Male Foeticide!! Does that sound like Parity?

Isn’t that headline shocking, sounds bizarre and runs down your nerves!! Think differently, out of the box in real and true sense!

Now the actual question emerges... Are we Qualified?

Have we heard the term female foeticide in animals, from where has this concept been seeded in and emerged? Probably the seed lies in ownership... Ownership of a girl child till her life!!

From the day, this tradition of parting away from girls after marriage has emerged; lands into a series of cascading effects. One primarily being, the another house she lands into is mostly a frictional mode of relationships. The girl is always seen as a foreign body amidst the environment, the major shift of a foreign body attracts a lot of insecurities, adjustment of perspectives, thought processes, adaptation etc. the process is so complex that it lasts for years, passing on generations of the baggage of mom-in-laws; or if not, the modern day has a solution called divorce.

Let us begin with the seed thought... Parting way from girls. This is the only PRIMARY reason that couples or families don’t wish for having a girl child, or else they love girls as a part of their own biological setup. The fear of loosing her later, and how will she face challenges of society at work front, whether she will be allowed to work? What will be the environment etc.

A girl is expected to change her name, her cultural values imparted by her own parents, her lifestyle, dressing style, right to speech, everything possible, what for? Just to have a family and bear children in order to grow the society forward, as family is the basic unit of society.

Parting away from girls is the seed of various social problems we have been facing since centuries and generations and still cannot find a solution for the so termed as “weaker sex”. Weaker SEX, isn’t that a JOKE!! Cause she is SILENT ADJUSTING and ACCEPTING means weak?

Let’s just list down only few problems which have strongly surfaced up regarding women..

1. Sati Pratha and Johar: A woman is expected to jump into the funeral pyre of her husband if he dies. This is like a statement.. “even death cannot make us part”. Those women who refused to accept this ritual were pushed into the funeral pyre, If not suicide then let murder rule, permitted under a cultural practice, no punishment, therefore, with just a focal point that a woman must die as she cannot survive without her man. Raja Ram Mohan Roy had to intervene, convince the mindsets, change perceptions under introduce Prevention of Sati Act...by-product of which was the practice of Widow Remarriage registered in the Constitution of India.
2. Plight of Widows: After the death of husband widows are deserted, they are not allowed to lead a normal life, wear normal clothes or celebrate their own existence. Much to an extent that eating normal food too isn’t their right. Ashrams at Vrindavan are home to these widows where they are left by their own family members, by their own sons.. The plight doesn’t end here, their health and exploitation on all respects is another challenge altogether, and this happens in our own Vrindavan where Lord Krishna was born, Krishna who saved Draupadi from being subjugated in the hands of her own family members, her brother in-laws. The problem is so grave that even in 2017, the age of Bullet trains, this matter was taken up by Supreme Court where Justice Madan B Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta formed a committee to suggest ways to encourage widow remarriage. (note: the key issue, Marriage and remarriage!!

3. Dowry : This was and is still a major social issue where the daughters-in-law get engulfed in fire as cause of her parents inability to feed the greed of her in-laws. According to 1996 report by Indian police, every year over 2,500 reports of bride-burning used to be received.  As per Indian National Crime Record Bureau In 2012, 8,233 dowry death cases were reported across India, while in 2013, 8,083 dowry deaths were reported. Please note, these are figures of the new millennium. The so-called “educated era”. This means a dowry-related crime causes death of a woman every 90 minutes, or 1.4 deaths per year per 100,000 women in India. (Source Wikipedia)  These are just the death cases leaving behind physical abuse and various other problems associated with related issues which go unreported. Female Foeticide has emerged from this one major social problem as no one desires to have a girl child, illegal abortions are still majorly prevalent. Foeticide seems to be a convenient solution, let her die earlier than later. 

4. Desertion: women, if found infertile, have been victims of desertion, these problems are found in lower middle class or rural areas. Further increasing the plight...such women are not qualified enough to take charge of themselves financially hence fall prey to exploitation.

  

5. Triple Talaq in Muslims: already this is questioned and still undergoing changes with evolving mindsets in terms of awareness. In March 2017, over 1 million women gathered to file a petition to end this instant form of Talaq.

6. Visa and Immigration laws for women: which keep changing and females stay away from their husbands waiting for years. Several cases have been reported where men keep another wife overseas and they perform these marriages for a social image or dowry. Many women who reach overseas have reported abuse of various kinds where husbands use their wives as a physical and sexual object.

7. Divorce: The global divorce rate has increased up to 251.8 % since 1960. Every year, world organizations such as the UN record global divorce rates. However, India has the lowest Divorce rate which is 1%, 13 marriages out of 1000 end up in marriage dissolution, which go above and beyond the listed social issues. Moreover, these numbers don’t reflect the number of couples who are staying separate by will. Divorce usually happens in urban India where mindsets are open and evolved with acceptance factor, opting for a proper legal solution.

8. Sex Ratio: an alarming factor where the fight is still on!! Statistical reports from Niti Ayog mention 901 females out of 1000 men in 2005 – 07 in between the improvement reached to a figure of 909F/1000M and the latest figures of 2013 – 15 are 900F/1000M. Question remains the same.. Where is our Society heading towards? Are we qualified? Are we evolving? or its time to ponder, question the system and introduce and bring in a social change.. probably an innovative approach which is the need of the hour.

Marriage, as a social bond or commitment (not lifetime) needs to be redefined. Infidelity today is not an offense, Homosexuality is accepted. Section 377 decriminalized, then doesn’t the word marriage seem like a null and void term! A world where men and women after having several relationships enter into a societal bond for namesake.. in order to give a name to the mother and child, the surname probably, and try to fit in the social fabric!!

Isn’t alliance over marriage a better definition and solution?

An alliance where Progeny and procreation occur to multiply human race (key objective of marriage). An alliance, where the offspring is nurtured with their mothers in order to give proper incubation. Modern day examples are Sushmita Sen who has adopted not one but two girls at a very young age, when women fly high on the wings of stardom. Likewise, there are several single mothers who have undergone the above-listed challenges, handling various fronts.

Culture Question!!

If we refer to our scriptures or pictures, be it Sita or Mahalakshmi or Durga.. all personification of Shakti, who at a later stage opted to live alone more in peace and establish their own identity. Do we not worship Goddesses as our Kuldevi? This indirectly reflects that our societies used to be matrilineal.

This kind of solution, that of a Matrilineal society, itself will urge women to study and be self-reliant. Not only this, a simple step will bring an end to all the above social issues. Let the girls stay with their mothers, let society be matrilineal.

A Matrilineal society will automatically induce in an empathetic environment, more of loving the society we will have.. coming to brains, girls since ages have been better performers than men, therefore they have a better ability both as EQ and IQ to create a balanced society. The Mosuo’s of China is a classic example. Happiness quotient is high and social pressures are less form the hypocrites. A matrilineal and a matrilocal society is the safest haven for girls, where they are liberated from the majority of the social issues responsible for the crime against women. A more transparent society and better harmony will be the outcome.

In September 2005 at Texas USA, in a World Congress, case studies were presented on Matriarchal Societies as “Societies of PEACE”, it’s been almost 14 years, are we really promoting these practices? This is the kind of a solution our country needs the most where besides community fights, gender issues take the lead.  

We know the solution, we have it.. but together we have to implement and put it into practice!

Gender Parity will be an automatic outcome of a matrilineal society as families would welcome a girl child!! No need of spending hefty budgets on ‘women empowerment’, as they are already empowered, with better EQ and IQ (to reiterate).

Therefore, prayers at religious places where yajnas are performed to get a male child must be banned. Does this reflect the education of the modern era?

A few days back in Ahmedabad, in continuation of celebrating International Women’s Day,  CII organized a car rally with women participants, spreading a message on saving the environment and “save the girl child” Being a rebellion with different thought process altogether, I scribbled some messages on a piece of paper to awaken the brains of the physically present human race.

For gender Parity, Give birth to more women, how? don’t allow her to part ways with you, Pray for a GIRL CHILD (so that fear of separation at a later stage is lost).

Then only there will be a cultural shift, the evolution of real sense....or else these efforts are waste just like the MW ratio.

Where will the boys come from if women aren’t allowed to come in this world?

Don’t be a MINORITY

Be a Majority

That’s Parity!

Earlier this year in an event at Ahmedabad again at #Shethepoeple when I questioned Devdutt Pattanaik about the place of Shakti or Devi above and ahead of Shiva in major Shakti Temples.. we couldn’t get an answer! (from the genius)

Refer to your scriptures and pictures!! We were and are a Matrilineal Society..

Time to evolve!! Jai Mata Di! Let women rock!!