It all Started With Ram. . .

The recent protests against worst crimes on women is a sign showing that the society is getting together to fight and repeal these evil crimes-which have been occurring since ages. This is a result of India’s younger generation’s courage to fight the system and their will power to bring justice into the society. The increase in awareness via growth in communication amongst the citizen via Internet is also helping everybody to get together and fight. This should give a strong warning to those crooked minds who think they can get away or even think of committing crimes against women.  Indeed there should be strict laws to protect women, but we all know that laws alone cannot solve the problem. The minds of these pathetic perverts should change.  It is the responsibility of parents, teachers and elders to teach children of today to respect women so that these crimes can come to a complete end in another ten years.

In the midst of these protests, it was disheartening and shameful to see politicians and spiritual leaders those preaching religion projecting women, yet again, to be the wrong doers.  They also put the blame on the influence of western culture instead of blaming the actual wrong doers- the perverted people. This made me think as to what could possibly have lead the so called sage-wise men, occupying highest positions in the society, to think so narrowly-going against those women who have suffered the brutality. I was sure that it takes a much more brutal and narrow mind to think on those low lines. These acts and comments were at the heights of stupidity. It put a thought to me that there should be a foundational flaw which shapes the mentality of these sadists who sexually attack women or project women to be on the wrong side after they were attacked.

It struck to me that these crimes against women happening now are a result of cascade of events. They are in a way the result of the Indian culture that teaches men to be the dominant gender and their actions, no matter what, as justified/appropriate if they feel they are right. Men seek their lessons from the stories they learn and lay strong impression in them from the mythology.

It all started with Ram. . .

There was a king who was considered to be ideal. He obeyed his elders and did everything right. One day, his wife got abducted by the wrong guy of the story when he left her in forest and went to hunt for an animal. He later kills the wrong guy but abandons his wife after his laundry guy puts a hint of a doubt over her integrity while she was hostage of the kidnapper. This came even after she passed the test of fire- as asked by her loving husband- the ideal man. This is one of the first incidents about Indian mythology that children in India learn but it is obviously sugar coated with the moral of the story being that the ideal man sacrificed his love life for the society, not for its well-being but being a king his stature will take a blow if his wife is suspected in the society he rules. This is one of the first atrocities against women that were carved into the culture of India.

Then there is a famous story in which a woman was married to five men who put her on gambling and lose her to the opposition who later molest her. Of course she was heroically saved by her super star brother lord but even after this discriminating act, the five men are praised in Indian culture as the best and their eldest brother is considered the symbol of Dharma and his action of gambling on  his wife is portrayed as a duty to protect this Dharma. Then there are numerous other incidents to follow in the culture like, to name a few, the practice of Sati, where the widow is burnt on the pyre of her husband, alive. The practice of Kanyasulkam, where young girls were sold to old widowed men for money. These two practices are now outdated and are almost nonexistent. The practice of Deva dasi, the prostitutes of Temples is another horrifying example another example of atrocities against women via religion and culture.  The practice of accepting dowry is still prevalent all over the country.

I feel that what we are seeing today in the society is a result of practices that have been followed in the country since ages.  These are few of the countless incidents written and celebrated as dominance of one sex over the other all through Indian culture and our children- from all communities and creeds are exposed to it. The India traditional culture has always been on the side of displaying the dominance of male over the female. It is no doubt that the two great epics of India are the most wonderful stories ever written or told in India but the way they are taught should be changed. There are those hidden subtle imbalances inherently casted into the system. This is true with most of the religions and cultures across the world. These need to be cleared out before any change could substantially take place. If an incident is a wrong doing, they should be taught as one and everyone should be advised not to do so.

Education is the only weapon to end all evil in the system.