Well, maybe I am the only woman who will
answer in the negative. No, I don’t believe that we can achieve equality,
gender or otherwise. We humans as a race are far low in the level of
consciousness to consider others as equal. We shall forever discriminate each
other on the basis of gender, colour, race, creed, religion, money and other
petty or mindless things. ‘Equality’ now and in the next few centuries will
remain an utopian concept. Even most of the communist countries or states have
failed in proving otherwise.
What I am dead against is… being Unfair. It’s unfair to treat women with so much violence, it’s unfair not to be able to lead a free life, it’s unfair to knowingly exploit people belonging to the ‘lower caste’ or treat them with disdain, it’s unfair to abuse little kids, it’s unfair to forcibly evict tribals from their land and life.
To all women (and men), feminists or otherwise,
I will say that I am a person first and a woman later. I have chosen to live my
life my way and not because I have faced and hence forced by subtle
discriminations against me. I Have chosen not to rise up the corporate ladder and
not because of an invisible glass ceiling. I Chose not to climb Stok Kangri solely
out of fear and not because others thought I was not as good as the ‘guys’. I Chose
not to get married at the age when everybody else did and not because I did not
have any ‘value’ in the marriage market. Since my childhood I have vehemently
opposed and questioned people or ideas and beliefs that put me or my life is a
societally-defined bracket.
To
all women (and men), feminists or otherwise, I will say why do you have to be
‘equal’ to men! Why do men have to be the ultimate benchmark to which women
have to strive for? If you really push me to tell, then I will say that I
consider women to be far superior as human beings than men ever will be. Why
would you want to be equal to somebody who usually is aggressive, perpetrator
of most things bad and depraved, who likes violence and thrives on war, who
likes to break law and do all things wrong. We have an entire history of civilizations
and nations ruled by men and I am sure most will agree that the world is Very
Far from being perfect.
Deep in my heart I have a firm belief that
the only way to right all the wrongs is to let the women come up and take
control. We will not only have a much peaceful and a beautiful world, but we
will also have ‘equality’ as you have envisaged it….in its truest sense.
Yes,
I am a person who is a woman and a proud one at that. Just don’t bracket me so simply
as a Feminist.
