Lets go beyond tokenism!

With the “International Women’s day” and the associated week long celebrations coming to a closure, I write this blog with a mixed bag of incoherent feelings on the significance of this day and on gender (in)equality.

This month started with a surge of offers from various shops ranging from restaurants, beauty salons to women’s inner garments (yes! believe me! I received a SMS from a shop) to celebrate the “women” in our life or ourselves. Then followed the ethnic day drama asking to be dressed up in sarees. Then Women’s day wishes poured in from everyone and in all social platforms asking to celebrate the women in our life. Messages flew from the top management of all organisations too. I would like to pick up two messages that caught my attention out of all these messages that I came across in various platforms.

1) While there are lots of women at the lower management in all firms, we have to introspect why the number fizzles out as we climb up the management ladder. This is probably the only thought provoking statement I came across on women’s day.

2) Make a woman colleague at your work feel special. Take her out for lunch.

Well, both these statements lead to a lot of thoughts to ponder upon.

Women start their careers with lot of ambition and there is definitely lot to aspire for. Also career does go their way until they get married, as there is nothing really to take care in the personal front. Climbing up the ladder at work is easy then. With marriage and greater responsibilities at work, dual role does take a toll on them physically and mentally. The first casualty is career in most of these cases. Only a negligible percentage of women retire from their jobs at 58, while most of them quit much before that.

Let’s take the second statement now. Do women really need a guy to buy them a lunch? I thought a working woman can earn her lunch. Also why should a woman feel special? Is it not enough if she feels comfortable in her own skin?

Every single wish that I come across patronizes women in some way or the other. Gender inequality begins here. Why should a woman be made to feel special? Why should her roles as a mother/sister/daughter be celebrated? Then are the roles of men as father/brother/son inferior or superior? Every role comes with its own set of responsibility. The society at large will stay in harmony if the individuals realise their responsibilities and act accordingly. The instability arises only when one gender considers superior to another.

Interestingly, I came across a documentary on the life of tigers in television. The mother tiger brings home food after great struggle for its 2 male and 1 female cubs. The 2 male cubs pounce on the meat, while the poor female cub had to wait till it’s brothers feed on the meat and then had to eat the left overs. Well the situation in their species is no different from ours. May be a natural instinct. But don’t we have a so-called 6th sense to be rational?

Women’s day commemorates the struggle of women against wage inequalities. Unfortunately, the situation is no different even today in most places. Women employed in farmlands, construction sites are a few examples. Women carry out the most strenuous activities in all jobs involving physical activities but are paid less. Maternity leaves and a career droop after it is always a nightmare for a working woman. Jobs involving technology innovation and research have less female members. Was there any productive debate regarding any of these issues?

Making a woman “feel special” or celebrating womanhood sounds like a kind of appeasement or ego-massaging (to put it bluntly). Let the inequalities remain, let’s not discuss the sensitive topics but let’s only show tokenism. The very reason that we are still celebrating a “Women’s day” itself shows we have a long way to go. A woman does not need appreciations just for being a “woman”. She does not need patronage but a level playing ground. Make the game fair instead of calling her the “fairer” sex.

Give me a life!

I just finished a chapter of a book where the protagonist (a warrior) refuses to beg for his life but instead prefers to die for honour and pride. Just then, my phone beeped signaling a Facebook alert. One of my Facebook friends has requested me for a life! No, she is not in any danger. She just ran out of lives while playing a game and requested everyone in her friend list for a life. This makes one wonder how different the meaning of lives in the real and virtual world is.

We have all grown up hearing to the stories of great warriors who did not bow down to the invaders and rather held their heads high to face death instead of begging for life. The stories of Rani Lakshmi Bhai, Bhagat Singh, King Kattabomman to the recent braveries of our soldiers glorify this fact. A life of honour and pride is always preferred to a life of mediocrity. But then, what exactly are we upto while asking for lives to continue play a senseless game? Were we not taught to ask for a favour only when in dire need and not otherwise?

We invite others to play a game and ask for lives in order to continue the game. Had it been a real game and if we had to invite these people personally by knocking at their doors, would we be willing to do so? Obviously no. Asking for a favour in person is always an uncomfortable affair. But then, doing so at the click of a button is so easy. With the advent of social media and especially gaming in social media, it can be noted that there is a paradigm shift in the attitudes of people. This is acting like a slow poison killing a person’s ego and self-respect systematically and slowly.

Wait I hear another beep from my mobile. I have to give life to someone now. Looks like Lord Brahma has outsourced his work!

You may be a proud hindu; so are others!

“Oh my God! Do you feast during Navaratri?” asked an acquintance, who is from a different part of the country. This person looked visibly shocked and started mocking me. I understand they fast during Navaratri in their region, while we feast in South India. Another friend from East India added that they create pooja pandals where they too feast all nine days and some also serve meat! My acquaintance was appalled by now.

What followed was a heated exchange of words between them. Eating meat during these sacred days was not acceptable for this person, while the east Indian friend tried to reason out that this was the age-old tradition in their place. The other person contended that this is so ‘anti-hindu’ and they have picked up these practices post colonization and from ‘pseudo-seculars’. This is where things took an ugly turn and both had to be pacified from further confrontations.

In a way, this incident is a miniature of the mood of the entire Hindu society in the recent times. With the surge of the saffron brigades and the newly found love for ‘being hindu’ and a nationalist, the question that lingers in my mind is that have we really understood our religion/traditions? My tradition need not be the same as yours. The way you celebrate might not be the same as mine. Navaratri is a spiritual event in certain parts of India but it is also a social event in east and south India. My Hindu calendar need not be the same as followed by another Hindu. Infact the reason to celebrate a festival itself varies from one region to another. Deepavali is celebrated to mark the victory of Lord Krishna over Narakasura in South, while it is the celebration to mark the home coming of Lord Rama elsewhere. Infact Lord Muruga is believed to have two consorts here in South, while he is believed to be a bachelor in North. And the reverse is also true about this brother Lord Ganesha.

It is sad and appalling to note that a few self-proclaimed saviors are trying to enforce a single and uniform hindu culture throughout India in the name of saving the religion. This itself is against the very essence of Hinduism. According to them, theirs is the only authentic tradition, while others are all aberrations or distortions. Everyone else is doomed as anti-hindu or pseudo-seculars under the bad omen of the so-called elitists.

Hinduism is a banyan tree, My friend! It can accommodate your tradition as well as mine and even atheists. The pride of Hindusim lies in celebrating these differences and nurturing harmony. Please do not kill this beautiful harmony in the name of saving the religion. You may be a proud hindu but so are others!

Live and let live!
Om shanthi om!

World Environment Day and Our Society

The entire world celebrated UN declared “World Environment Day” last week. Marathons, special sales, speeches on conservation on nature dominated the media. Most of the corporates did their bit by planting saplings, promoting greeneries. Some even went to the extent of asking employees to wear green dress, observing no-tissue day, no-paper cups day etc. Most of us were participated in the fun activities, which were a part of the celebrations to mark this day. I would have been happier, if we ever stopped for a moment to ponder on its relevance to us and our society. Should we be doing this at all?

It was saddening to see a society, which worships the five elements of nature, be a part of the herd in these meaningless celebrations instead of leading the way in protecting our environment. The use of tissue paper or paper cups was never a part of us a few years back. Paper is revered as Goddess Saraswati. Most of us still feel bad if we stamp a paper unknowingly and pray for forgiveness. We always drank coffee or juice in stainless steel or brass cups. Paper cups were new to us. But we forced ourselves to use tissue papers and paper cups, as West told us if you have to be hygienic, you have to use these.

Eating in plantain leaf was our way of life; not the ceramic, paper plates. But the West told us this is not healthy. So we started using the paper plates.

Pesticides and fertilizers only meant the organic ones. Chemical pesticides and fertilizers were alien to us. But then the west told use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides improved the quality of food and also the quantity. Greed got the better of us and we forgot the organic ones. As a result we not only started creating carcinogenic food but have also depleted the soil fertility. A society, which worships mud in the form of idols of Lord Ganesh, has ended up abusing the soil! Shame! Now the West says organic farming is the in-thing. Would we want to be left behind? Obviously no! So we have also joined the chorus to sing the organic line. Lest do we remember that was the way of our life a few decades ago.

We used neem sticks and salt to brush our teeth. We were taught to be civilized by using toothpaste and plastic tooth brush instead. Now? We use a toothpaste containing neem and salt to fight weakened gums and yellow teeth. But then we are happy, as our western brothers do the same. The same story extends practically to everything from food habits to toiletries.

Wish we stopped for a moment to reflect on our past and present before we decide on a path for the future. Had we stuck to our roots, we would not be in this pitiable state to have a ministry for “Ganga Cleaning”. This is the same society which once proudly said, “ Amrutam vaa aapaha; Aapovaa idagum sarvam”. Water is precious and water is everything.

Every society has its own way of communicating with nature. Let us pledge to preserve this communication and not abuse nature in the future. It is man’s greed, which has brought us to this stage. As someone pointed out, there is enough for man’s need but not for his greed. Excess of anything is harmful. “Ati sarvatra varjayet".

Given our abundant knowledge, shoulf we lead from the front or be the herd?

A moment please...

The rise and fall of Arvind Kejriwal in a way represents the mindset of today's impatient youth. He in a way represents the youth of today who wants everything to be done at the drop of hat.

We, the generation after liberalisation, have and want everything instantly. 

We would find it ridiculous to wait for days for a post to reach, when we can email a message instantly to a person in the other corner of the world. 

It is criminal to wait for a day for the idly flour to sour, when we can have noodles instantly. 

Cricket is all about 20 overs now and not a 5 day affair anymore to wait for the result until the 5th day.

Reading newspaper editorials is a waste of time, when we have television anchors pronouncing judgements instantly.

We want nothing to bind us, as we feel nothing is above ourselves. Arvind Kejriwal suceeded in catching the imagination of the people, especially the youth, when he questioned the very fundamentals and wanted instant solutions. People fancied this to be a revolution; forgetting the very fact you cannot build a palace without a strong basement that too immediately.

There are umpteen activists, who chose to fight within the boundaries of the system but they did not get as much attention as Kejriwal.  While he projected himself to be unconventional, they chose to go the traditional way. Even Rahul Gandhi could not succeed in capturing the imagination of youth because he always talks about changing the system but never about doing away with it.

Today's youth is in a perenial hurry and have no time to follow the rules and convention nor to wait. But the fact is a strong fundamental system is needed to acheive anything and that it will take time to succeed is forgotten in this hurry. 

Restrictions, traditions and conventions are all necessary evils. One cannot do away with it and it would be suicidal to do so.

We find instant pride and gratification in the revolution and freedom of speech that we find in twitter but least we realise that it also has a restriction of 140 bytes!!!

Will we ever halt for a moment to take stalk of the situation???

Katha Charithra:: #4

Katha Charithra:: Answer # 3

An idol of Lord Ranganatha

Vibheeshana attends Lord Rama's paatabhishekam after the war and meets Rama to bid farewell. A teary eyed Vibheeshana requests Rama that the Lord must be his guiding force so that he can rule Lanka well. Lord Rama assures him and presents him an idol of Lord Ranganatha.

The lord instructs him not to place the idol on the floor until he reaches Lanka. Vibheeshana obeys his Lord's order and dutifully carries the idol. On reaching an island formed by the rivers Kaveri and Kollidam in southern India, Vibheeshana places the island on the floor to rest for a while, forgetting his Lord's order. The idol gets fixed to the place so rigidly that Vibheeshana was not able to pick it up again. Only then Vibheeshana recollects his Lord's order and laments on the sin he has committed. Lord Ranganatha appears before him and consoles him. He asks Vibheeshana to return to Lanka and promises to guard Lanka from this place. Hence the place assumes the name Srirangam - Abode of Sri Ranganatha.

There is another interesting anecdote connected to this temple. The initial temple was built by the greater Chola king - Killivalavan about 2500 years ago. The Pallavas, later Cholas and the Krishnadevaraya empires expanded and safeguarded the temple from time to time. But the southern Gopuram of the temple was never constructed so that Lord Ranganatha's sight on Lanka is not disrupted!

Katha Charithra:: Question #4

This one is simple :)Whom did Sage Vashista fail to acknowledge as Brahmarishi?

Katha Charithra:: #3

Katha Charithra:: Answer # 2

Guptkashi

After the Kurukshetra war, Pandavas repent that they had committed sin by fighting with their cousins. They are advised to seek the blessings of Shiva, so that their sins are cleansed and their forefathers attain Mukthi.

They go to Kashi to worship Shiva. Upon reaching Kashi, they realise that the Lord has left for Kailash. Determined to seek his blessings, they go on a mission to find him in Kailash. On reaching the foothills of the Himalayas, they feel the presence of Shiva around them but are unable to locate him. They realise that Shiva was testing their determination. Finally Yudhistra locates Shiva after a long hide and seek and hence the place derives its name 'Guptkashi'; Gupt meaning secret.

Pleased by their devotion, Shiva showers his blessings on Pandavas.


Katha Charithra:: Question #3

What did Lord Rama gift Vibheeshana during the Lord's Pattabhishaka?