Why still no "acche din" for Indian women?

Recently, I read a report by a two member all female team about the lawlessness that pervades the state of Uttar Pradesh. On 27th May 2014, two Dalit women were shamefully hung from the tree in the Katra Siadatganj of Badaun District of Uttar Pradesh. This was one high profile event which caused the whole of India to put their head in absolute shame. Not six months ago, the Nirbhaya rape case had put India on the world map for gender discrimination and possibly, violence against women. This was followed by the much maligned UN report in 2014 to show our place to the world in what we lack - a safe place for our women.

Its a commendable job by the two authors - Shefali Mishra and Hema Badhwar Mehra who took up the onus on themselves on what dwells in these lawlessness. And what they found, should not come as  surprise. From gender bias, apathy of police, lack of concern from society, dowry demands, exploitation in the name of caste, sodomy, rape and deep sense of fear - the report delves on the deeper malice within a society which venerates Indian women as goddess in one hand and so shamefully, rapes her on the other. A case of Jekyll and Hyde. Not only is the patriarchal attitude of the society but of the state is my  cause of concern. Our politicians have been allotting more money to grandiose statues than to safety & security of women. Often, even that is not utilized.The report also elegantly points out to the solutions. There are multitude of them, mostly, reactive. However, the most pro-active is to sensitize the little children of this bias. To teach them that all are equal. Not to infect them with what has already been infected. 

On a personal note, I have been studying this topic for a decade now. However, modern we say we are, we still lack equality. Gender bias is also very subtle in cities. Careers, children and relations are the continuous juggle that modern women do everyday,almost, subconsciously. Often, in this triangle, a women can choose only two. Most often, she sacrifices her career for the good of her children and relations. Too many brilliant women end up having an evanescent identity- somebody's wife or mother or worst, none. I have always loved the way the women in my life define and describe their relations. The older the women gets, the better the definition and the description. The influences of my grandmother(she was illiterate women but did she have a view) have been on me.

Despite all of this, Indian women have excelled within the narrow domains that the society binds them into. Many of them are heads of states, olympic champions, business leaders and have successful careers in medicine and technology. There is a need of the hour for the men to step up. To answer them in a language which has been so missing in Indian males. To listen to them of their issues and to care for them. To dress them and not watch them undress. To think of their bodies for a dance and not for objectification . To all of us conscious, the revolution of Indian women is on the anvil. With better education and opportunity, they are bound to excel. And we have then the ideas that we have been so missing. At the end of this, I am seriously thankful. I wrote all of this. #saveourwomenINDIA

P.S: The link for the report is:
 http://www.aamaadmiparty.org/sites/default/files/Report%20on%20crimes%20against%20women%20in%20UP.pdf

Making sense of "Digital"

There has probable never been such a dramatic change in lifestyle between two generations. Smartphones,those tiny smart devices,must be the inception of this new era which we called "Digital",  clearly separating me from the generation earlier. What is Digital? There are throngs of new definitions for this new witchcraft. The closest possible which I could relate it was "Digital is not technology, its a lifestyle". So true!

 With the advent of smartphones, these tiny devices singularly became the status symbol in a society so graded in its inequality. As the attachments with these devices dived deeper, so did our identification with these devices and the multitude of apps these devices provide. As the devices changed, so did our need to acquire them and control our identity viz a viz these harbingers of change. But, this is all technology for sure. A naive question can be asked: How did it change me? I think I call it customization. As these tiny devices could be customized with features of our choice, we progressively in turn made no stone unturned to accommodate all of the space. And this was not a matter of fact an individual only who changed. The need was felt by organizations, business leaders , political leaders and governments to deal with this blank canvas and create their own niche spaces(Sometimes false!). And, slowly, we are now more and more unreal. Smartphones, tabs, goggles,watches , wristbands etc are now sending us all the data that encapsulates us in the digital word providing us an identity which we would have probably scoffed off as false a few years ago. The communication I entertain through these devices is now under instrumentation and carefully interrogated to ascertain my views and sentiments.

Its difficult to predict a future for this. Health services and research can be shared using this great platform and at the same time a human being can be monitored and his privacy intruded with the same. Will our nature change when we find out that its possible to know about our intimate  secrets or the privacy of those we love is violated through hacking or false distribution. Would this be criminal and a person who violates the law be called a criminal? An individual with a customized data representing him cannot be real in my opinion. There are many interesting questions that must be thought of. As of now, lets just enjoy the ride.