The best representative of the great Indian glory
that India ever had, Swami Vivekananda, writes about women in his writings in
such a way:
“The uplift of the women, the awakening of the
masses must come first, and then only can any real good come about for the
country, for India.”
India is said to be a developing country. We Indians
are chasing our dreams. The sound of tak, tak, the footsteps of the masses
moving under the sun is not enough to let us find out how many are the women
walking in that rush. We must be learnt that now women can also wear the shoes
men use to wear and they can also do the works men usually do.
Now, the subject of debates and meetings, almost in
every level of the society is something around the women- women security, women
education, women empowerment, and the most talked- women reservation. We have
passed years and years thinking and speaking about the women affairs. The
results, however, are not so much satisfactory that we can feel proud of. Except
some of the women who have given us the moments of honour and prestige, we have
not seen women attaining greatness in any field of life. Why the situation is
like this? Where do we need to work more? What we can hope from our government
and the so-called ‘democracy’?
THE
PRESENT CONDITION:
We cannot neglect that there are many relaxations
for women in our country. They get reservations in the education sector and in
the working sector. Yes, this is what the factors show and we can also see in
India. This is a great step towards the fair sex to uplift their condition. The
seat reservations in education sector for women secure their indulgence in
higher education that is very important for the real development of our
country. The renowned universities of India dedicate some of their colleges
only for women and run special educating cells for women students.
In the working sectors, special quota is dedicated
to the women workers. However, this reservation varies from state to state in
our country. For example, Andhra Pradesh is providing total 33.33% of the
available seats to the women in education and Government jobs. If we talk of
our state Bihar, Nitish Kumar has announced 35% of the total recruitment to be
reserved for the women in the Police department. Private sectors also announce
their reservation for women. They have their own policies and laws.
Except these relaxations to the women in education
and working sectors, we have to turn towards the reservations provided to women
in the electoral field. Now, here is a long chronology to be listed. Since
India was officially a democracy in 1950 with our own constitution, there have
been discussions and debates in the houses of parliaments for the issue of
women representing people in elections and getting seats in the assembly. Years
were passing with our great leaders sitting in the parliament and keeping on
the debates until in 1974 a report was submitted to the ministry of Education
and Social Welfare raising this issue. However, it was an oblivious issue
later. Finally, in 1993, constitutional amendments were made to reserve
one-third seats for women in Panchayats and Municipalities elections.
Later on, the demand for reservation of seats in the
upper house of parliament for women was getting louder. Women institutions and
organizations were asking for more political opportunities. On September 12,
1996 a bill was introduced in parliament by Deve Gowda Government. Even then the
members of Samajwadi Party and some members of the ruling party tore the copies
of the bill and expressed their political standards. However, after the pull
& push, the bill of ‘women’s reservation’ was passed by the Rajya Sabha on
March 9, 2010. Unfortunately, after being passed by the Rajya Sabha, this bill
could not yet be voted in the Lok Sabha.
If this bill is passed in future, India will join a
league of around 40 countries including Pakistan and Bangladesh who have quota
for women in Parliaments. We can see that country like Pakistan also have the
women reservation, because they know that how important it is. It is the time
that our country should also stop more debates about this issue let the women
represent the country now. Only a woman knows how much the price hikes affect
the household. None but a woman can tell how much the importance of women
education is. With the secure arrival of women in the Parliament, we will be in
a position to hope for the certain development in the women’s condition of our
country.
WOMEN
RESERVATION: DONE AND NEEDS TO BE DONE
THE Constitution of our country, the greatest
democracy of the world, the largest, deals with the word ‘women’ only 18 times.
However, it is just a fact that I have found out and must be neglected as we
should have faith upon our great leaders and politicians who were there to make
this great constitution. Moreover, we must know that whenever the word ‘women’
has been used, it has been done by and large with a view that women are weaker
than men, unequal to men, inferior to men. Every time there is term like
‘special aid to women’, ‘reservations to women’, ‘dignity of women’. Now a
question arises that who needs the special aid. Who wants reservation? Whom
dignity is needed to be saved by others? The reply will come in a simple term, one
who is weaker.
Our constitution has made certain distinctions based
on sex, religion, and castes that does not allow the people to be the same and
women to simply be women. Women are divided in certain sub categories- OBC
women, SC women, ST women, and several others. Leaving this bias, we have in
our constitution some acts which provide reservation to women of the certain
categories. I want to raise a question. Does a Brahmin orphan girl not have the
right to get scholarship in the college where even a boy from well to do OBC family
enjoys it? Ask questions like these to your heart and it will be pierced with
sorrows and worries. The government argues some casts as ‘forward’ and certain
as ‘backward’. The backward women have been given certain privileges and the
forward women are supposed to have it since their birth! There are many other
dilemmas to be solved, and these will be solved only when we consider a woman
like a woman only. We will have to raise ourselves from the level or castes,
religions, and prejudices in order to have a real development in the condition
of women in our country. Every woman of the country has the equal rights. They
are in no means less than a man. The government should not announce
reservations only to indirectly point out that women of certain class are
weaker or backward. They must provide them resources, means, opportunities and
rest women can themselves do. Swami Vivekananda writes in his work:
“Who are you to solve women’s problems? Are you the
lord God that you should rule over every widow and every women? Hands off! They
will solve their own problems.”
If our administration can provide good education to
a girl from the so-called backward class, she will never wait for any
reservation and grab any possible opportunity that she sights. We need more
actions; we do not need more announcements to draw more lines of discrimination
between the same.
Moreover, it is our duty to be a responsible person;
and a responsible person always respects the constitution of the country. I
would like to read an article, article no. 51 (A) with clause (e):
“It shall be the duty of every citizen of India—
(e) to
promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of
India transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities;
to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women;”
Thus, we must learn to respect every woman. The
growing incidents of harassing behaviours with women workers in the workplace
are very shameful for a country like India. Is this why a man always wants a
woman to be his personal secretory? Is this why the BPOs always tend towards
hiring women in their firms? The scenario is very bad and we men must raise our
spirit. How long we shall take to understand that without watering the root no
fruits or flowers can come on the tree?
Ask a question to your
heart. What is the basic need of a girl? You will be thinking for some moments.
Scholars will say it is education; perverts will say it is self-defence; rich
will say it is the employment; others will say it is health and this list will
be protracted… but, I will draw your attention to a fact that the basic need of
a girl is the mercy to be born, the sympathy of her parents to bring her in
this wonderful world. Then only she can enjoy the benefits, the security or the
reservations made for her.
