Women of India

8th of March was celebrated worldwide as International Women’s Day. As a woman, I received wishes from friends, colleagues and family, but the day held no special joy for me as a woman. In a country like India where crime against women is on the rise, where politicians and netas make outrageously sexist remarks with impunity, where a certain Prime Ministerial candidate flippantly attributes something as grave as malnutrition in his State to ‘figure-consciousness’ of girls (can you believe that?), where rape victims and their families are asked by the Church to ‘stay away’, where eve-teasers and acid-throwers get away with light sentences, where extremists barge into private parties and beat up and molest girls, where a young girl stepping out of a pub is molested and stripped by a crowd goaded on by a reporter, where thousands of tribal and low caste women are raped with an audacity that is shocking, where Nirbhaya faces an unspeakable ordeal but doesn’t go down without a fight… I don’t think Indian women and men had much to celebrate this Women’s day.

To the educated, liberated women of India, I have only one message. If a change has to be brought about in the Indian society about the role of women, it is up to us to initiate that change. We must not fight only for ourselves, but for all the women of the country, especially those who have no voice. Start by snuffing out gender stereotypes. Scientific evidence shows that children learn gender stereotypes from adults – parents, teachers, leaders, media etc. pass on the gender stereotypes from one generation to the next. The way parents behave in front of children greatly affects the child’s perception of the role of man and woman. Treat your boy and girl the same. Raise a generation of children who feel like equal members of the society irrespective of their gender.

Second, continue to encourage and appreciate women who work for you. In India there are scores of maids who slog and slave in our houses to scrub the floors, wash our clothes and cook our meals. These are hardworking women supporting their families. Be generous with them. Educate them about health insurance, especially those who are working in the unorganized sector. For jobs that are gender-neutral, employ women. Talk to them about their rights, about the help available to them if they are victims of domestic violence or any other type of crime.

On this Women’s day, let us each pledge to do our bit for women and a better society.


"समय चलते मोमबत्तियां, जल कर बुझ जाएँगी ...


श्रद्धा में डाले पुष्प, जल हीन मुर्झा जायेंगे ...

स्वर विरोध के और शांति के अपनी प्रबलता खो देंगे ...

किन्तु 'निर्भयता' की जलाई अग्नि हमारे ह्रदय को प्रज्वलित करेगी ...

जल हीन मुरझाये पुष्पों को हमारी अश्रु धाराएं जीवित रखेंगी ...

दग्ध कंठ से 'दामिनी' की 'अमानत' आत्मा विश्व भर में गूंजेगी ...

स्वर मेरे तुम, दल कुचलकर पीस न पाओगे ...

मै भारत की माँ बहेंनिया बेटी हूँ ,

आदर और सत्कार की मै हक़दार हूँ ...

भारत देश हमारी माता है ,

मेरी छोड़ो, अपनी माता की तो पहचान बनो !!"



~ Amitabh Bachchan