Oh women! Pity you are being befooled

May 14, 2011

Frankly speaking, I would not have noticed anything beyond anti-incumbency politics in the emergence of Mamta Banerjee and Jayalalitha in the recent assembly elections. But then certain status message over social networking sites like Facebook suggesting this as a symbolic rise of woman power and token of feminism actually made me pity as to how men have carefully crafted theologies to keep women in good humour and continue to drive them the way it suits them the most.
 

“Mamta, Jaya, Maya, Shiela….oh women you have made it,” says an idiotic status message suggesting as if the women in general have really been empowered in India. And it is really a pity that the Indian women are really being befooled by this symbolic representation. This pseudo representation is the same as in the case of a dalit or backward leader’s emergence. Does it actually translate into a substantive change for the given masses? Had it been the case the dalit community of Uttar Pradesh under an overtly vocal leader like Mayawati would have made a fortune by now. But factually speaking, their plight under Mayawati is worse than what they had to suffer under caste conscious Brahmin and other upper caste leaders.
 

What actually compelled me to write this piece has been a bitter experience over social networking where a serious discussion over women empowerment was trivialized. It was not just a difference of opinion that was bone of contention. It was rather a carefully crafted design to trivialise the debate and thus put the real issue on the back burner. I can understand there are certain disgruntled elements who don’t like me for my overt criticism of the caste chauvinism that they carry. But the more dangerous breed are those polished & so-called sophisticated lot who project themselves in a holier-than-thou manner, but are breeding ground of chauvinism.
 

A person who is caste chauvinist about being feudal upper caste can’t be a true supporter of women empowerment. But then their real game plan is not to convince but to confuse women on the issue. And what better way to do it than give them a pseudo belief of symbolic representation, and in the process disturb any healthy discussion over what can be a substantive change in the fortunes of the fair sex.       
 

I don’t need to prove my credentials over the subject to such shallow people. Of course, I feel really pity by the fact that even educated women in general fail to read what is hidden between the lines. I know my overt criticism and strong objection to symbolic representation of women might invite criticism from some section, but then I have always believed that if you can’t take a stand for what you believe in then it means you have no spines to support the cause either.
 

For me Maya, Shiela, Mamta, Jaya….or women like these have nothing to do with women empowerment. I define them only in the given context that they have done well for themselves. They don’t qualify to be role models. Their success is individual success. To qualify into being a role model the success has to be seen in the context of success achieved at what cost and for whose benefit. Unfortunately, the few and far between success stories on women empowerment that men so craftily proclaim and gullible women feel ecstatic about don’t have the intent to uplift women in general. These women are more male chauvinist in their approach than even a feudal man who is never comfortable with women standing on equal terms, forget being marching ahead.
 

Women who think they are educated and understand their rights are, unfortunately, as gullible as uneducated women. In fact, I have the case studies with me where uneducated women are more conscious of bringing substantive change in the lives of other women. I happened to meet a dalit scavenger lady, in due course of my research for a book, who has fought against the odds and is now running a small boutique-cum-beauty parlour. She wants her business to grow not only for her daughters but also for other young girls in one of the most backward districts of India, Alwar of Rajasthan. For me this uneducated woman is the real heroine of women empowerment.
 

Most of the successful educated women, whom gullible women look upto as role models, have no such claim to fame. Can any of these so-called educated and empowered women claim to have helped other women to come up in life? If you see the core team of any of these successful women, whether in politics, media or corporate world, the fact lies that they have never allowed a single woman to grow in their respective teams. Then how come they are symbols of women empowerment? 
 

I feel if women in general are really concerned with their empowerment, they need to start it at their own level, right from the four walls of the house. They don’t need to look up for symbolic representation, and instead focus on the substantive role around them. For this they need to respect themselves and other women. After all, a woman is the first teacher in any man’s life. The day a mother starts treating her daughters equal to sons; half the problem will be solved. After all, male chauvinism has a deep rooted social conditioning in its genesis.