“Roses are red, Violets are blue, Let’s smash the patriarchy, Me and You.”
The above mentioned controversial lines written on a notorious Movie star t-shirt got the limelight in the past few days, whatever the logic or message behind this, but one message for sure is right that not only patriarchy is the issue a daughter has to deal with. There are ‘N’ No. of things an Indian daughter has to face and suffer to remark on her journey and come out as a strong individual. Just celebrating a daughter’s day won’t be enough to hide the raucous sounds of injustice and unfair societal norms. But before making the attention towards the issues, let’s know a bit about the Daughter’s Day.
Why, Where, and When Daughter’s Day is celebrated?
Every year the Fourth Sunday of September is celebrated as Daughters’ Day in our nation, India. World Daughters’ Day is celebrated on September 28th. The origin of the day is unknown, but it was started in India to end the stigma attached to girl children and promote equality in the gender. Government launched very schemes and policies for the girl child made by our governments like Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, Balika Samridhhi Yojana, CBSE Udaan Scheme, Dhanalakshmi Scheme, National Scheme of Incentive to Girls for Secondary Education just with one motive for girl empowerment. But do we empower them?
Let’s know why we don’t have the right to celebrate a pious day like daughter’s day.
According to NCRB data released in the year 2018, despite various federal government campaigns such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao – Educate the daughter, Save the daughter – the crime rate per 100,000 women increased to 58.8% in 2018 in comparison with 57.9% in 2017. Crime ranging from the so-called eve-teasing to outright sexual harassment on the street, workplace, or even at their own houses, to harassment for dowry, molestation in public transport like buses, auto, and the often-reported rape, these crimes against women reflect the vulnerability of crime against women. All this doesn’t end here only; the issue moves further when it comes to gender inequality because that is what our poor society is still weaving its net on.
One side, we keep engaging about placing Goddess above all god. On the other side, we are stripping them mentally and physically. We want to see women ruling; the pink flag should be unfurled at the red fort, but what about if that pink flag belongs to your family. It is then an issue because ‘Ladkio ko Jyada nahi bolna chahiye, they are made to be calm and silent. They should know all work because that is what our legacy is teaching us for so many years. We have exemplary women out there who are ruling the world whether it is armed forces, politics, corporates, business, movies, sports, or teaching; women are marking their name on every field brick but still on the ground level, they are still treated as a gender which belongs to production of a child and marrying to a man, by whom name she will be known for her life irrespective of how much she has done in her life.
Leave these societal issues, might be we all will justify it by vilifying with rituals and customs. But what about rape cases, dowry cases, domestic violence, and above all, this girl child sexual harassment. Would we bring out a child who has suffered or faced any of the above mentioned mental harassment, Do policies, empowerment, and examples change anything for them? Answer, we all know. How is a family responsible if they brought up their girl child as equal as their sons? How is a girl at fault if she is well to do than a man in her life? How is a girl responsible if she likes to wear shorts more than a Salwar-Kameez? OH! YES, last but not least, how another woman is responsible is a woman who can’t take the limelight given to her or didn’t support her being unaware of the former one’s situation.
A vagina or an overbust body is not only what her identity is; she is much more than what you think and can do more considerable than you can ever think of. When she speaks about equality, she doesn’t mean to be physically equal to you or fight with her in the ring; I afraid she can even do that and wash you off there as well, but when she talks about equality, she means equal opportunity in every field irrespective of demonstrating or calculating her abilities on the basis of her gender only.
