books, bags, jewelleries, pickles, juices and jams. Another fetching  aspect of this festivity was the morning processions with pedestrians singing Brahmosangeet. Ofcourse this was when we were kids!

Indian history is incomplete without a tribute to our Samaj. The principal founder of our Samaj, Raja Rammohan Roy was celebrated across the nation as a visionary social reformer. Remember the abolishing of the Sati  (practice of widows being forcefully burnt alive on the pyre of their dead husband) and  the introduction of the Widow Remarriage Act? Ganga Rautela or Gangu, the scientist whose biography, penned by yours sincerely, once told me he had read about Roy in the library of his village high school in Uttarakhand in the 60s! Such is the reach of this towering personality.

Some images stay on. Like visiting the Samaj during this time was as exciting as hopping across Durga Puja pandals. 

Even today, the merriment are just like the yesteryears. As children, those few days were moments to savour and memories to cherish.  Take our free lunch. The food that was offered includes khichuri (a medley of rice and lentils) complemented with torkari (mixed vegetables), chutney (sweet but tangy condiment, usually made with tomatoes, sugar, dates and raisins and ofcourse rice pudding or payesh in Bengali. Additionally, we used to  buy these large eggplant fritters (beguni) sprinkled with rock salt. Last year, unfortunately, it got over before we could lay our hands on. It was priced at a measly Rs10 each. Another favourite section for us was the jars of pickles( Indian olive, Indian gooseberry, lemon, mango etc) and guava jellies. Earlier, there were guava toffees and pickled vegetables too. Now, discontinued perhaps as I didn't spot them. 

The programme through the years remain the same and yet different: Enriched with hymns and songs alternating with sermons punctuated with Sanskrit mantras from the Vedas. The songs were penned by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, his father Debendranath Tagore and other stalwarts of that time. In fact, like Rabindra Sangeet, there are volumes dedicated to Brahmosangeet. One-fourth of Gurudev's songs are categorised as Brahmosangeet. As is with his other creations, the words of these songs are filled with passion and compassion, will and wisdom, sacrifice and suffering. Long after our anthem song (Padprante Rakho Seboke- Let me be at your feet, O Almighty) sung by most of us in the audience as we all stand up in reverence when the curtain comes down to the over three hours programme, the words of the songs and the sermons envelope us with hope and fervour.

Even today, when I think of those moments, I get goosebumps. And in no place, our elders spoke of upholding any religion. Our yearly experience at the Samaj where we have also gone several times to witness Brahmo wedding and Shradh (honouring the dead), values sail in through imbibing rather than pontificating.  

 Infact, religious or community awareness was never drilled in us even in our childhood. We were and are Bengalis and Brahmos by birth which cannot be contested. However, it never restricted us from embracing certain aspects of Hinduism since my mother is a practising Hindu. As young adolescents, it was comforting that when my Brahmo school (Gokhale Memorial Girls' School) made our non-teaching staff conduct Saraswati Puja outside the main gate but within the complex compound, there was no agitation. Our teachers also never stopped or admonished us from or post visiting the puja mandap. We, school children would devotedly offer our obeisance to Maa Saraswati and enthusiastically claim prasad specially the bers.

So many thoughts, voices, colours and landscapes...they surface unannounced in the inbox of my memory when you least expect them to. Still I mostly revel in it. I hope this post reflects that happiness and informs you a bit about a little known 'ism' that is still going strong among a section of citizens who are mostly well-established in their chosen career and even in life. 

(All pic credits: Sudeshna Chatterjee)

#BrahmoSamaj #RajaRammohanRoy  #Maghotsav #PadpranteRakhoSeboke #GokhaleMemorialGirlsSchool #freelunch #SindhiBrahmos