From past few months I have been thinking- reflecting and contemplating on the thought, or say notion which few of my friends have about me, that I am a pseudo-feminist and that I claim to be feminist.
Well, lets buy their proposition that I am not Feminist. Perhaps at some point of time in a particular phase of my Life I was not feminist neither did I felt that advocating Women Rights worth my time and efforts (For whatever reasons I had with my limited but developing perception of women, life and world at large). But then the whole argument which I have with my friends about why I am feminist and their subsequent one-sided and unreasoned conclusion about me being a fake and pseudo-feminist coupled with the titles of me being a Patriarch and Male Chauvinist forced me to put my time to investigate and evaluate myself whether they are right or wrong, whether I am a feminist or a pseudo one, just claiming to be one for the heck of my political and publicity agenda, as alleged or otherwise.
When I think that why I claim to be a feminist, I get no answer but just a strong feeling that Women’s rights needs to be advocated and they be given what they rightfully should be enjoying of. Do I have any political or career oriented or any vested interest in advocating women’s rights? The answer would be relatively different from what one would expect from me to write here, perhaps everybody reading this would say ‘no’ for this paraphrase about my Feminism I am writing is to justify and defend myself. But I would rather like to answer the question in probability of affirmation i.e. perhaps this might work to be of some benefit to me in my future. But then one more question arises which is, do I do it keeping in view any such future gains? Then I would answer that perhaps yes in present, but when I started with it there was no such anticipation about any such future gains. It was indeed after I started advocating women’s rights, I realised that perhaps it can be of some benefit in the future. What kind of gains or benefits will I be deriving?
If I take up my career as a Lawyer, which most likely it seems that I would be taking up, perhaps more female clients will be generated for me wherein I will get an extra-edge over others and thereby one of my pursuits to fight for their rights and fetch justice for them would be achieved.
Secondly if I join politics, perhaps I will get an extra-edge over others in getting female votes or understanding the futuristic politics, perhaps I would end up handling a portfolio like Women and Child Welfare, etc. wherein again I will be having a chance to promote women’s development and their welfare related programmes, understanding the developing democracy and increasing grip of society, socio-political thinkers, judiciary and activists; in the light off recent 2G scams, Adarsh Society Scam, Karantaka Land Allotment and couple of other scams which we read about everyday in Newspapers.
Thirdly few of my friends might end up saying or concluding, which is one of the most probable opinion they have, that I will have a better chance to play around females and female feminists. Howsoever disgusting but I am forced to take this into consideration while evaluation my stand and true cause behind feminism. Notwithstanding the complexity and cogency of my thoughts and philosophy which lies behind my cause, I leave it free for the people to decide and put it to the test of the time that who is the beneficiary whether me or females if I continue with it and all intelligentsia which oppose or criticise me become an active or passive support in my cause, if not, then at-least by not being a barrier in my way, for I am strongly fearful of their intellectual abilities to manipulate the thoughts of the female masses coupled with the inherent weakness of my strategy of sculpturing the feminism, feminist movement in India and its definition in the World at large, in the right way which I feel it should be, thereby maintaining the balance between the female rights, family structure one of the essentials of the stable social fabric which is one of the four pillars of the Welfare State which Mankind is striving to achieve from the time immemorial.
In my five years of study in GLC I have seen many girls closely, I never tried to understand them in my first year or for that matter till the end of my second year. But gradually with time I became closer and closer to females, the emotions on which I used to laugh as a kid I felt the necessity and genuineness with which those females feel, the strength and love which is attached with it, when anything goes wrong in their lives, sometimes in family, sometimes with their relations with their boyfriend, sometimes what they see happening on the roads- incidents like eve teasing, sometimes in parties when strange guys take advantage of the crowd to molest females. By fortune’s grace I got the chance to know this aspect of life as it was my activities in GLC which gave me a chance to be the problem solver of lot of people around me. And it was my genuineness which drove more and more people, may that be girls or boys who took up their academic, research oriented and personal problems with me with a trust and faith which consequently gave me chance to understand the human relations, human thought process, their desires, the things about which they strongly feel for, about things which they like or dislike, things which drive them crazy, things which they love or hate. My pursuit always remained to know the reason behind such feelings and emotions, after knowing such reasons, to know the reason, causes and deep rooted social structuring (which is changing with time and technology) of the existence of such reasons. If any man of prudence is to practise this exercise, then I am sure he will definitely reach the same conclusions on which I am today, by stating this I am not denying the fact and probability that there can be better and improvised versions of conclusions, but what I am attempting to deny here is that there won’t be inferior versions of conclusions, else the prudence needs to be put to test of time and let our conclusions be empirical.
When Feminists in India talk about Feminism in India and Feminism in the world, the distinction considering the socio-cultural differences and the effects- outcome and response of the society towards such efforts are worth considering when I want to justify my stand and the strategic approach towards maintaining a balance of society, social fabric, advocacy of Feminism, and my attempt to reorient and revisit the whole concept, nonetheless I cannot forget that even I am a product of this Society and somewhere unnoticed is the role of society in developing my thought process, whether accepted or denied, but however I took every effort to neutralise my thought process over a period of time by my study of Society, human Nature, certain philosophies and the Ancient Indian Shastras, with my limited but developing understanding.
Here are few answers to the allegations and questions and certain statements made by few of my Intellingent but westernised friends (female) who call me a Hindu patriarch whose philosophy of life is based on ancient Indian literature, Shastras and Smritis, hence I am unworthy of understanding the modern concepts of Feminism. The very thought of all such friends of mine who say that feminism as a concept or notion is not Indian but we have to borrow it from west will be proved wrong once you read the following instances off Ancient Indian texts :
Beginning from the first inception of the Universe, there is a fascinating myth associated with the creation of woman by the Supreme Creator, Lord Brahma. And indeed, beginning from Brahma Himself, the idea of feminism in Indian literature, both oral and written, had begun to be established, though perhaps not as blatant as is today. It is said that Brahma had first created man and in his generosity, had desired to give man a companion. But by then he had depleted all the material in the creation of man and hence he had borrowed umpteen components from the handsome creation of nature and had thus made woman out of them. Lord Brahma had introduced woman to his earlier creation man stating, "She will serve you lifelong and if you cannot live with her, neither can you live without her". The primeval myth carries an unambiguous implication of woman`s image in life and literature for centuries.
World`s two of the most prehistoric greatest epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata written by two sages Valmiki and Ved Vyas have been composed pivoting around two central characters Sita and Draupadi, both women. It was during this time that the nascent stages of feminism was born in ancient Indian literature, the illustration of which needs no further introduction - the tribulations of both Sita and Draupadi is perhaps realised by every Indian presently. The key role women played in literature and life in the past and present in both parts of the globe is equally significant. In ancient Vedic literature, women were elevated to Devis (Goddesses); they were turned into myths and legends. Her real identity of a woman however was provided by the primordial myth, that is social stereotypes which have been suggested, are two poles of feminine experience in the world. Sita absorbs all harshly imposed desolation and mortification of the male ego, whereas, Draupadi challenges the male ego to the epitomic limits of human excellence.
Sita accepts, accommodates and withdraws; Draupadi resents, rejects and involves herself in the process of life as a protagonist. These two feminine archetypes define the limits of feminine experience in reality, especially the Indian literary reality. Even in the present day Indian literature, the gender division moves between new `iconisations` of these two bold and prehistoric figures.
If coming down more down the line, keeping aside the predominated `Hinduistic` beliefs of Vedic Period, the post-Christian era in its just-blooming period, also has retained visions of feminism, not surprisingly from a woman, but from a man. Times during those that is being mentioned, the Indian indigenous cultural background was not much doused within anti-womanly sentiments and badgering the fairer sex with ungainly measures. Literature was not a subject that needed to be left behind, which with time, had gained pace, thus beginning to carve a new way of introducing feminism in Indian literature. It is rather ironical that in India, the premier people who had come forward to claim `women`s rights` were not women but were men. Balaram Das, a poet well known in Orissa was a pioneer of feminism in India. It can be said that long before the idea of feminism had come up in Europe Balaram Das, a poet of the 16th century had brought forth the concept of male domination of women in a strictly patriarchal society.
Poet Balaram Das was also known as revivalist of Vaishnavism. Popularly known as Panchasakha he had a considerable influence on Oriya Literature. Lakshmi Purana composed by Balaram Das was an example of a piece of literature which talked of women liberation and had given birth to the spirits of feminism.
There were two former categories of womenhood - Brahmavadini or Sadyobadhu (the former denoting the ascetic kind in quest of truth, knowledge and spiritual pursuits, which sacrifices life for the society and the second category denoting the domestic woman, the daughter, wife and mother who dedicates herself to the welfare of the family. The images of woman in society and in Indian literature in the past and present mostly belong to the second category). She belongs to a fresh category, more down to earth, more human.
Likewise, with every kind of Indian literature, there have existed such umpteen kinds of the evolution of womanhood, which have also at times taken the shape of feminism, mostly profound in Indian literature in various Indian as well as English languages. In such an article, it is however just not feasible with the least amount of space being defined beforehand. It can be stated with utmost sufficiency in the frame of Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan that, Indian literature written in twenty two regional languages and numerous dialects not only reflect a common culture and a uniquely India version and way of life, but surprisingly the face of Indian woman in all Indian literatures has impressed upon a pan-Indian psyche with of course inevitable local touches and variations. Women have inspired literature and the feminine theme has been a pivotal importance too. She herself is also a creator of literature and is all pervading. This is true of Indian literature also. Indian literature spans a rich variety of themes - from the theme of a conventional woman to that of the new woman, reflecting in the process the changes that have been going on in the society. Post-Independence literature in Indian and feminism portrays all these trends and voices, the clamouring of women for a new and just way of life. Over years, the age old image of the woman seems to be slowly blurring and gradually shading off into a new image.
The not-unusual "heterogeneity of Indian experience" reveals that there exists multiple levelled patriarchies and so also there exists multiple level feminisms. Hence, feminism in Indian literature as well as the broader perspective of feminism in India, is not a singular theoretical point of reference; it has metamorphosed with time maintaining proportion with historical and cultural realities, levels of consciousness, perceptions and actions of individual women and women en masse.
Vedas : Science : Womanhood :: Patriarchy
- अन्वर्तिता वरुणो मित्र आसीदग्निर्होता हस्तगृह्या निनाय॥ ऋ10-109-2, अथर्व 5-17-2
- सोमस्य जाया प्रथमं गन्धर्वस्तेऽपरः पतिः। तृतीयो अग्निष्टे पतिस्तुरीयस्ते मनुष्यजाः॥ अथर्व 14-1-3, ऋ 10-85-40
- सोमो ददद् गन्धर्वाय गन्धर्वो ददग्नये। रयिं च पुत्रश्चादादग्निर्मह्यमथो इमाम्॥ अथर्व14-2-4, ऋ10-85-4
These three Ved mantras also occurring in different places explain the same three stages in the development of the female temperament. In the beginning is what modern science refers to the age before formation of 'the blood brain barrier' in the children i.e. up to about 4 years age. According to our Shastras the girl child is under the guardianship of Soma. Vedas elaborate on Soma as god of intellect and poetically describe Soma being the first husband of the females during their infancy. (Modern science tells us that that DHA (Decosa Hexaenoic Acid) and EPA (Ecosa Pentaenoic Acid) are the two fatty acids that power the human brain in all its activities related to human faculties. DHA is particularly associated with eyesight. Both DHA and EPA are made in the human body from ALA the Omega 3 fatty acids. In young females capacity for conversion of dietary Omega 3 to DHA is nearly 20 times higher and EPA is nearly three times higher than males. Thus it is the female of the species that has been given the extra responsibility to ensure good brains, eye sight, the intellectual strength for the human progeny. Nature has thus provided the females with a far superior role in building a human society than men, because to start with only sharp and farsighted brains ensure a sustainable happy society. This fact is borne out by the observation that in modern society not only in India but even in the Ivy league colleges in USA, girls are regularly obtaining the academic laurels far ahead of boys. This is no different from Indian experience. Girls are seen to be snatching the top scholastic positions in all examinations in India. This is the scientific basis of the unique Vedic Culture that addresses the girl child as an object of veneration and the females to be accorded high position and treated with respect in society. In the second stage till the age of puberty around 12/13 years, during adolescence the girl child is possessed by Gandharvas. Gandharwas represents aesthetics, all that is beautiful, delicate, sensitive, empathic and virtuous in this world. In visuals the talent for appreciation of beauty, in nature, arts, physical forms, and ability to replicate the same in paintings/sculptures and such visual art forms. In audiovisual areas gandharwas, would represent good sounds, music, dance forms and drama, good vocal abilities, creative writings. Sensitivity for harmonious relations and peace loving attitudes, delicacy, creativity are the gifts to humanity of the Gandhrwas. A girl child through her teens remains preoccupied with these artistic pursuits. These natural traits of females must be given full opportunities to develop. Females thus become the embodiment of these qualities for the human race. Poetically Vedas describe the Gandhrwas as the second husbands of the females.) In the third stage, with development of physical body functions, in Vedic language female body is as if afire with – the flesh gets stronger - by कामाग्नि. Female becomes ready for taking on her role of a wife by being married to a human being. And thus bring forth good progeny for progress and continuation of human society. 3-हस्तेनैव ग्राह्यआधिरस्या ब्रह्मजायेयमिति चेदवोचन् ।
Understanding these notions in the light of the scriptures sighted above, I reassert that thinking from Vedic point of view is no patriarchy and if at all it is it is much better than western form of feminism which advocates individualism prima facie thereby in the long run hampers the family structure of the society.
Lets also venture into few common questions about females’ relations with males. I remember one of my conversations about the earning capacities about the females. I leave it open to the average Indian women/female what would she want her husband to be earning like, the most probable answer y the majority of them would be that they want their husband to earning more than them.
Second question which I would like to put here is regarding the dressing style of the women. Personally I have no objection when girls of my college or for that matter any of my friend, dress in “apparently civilised, stylish and modern style” i.e. the so called exposing of body. Appealing for all boys, girls do get extra appreciation and comments specially on facebook when they upload such snaps, then would you girls when you will roam around in the streets of Delhi or Punjab like a guy staring at you, checking you in and out, if not you then for that matter any other girl in front of you. Of course no doubt all of us are located in Mumbai and culture here is much different than one in the northern states, hence you won’t find such instances happening here. But even few instances of checking out girls, when you come across, do you morally have any right to condemn those boys for being “cheap” and check you out. Unfortunately when guys like me oppose we are in no time labelled as Patriarchs, Male Chauvinists, etc, etc.
Thirdly when it comes to the discussions regarding sex before marriage, when I have shown strong reservations for that, one of my friend called me a guy of Small Town Mentality, looser and Chauvinist, this was in my First Year, and she advocated that Sex before Marriage is fine. Cool, I understand its your choice, your life. But the question remains would one be happy, if her sister, mother or daughter sleeps with somebody else outside marital relationship. Perhaps, I believe the answer would be no, especially when anybody would contemplate about their own mothers having extra marital affairs. Hence if the same girl is having sexual relation outside/without marital relation, it is fine, but it is not fine with the same girl when it comes to her mother having extra-marital relationship. The question is Why? Perhaps the whole notion of Motherhood is so respectful, even in the eyes of such girl, that any such act by her mother would be derogatory and defaming for her too. The Society precisely follows the same notion of respect of women and thereby whips a moral and social obligatory norm about maintaining of chastity of women. But unfortunately under the guise of Feminism, things percolate in a wring manner at the bottom level, ultimately leading to the decomposition of the very social fabric on which the humanity thrives.
Fourthly with respect to Family, as I have already explained that why Indian tradition and patriarchs like me advocate Women’s pivotal role in Family, especially upbringing of child, it is supported by the Scientific experiments too.
Fifthly studies in UK and USA have shown that the children who were brought in play schools and nursery away from their mothers and families showed more violent, intellectually retarded than average student brought under the care and love of mother and family. Hence when I advocate that women should not work till their kids are 8 yrs old or so, I am labelled as patriarch, and all women talk about their life, their identity, their career, in my opinion they should not forget that even if 50% of all the children turn retarded, the state of affairs of this land of ours would be doomed as the one entire generation will be paralysed with un-intellectual, violent and retarded youth as its part and liability on the state, further/consequently hampering their future generations.
Hence the women, atleast in India should never forget that their natural and primary duty is to take care of the society, by taking care of their own families. It is only when the Family structure is stable the society would survive, and mind you we men are no match for you to take care of families, neither intellectually nor emotionally, and not in the least physically i.e biologically.
And when I say this I am no Male chauvinist, I am no patriarch but I humbly attempt to be a social engineer and save My Motherland, India from the spoils of the Western Individualism, which is very attractive glamorous to talk about, but remember in the long term it will destroy the family culture. Nonetheless, I am sure everybody in the west and in the east will agree that in India life is much happier and content than in West, the credit is to be given to the Family structure. Let us save our prudence, family structure, society and Nation, before we loose it completely under the guise of Individualism, thereby leading our Identity to its doom.
I believe all female readers will understand it from the sense in which it is written in its spirit instead of paraphrasing the world in its literal meaning. If at all anybody is to gain anything from this it is only the society and neither Male Chauvinists, patriarchs, nor westernised nor Indianite females, and at the end if we save society there is nothing to loose by making little sacrifices.
