The high rise buildings, modern skyscrapers, and tons of unexecuted fancy laws
aren’t the emblem of development for me if I still feel scared of taking a walk at
night or the thought of unleashing my potential to the fullest haunts me.
Growing up, I didn’t always understand the rules that my parents insisted on me.
It didn’t really make sense to me why people of my gender had to sit, speak,
behave, act and stand in a ‘certain way’. Now that I have grown up, I understand
and comprehend very well why my parents did all of that- so that their daughter
fits into the customs of what I call a toxic society, so that their daughter doesn’t
become the agenda of the gossip in the town. While several improvements in
propagating women-led development have been made, I still see the proverbial
glass to be half empty.
Dear, see the world through my eyes and you will know the pain.
We are taught to live with the patriarchy before knowing how patriarchy lives.
Since our birth, the only value-added goal of our lives, marriage is defined and
we raise our daughters to fit into a box for a person they have not even seen or
met. We are trained to align ourselves with the stereotypical images of a ‘woman’
that relate with obedience, compliance and ultimately, oppression. Why is
professing feminism and amplifying the voice of the oppressed just a matter of
seeking votes, or uplifting our social portfolios? Why is it that it’s the 21st
century and the newspaper headlines orient themselves on the axis of assaults
on women? Why is it the decade for fulfilling the UN SDGs and we have still not
figured out ways to give equal treatment to the population irrespective of
everybody’s gender, caste and religion?
Dear, see the world through my eyes and you will know the agony.
Development is a multifaceted concept that goes beyond economic indicators
and infrastructure because establishing a thriving society is about empowering
the oppressed population. Stop fitting women into a box, rather equip them with
wings of courage so that they can rise and shine. To all the people who do not
relate with the notions of feminism, it is a tool to empower, not overpower
women. I say it out loud that I am a feminist, and I believe in the power of
women as much as I believe in the power of anyone else. We just want to seek
equal opportunities and respect in the society and until this stage is not reached,
it’s not a struggle for women but a movement for humanity to accomplish.
Dear, see the world through my eyes and you will understand what it feels like.
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