Hiya!! Thousand Apologies for this extreme delay!!
Well I was waiting for some articles. I was hopeful that some of you will write in and zip zap zoom me out!! But but but...well it did happen! We have two new writers today. Meet Maria Shaikh from 94-95 batch. The other person is my dear old friend Sameer Chandra from 89-90 batch.
Maria writes about her observation of rural women. She raises some important questions which most priviledged urban women must ponder over. When I was a little girl in Lucknow I remember 'feminist' was a bad word. Often a funny word. Many a times a word to ridicule certain kind of women. As I grew up and entered journalism I heard many male colleagues still asking the same old question- Why is feminism required? It went on to raise questions like Why not Humanism?:)
Thats a valid question indeed. Who wouldn't want a movement for equality of human beings? But then its shouldn't take a rocket scientist to comprehend that Black movement happened because white were rulers! Dalit movement happened because Dalits were oppressed! and likewise feminism took birth as women all over the word in varying degrees were suppressed and humiliated. Do you think WHITE imperialists and colonialists would have dared to say 'why a black movement, why not humanism?'
Feminism or Feminisms is/are a movement/movements that seeks equality of genders and sexes. Not just equality between woman and man but also aims at being inclusive of the third gender. Why did Feminism need to take birth? Thats because for centuries religion, tradition, state, the concept of nation state, culture, administration has been largely male. All offices of religion and authority were taken over by men. Women were either worshipped as nurturer or were treated as the lesser being. Even in marriage most if not all rituals and conventions subjugated women and made them the second partner.
Tradition and conventions must be challenged, evolved and changed for equality. If it happens from within its ok otherwise Feminisms of local, national and international level will change the same. Along with the women I will talk about the third gender yet again. Where are they in our families? in out mohallas? in our schools? in our hospitals? in our public space?? where have we hidden them? are they not our children? siblings? friends? why have we not given them their due? their access to resources? to education? to health care?
Why isn'y humanity at large perplexed at such hidings? such invisibilities of numerous populations?
This SDA Quotient is dedicated to breaking silences!! In a very small way! In a very gentle way!! But this we see as a begining nevertheless!:)
Towards voice, visibility and vision...
Rukmini
Editor, SQ
Well I was waiting for some articles. I was hopeful that some of you will write in and zip zap zoom me out!! But but but...well it did happen! We have two new writers today. Meet Maria Shaikh from 94-95 batch. The other person is my dear old friend Sameer Chandra from 89-90 batch.
Maria writes about her observation of rural women. She raises some important questions which most priviledged urban women must ponder over. When I was a little girl in Lucknow I remember 'feminist' was a bad word. Often a funny word. Many a times a word to ridicule certain kind of women. As I grew up and entered journalism I heard many male colleagues still asking the same old question- Why is feminism required? It went on to raise questions like Why not Humanism?:)
Thats a valid question indeed. Who wouldn't want a movement for equality of human beings? But then its shouldn't take a rocket scientist to comprehend that Black movement happened because white were rulers! Dalit movement happened because Dalits were oppressed! and likewise feminism took birth as women all over the word in varying degrees were suppressed and humiliated. Do you think WHITE imperialists and colonialists would have dared to say 'why a black movement, why not humanism?'
Feminism or Feminisms is/are a movement/movements that seeks equality of genders and sexes. Not just equality between woman and man but also aims at being inclusive of the third gender. Why did Feminism need to take birth? Thats because for centuries religion, tradition, state, the concept of nation state, culture, administration has been largely male. All offices of religion and authority were taken over by men. Women were either worshipped as nurturer or were treated as the lesser being. Even in marriage most if not all rituals and conventions subjugated women and made them the second partner.
Tradition and conventions must be challenged, evolved and changed for equality. If it happens from within its ok otherwise Feminisms of local, national and international level will change the same. Along with the women I will talk about the third gender yet again. Where are they in our families? in out mohallas? in our schools? in our hospitals? in our public space?? where have we hidden them? are they not our children? siblings? friends? why have we not given them their due? their access to resources? to education? to health care?
Why isn'y humanity at large perplexed at such hidings? such invisibilities of numerous populations?
This SDA Quotient is dedicated to breaking silences!! In a very small way! In a very gentle way!! But this we see as a begining nevertheless!:)
Towards voice, visibility and vision...
Rukmini
Editor, SQ
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