The author happened to watch 1947-Earth, a film by Deepa Mehta, recently. It is a romantic love(?)-triangle, set amidst the backdrop of the partition of India. This post, as a reaction, serves as a medium to express the author's opinion and anguish.
Since time immemorial, women have been subject to various atrocities, be it, physical or emotional. In one of the conversations with my Persian friend, she put it very brusquely as, women are told to prize their virginity, in the most discreet manner. As an aside, the society is such that a man need not prize his virginity. Naturally, parents warn their daughters to be careful of every other man that they would meet, be it the public transportation system, school, office, playground, etc. The fear of being touched looms large. All men are generalized as a class of sex-craven and sex-deprived maniacs.
If we deeply think about the reasons for the so-many atrocities being committed on women, in the name of love-turned-obsession, religion, war, riots, male ego, etc., it boils down to this shocking revelation. Man uses a woman to give vent to his frustration. What else would otherwise be the reason for women being raped, or their breasts being cut from their bodies. Not to forget, a gang-rape. Is it all about the insertion of the man's penis into a woman? The counter example of a woman cutting a man's penis is rare.
If one were to look into the atrocities committed on the women all across the world, one can very easily sense the same attitude everywhere. Certain examples are given below for the sake of completeness:
- The war victims - be it the women of China during WWII, or those of the colonised latin american/ asian/ african countries.
- The husband raping his wife during the first night; A cold-blooded, yet, warm-blooded head of the family, giving vent to his frustrations on his unfortunate wife.
- The Hindu women in Pakistan, and the muslim women in North India during the partition of 1947; the Hindu women in Bangladesh during 1991 following the Babri-Masjid episode, etc.
- It is not healthy for a widow to experience feelings of love or lust.
- Women, stripped bare, and lynched in public; in various parts of the world.
- In Cameroon, women are "breast-ironed", ao as to reduce their chances of becoming rape victims.
- Women, forced to adopt burqa, so that, their body remains concealed so as to not give an iota of scope for a man to imagine how she would be naked.
- Female infanticide, because a girl child is a burden.
- Pouring acid on her face because she didn't reciprocate his feelings of love(?)
- Forcing his way onto her, when she is way advanced in her pregnancy. Making her work, beating her up, etc. during this critical time.
- Not allowing a woman to succeed in her professional life, because it would hurt the male ego.
....
If this post leaves you with a feeling of disgust, anguish and helplessness, then, it has served its purpose.
PS: The author is neither a male chauvinist nor a feminist.
