Do we need Women’s Day?

Women’s activists in India have opted to go on a contentious and confrontationist path that can only lead to social disharmony when the need is to move jointly with men to end gender discrimination by harmonising rival aspirations, says CHANDAN MITRA

I find the growing practice of designating certain days of the year for promoting causes of various hues a meaningless and primarily commercial enterprise. Although I have nothing against celebrating Valentine’s Day and vehemently decry physical intimidation of young couples by Hindu extremist outfits, the fact is that media organisations promote its observance for pure commercial reasons. In the early 90s, The Times of India stumbled upon a novel route to make more money by enticing youngsters to place mushy classified advertisements declaiming their love. This in turn led to a huge spurt in the sale of demented gift like heart-shaped balloons or pillows, squeaky stuffed toys belching out pre-programmed jingles and other such useless merchandise.

Over the years big brands too have jumped into the fray and February 14 every year is fast climbing the list of prime shopping spectacles of the year, just a few notches below Diwali and New Year’s Day. In other words, there are massive commercial stakes in the mass observance of Valentine’s Day, which explains why the electronic media gives virtually 24/7 coverage to it in the weeks leading up to the event. Media also willfully attempts to make it controversial so that more people get glued to the idiot box. I am sure the time is not far off when, having run out of happy things to celebrate commercial interests will dig up unhappy occasions to be observed.

For example, we could soon have Enmity Day as a counter to Friendship Day. Cards vowing badla, replete with gory Dharmendra-type dialogues like “Kuttey! Kaminey! Main tera khoon pee jayoonga, teri boti-boti kare ke magarmachh ko khilaoonga! Vengefully yours…” may become bestsellers. And then, why not Ex-lovers’ Day when people can exchange spiteful messages with their former boyfriends/girlfriends? The possibilities are immense. I am sure profit-crazed media organisations are already exploring options.

There are also certain days that are primarily dedicated to NGOs although even these are not devoid of commercial considerations. World Anti-Smoking Day, Heart Day, Diabetes Day, AIDS Day, Earth Day, Water Day, Environment Day etc, fall in this category. They are observed by activist groups in a big way to garner sponsorships from Governments and corporate houses. A plethora of schemes are announced by the authorities to mark these events and Government departments concerned issue massive advertisements to newspapers and TV channels on such occasions. Naturally, everybody loves such events being celebrated. Arguably, seminars and discussions are also held but they are usually attended only by stakeholders in the NGO industry. In effect, experts at such gatherings end up preaching to the converted. How much awareness these occasions generate among the ignorant public is a matter of speculation, but NGOs dutifully list their achievement in allegedly generating humungous public interest. That the number of smokers doesn’t come down or the number suffering from diabetes goes up annually and the environment continues to be massacred by the very same Governments and corporates that sponsor the events is, of course, another matter.

I am not sure in which category we ought to place International Women’s Day. It is largely an NGO-type occasion and since that sector is women-dominated, it is not surprising that the Day is observed on a big scale, at least ritually. Personally, I don’t believe there should be anything of the kind. If we have a Women’s Day (as also a Children’s Day in India) what wrong have men done not to have a Day dedicated to them? Putting the popular scooter ad upside down, I would say “Why should women have all the fun?” Admittedly though, International Women’s Day is not a fun affair. In fact, it is almost a grim occasion. Ponderous seminars are held in which experts narrate in graphic detail all the injustices that have purportedly been heaped on women over the centuries, quasi-successful women rail against the glass ceiling and a huge crowd attired in carefully crushed cotton saris chant slogans demanding equality. This is also an occasion to press for early passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill by Parliament — something that has been hanging fire for over a decade.

I don’t doubt that Women’s Day once served a purpose. In the heady days of the sexual revolution of the 60s and the emergence of the women’s liberation movement in Europe there was a symbolic need to demand opportunities and empowerment for the neglected half of humankind. Unfortunately, over time Women’s Day has degenerated into a ritual with markedly commercial overtones. This is not to suggest that women have achieved equality in society. A long battle lies ahead to change mindsets in those societies that still remain male-dominated. But the women who most need empowerment rarely find their cause represented at the highly publicised events to further women’s rights.

Take the case of long-forgotten Imrana of UP’s Muzaffarnagar district who was raped by her septuagenarian father-in-law. The young mother of two got no support from the family, including her own husband. Conservative clerics ruled against her, declaring her marriage as annulled and ordered her to leave the in-laws’ home. Having shown astonishing pluck initially, Imrana got intimidated by the high-decibel campaign conducted by urban women’s activists and eventually cowered under the pressure of mullahs. Those political butterflies who call for a nationwide “pub-bharo” by women can hardly be expected to empathise with Imrana’s plight.

In terms of legislation, though, the Indian woman has come a long way. Admittedly, Jawaharlal Nehru, the westernised intellectual he was, laid the basis for her political emancipation by insisting on universal adult franchise from the beginning. Whereas in the mother of democracies, Great Britain, women won the right to vote after a long struggle only in 1906, in India they got it just 46 years later. In recent decades, panchayati raj has taken women’s empowerment down to the grassroots. Reservation of panchayat seats (up to 50 percent in States like Bihar) as well as the post of sarpanch in one-third of these local bodies has helped raise political consciousness and participation of women in rural areas to an astonishing degree. Sadly, however, recent studies show that as much as 80 percent of women panchayat members opt out of contesting a second time.

It is at that level that women’s emancipation has to be fought for. If the cause of women is nowadays treated with growing irritation by urban men it is because of the shrillness of their demand for stringent implementation of the draconian Anti-Dowry Act with its obnoxious Section 498a — a byword for harassment of men. Similarly, the Domestic Violence Act has not helped bestow more rights to women. Instead, it has made divorce inevitable even in marriages that could have mended with some gentle care and counselling. Women’s activists in India have opted to go on a contentious and confrontationist path that can only lead to social disharmony when the need is to move jointly with men to end gender discrimination by harmonising rival aspirations. I can only hope that sane voices begin to prevail over the discordant ones, starting today.