Man made electric light to take us out of the dark
Man made the boat for the water, like Noah made the ark
Come to think of it, man may have invented a lot of things, but what would they be without women? Today’s woman is catching up with the men in all fields of work. Women Empowerment is what today’s generation is all about. Women want to walk hand in hand with the men. Although gender equality is lacked by many areas of workspace, women are retorting to this unjust treatment. A well known example is that of Wal- Mart, a U.S supermarket chain. Women employees have claimed to be paid less salary than their male counterparts despite working for the same number of years. Also they have to wait longer to obtain promotions as opposed to their male colleagues. A lawsuit was also filed for asserting the need for equal treatment of men and women employees of Wal-Mart. Earlier no one would have lent their ears to such problems but the time is changing and so is people’s perspective.
Ø A JOURNEY
But for a common man like me, you don’t need to read articles, to know about the world problems regarding women empowerment. Just travelling a few hours by train is enough to tell how women are overcoming the traditional barricades. You hear women bickering over seats. “ Aapko kahaan utarna hai? Yeh jagah mere liye rakhiye.”This single sentence has power in it. A women in the local trains never goes back on her word. She’ll ensure that her seat is taken over by the women who told her to save her this seat. Such is the power of women. And let’s not forget, a lost seat leads to fighting beasts. Women will be enraged if their reserved seat is occupied by some other lady. “ Yeh meri seat hai.” She’ll demand the seat as if it were her birthright. This is just one of her aspects. A local train journey ensures good friends of all ages and of all communities. They have their own parties; they share their stories and make a journey worth remembering. One will find various empowerment stories. A woman whose husband used to beat her finally decided to separate from him and give a worthwhile life to her daughter, a story of a female vendor who educated her son and made sure he doesn’t face the same situations like her, a young woman trying to make a career in showbiz ,are just some of the stories you’ll come across in the journey. As you saw, a train is one of the modes to study women coming from different fields united by just the local train journey. There are exceptions as well but I feel women empowerment at grass root level comes to light through such journeys. You don’t have to hunt for such women. You just need to listen to the people around you and such situations come easily to light.
Ø THE SAVIOURS
There are numerous women like Sunita Williams, Kiran Bedi,etc who conquered the impossible. But one such case which I really found interesting was that of the Gulabi Gang. Gulabi Gang was started by Sampat Pal Devi of Banda, Uttar Pradesh. Known for being far from non-violent, some of the gang’s members have faced abuse themselves at the hand of their husbands and in-laws. Sampat Pal Devi started this organization with the help of local women, which later expanded to the nearby villages as well. The story goes like this: Once Sampat Pal’s neighbor was being beaten by her husband. She was screaming. Sampat could not bear this and she charged to her neighbour’s house. She beat up the husband with a lathi. Her story spread across the village and she became the local hero. Other local women started joining in and the gang was formed. They take local political issues in hand too and see to it that justice is given to one and all. They have also taken up issues of female infanticide and dowry harassment. Lathi beatings are their usual form of punishment. Their story has reached the world thanks to a documentary made on them. In areas where women are still treated poorly, GULABI GANG shines as a beacon of hope. They truly depict ‘A Woman’s World.’
Ø AN UNENDING ROAD
Although the scenario’s changing in our country, many issues still persist. Female infanticide remains a problem. Illegal sex determination is prevalent in many clinics throughout India. Dowry system is still prevalent. Birth of daughters is shunned. In Punjab and Haryana, sex determination kits are being ordered from USA making it impossible for women to survive. Women suffer from malnutrition due to lack of sufficient diet whereas men are given more food than women in many backward families.
In spite of all the injustice being meted out to them, today’s women are crossing the age-old barriers and breaking the shackles. Jhansi ki Rani, Rani Laxmibai showed that even a woman can protect her kingdom, Anandibai Joshi, the first Indian women to become a doctor showed that Indian women can achieve the impossible and many more Indian women have showed us that we have travelled an impossible yet attainable path. The future is not too bleak. A whole new world is waiting out for them to come and be its integral part.
This is a man's, a man's, a man's world
But it wouldn't be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl
