India’s IMPERIOUS (?!?) victory in world cup 2011

The entire nation celebrated the victory of India. It was really “A dream come true” after 28 years.Hats off to you and your men Mr.Dhoni.But due to the friction between India and Pakistan, victory against Pakistan was celebrated much more than victory against Lankans.

From the beginning I was not impressed by Indian Team’s performance right from the match against Bangladesh (Poor bowling), England (that match should have been won) etc.

I was even about to write a post regarding their performance (;))..But matches after qualifying for semifinals (esp. Australia) got me dumbstruck. 

Finally Men in blue bagged world cup.

Gender Equality and International Women's Day - An Oxymoron

8th March-The day started like any other day.
I could see a lot of establishments like saloons,Eatouts,Clothing stores throwing offers for women,encouraging them to buy more or promoting their services.

Even some hospitals in the city came forward with offers like Free medical checkup for women.

In my work place,our cubicles were decorated with balloons(for all women employees),
we have been given some chocolates and flowers.

To my astonishment,pubs and discos,declared to have ladies night for the entire week..

My question is "Why do we need women's day at all?.."

Answer 1:This day celebrates the life of a woman who faces hardships with her inner strength..

It was from a feminist friend of mine.

I think she is mistaken.Facing hardships with inner strength is something,
which is done by almost every living organism in this Earth.Another answer came like,
by celebrating women's day,we are saluting the bravery of women,who came forward to work,and for making an independent living.

Again,every creature does that..what is so special about it.

Here comes another answer,by celebrating this,the sociobiological status of women has improved.

Hmm..Not really...

Here is a shattering fact,

In this world,

1.64% of the illiterates are women.
2.Two thirds of the children are denied education are girls.Nearly,41 million girls are denied education.
3.Gender-based violence causes more deaths and disabilities among women aged 15-44 than cancer,malaria, traffic accidents and war.
4.60 million girls are sexually assaulted at or en route to school.In Afghanistan and Pakistan,Employed women receives death threats,asking them to leave their jobs.For the victims who commit adultery,men will be given 100 lashes and women stoning till death.Women are highly discouraged from entering politics by assasinating them.(Benazir Bhutto,Pakistan).Mass destruction of Girl's schools in East Pakistan etc
5.75% of civilians killed in war are women and children.
6.Very few countries criminalized marital rape(Check IPC 376 section,so nebulous)
7.Many countries permits polygyny.

UN peacekeeper Patrick Cammaert said,

 ‘It is now more dangerous to be a woman than a soldier in modern conflict’.

Look at the verity in his words.

Are the women of East (Afghanistan,Iran,Libya,Somalia etc),aware of Women's day?

Are the feminist aware of the increasing number of domestic violence (physical,sexual and emotional abuse by spouse) victims?

Eventhough the era of women employment begun in early 20th century.they were never given a right to vote,even in the so called developed nations like England,U.S.A etc.
Is it like i cannot decide or choose my representative?

After a terrible fight by the suffragists,women were given the right to vote.
(FYI even now,Saudi Arabia women cannot vote or drive)

Remember Freedom is never granted,It is always Won.

Even now Women of U.K has the following obstacles ahead of them..

1.700,000 people (90% of whom are females) experience domestic violence
2.Equal pay is almost as distant as it as when the Sex Discrimination Act was passed in1975
3.Conviction for rape cases hovers at around 6-7%
4.Only 12% of the company board members are women(avg)
5.Only 19% of MPs are women

Coming to the medical problems,

fatal diseases like Sexually Transmitted disease(STD) are transformed to women,
only from their SPOUSE.

There is also an alarming increase in the number of victims of Mortality rate during child birth,marital rape,Female Genetal mutilation,Breast cancer,cervical cancer etc.

When are we going to stop barbaric practices like stoning,FGM etc..?

What i suggest is,for example a clothing store instead of giving offers to women who can very well afford,can give clothing(atleast 5 to 10% or from old stock) to women who are below the poverty line.
The same kind of idea is suggested for Eatouts,hospitals or any other service industry.
Medical aware camps can be organised instead spending so much on ladies night clubs.

I contribute some money,to a school(for both boys and girls) every month,which provides world class education to the kids from slums...
WHAT IS YOUR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY?

Sultana's Dream

Any Indian works worth blogging?

Why not?I find some of the Indian books highly intellectual,(I admire them deeply because of their reforming nature)but here you will not find any stereotype books or novels written by Indians or about India.

Inner voice:Ah..we know that..you just love controversies..dont you?

well..yes..Truth is always bitter..better swallow it..lol:)Now..how about a Indian science fiction,written in 1905..?

Before I proceed,I suggest you to browse more on all these posts,once u read it here,rather than ducking it as such.
Because when you browse more you get many versions of the same story and chances of Enlightenment are high,on getting multiple versions.

Sultana's dream was a short story written by Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hussain,daughter of a highly educated Landlord(zamindar) and wife of a Deputy Magistrate Khan Bahadur Sakhawat Hussain(in British India).She was a writer,a feminist as well as a social reformer.

                                    
Her work was a science fiction as told earlier,actually it was a feminist science fiction.
duh..Science fiction in 1905?Before going any further i would like to make some points about this (one of the) treasure(s) of Bengali literature...

Even though Begum Rokeya was brought up in a orthodox and intensely conservative environment,her father permitted only religious education in Persian,Arabic and Urdu,She managed to learn English as well as Bengali  along with her sister from her Elder brother(Her Sister turn out to be a poet in Bengali..kudos to her brother).

She got married to Sakhawat Hussain at the age of 16.Her husband was taken aback when she made him read her literary work Sultana's Dream.He couldnot resist it,read it in a full stretch and commented it as "a terrible revenge".
But he persuaded her to send it to a Madras based magazine.

What is so special about it..?Here you go..

1.She backed role reversing principle(Not the one you see in Hollywood movies like hero and heroine's soul interchanged).She argues that why women are meant for Household work and men for social work.

2.In this story,she imagines a country,where women are the bread winners and men do the kitchen work.The country will be ruled by a Queen and no men can be seen in the streets as they are kept locked inside.Women are highly educated,they have got two competing universities,mastering science and research,inventing hydrogen based Air craft for locomotion(to avoid accidents on roads) and Electricity from solar energy(even for their kitchen).

3.The country will have an amazing ambiance,full of gardens and perfectly planned infrastructure,designed by women of city council.

4.They will not have any police force or courts,since men are kept inside,crime rate is zero there.

5.She uses humor,irony and satire,through out the story,to explain how women got such status.It has also got a sound economy,since women are more productive then men(but how..?She says men wastes most of their work time by smoking,discussing etc).Women there,finishes their work by 2 to 3 hrs a day and dedicate time to their family..(Amazing;))

6.Finally,They also make a statement that,they dont make trade with a country,which enslaves women.
(Really a terrible revenge..)

I know what you will feel now..Women-longing for such country and men-making their blood boil..?

Now the consequences she faced..

1.She was excommunicated from her religion.

2.The bitterness went to an extent that,religious clerics denied to bury her corpse in their common burial ground.

3.What next,Her school was shut down by her step-daughter's husband claiming inheritance,later she re-opened it.(It is to be noted that,the school was started in 1911 with 5 students and recently they celebrated 100th year now with 1300 students and 60 faculty)

Feel like reading Sultana's Dream..?
http://www.horrormasters.com/Text/a1128.pdf

Begum Rokeya inspired and changed the lives of thousands of women in the Bengal presidency of the British Regime in India and even after ten decades her works are praised.

Bengali authors like Taslima Nasreen(Currently Bangladeshi),Radheshyam Brahmachari and so many claim to be inspired by her..

“Sometimes, struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we were to go through our life without any obstacles, we would be crippled. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. Give every opportunity a chance, leave no room for regrets.”


Long live Begum Rokeya in our hearts....


By the way..Next blog would be on travelling...
Im gearing up for a trip...