More Reflections from Puducherry on International Women's Day!

Recently on the flight from Bangalore to Chennai the movement of men was most notable. It was truly a business flight. Security has a que for Gents" and a que for "Ladies". Since they "wand" everyone this is most efficient. (Security has been intensified since the bombings in Mumbai. Our car was often checked when entering a hotel.) So the Security line moved quickly for me since I was one of the few women. But true testimony to the nature of this flight was the que at the men's room at baggage claim in Chennai. It was the first time in my life that I saw no line for the "ladies" room and a long line of men having to wait their turn. Sometimes there is justice in the world!

But of even greater significance to me on board Jet Airways was the March copy of Jet Wings. The lead article was "Celebrating Womanhood". In commemoration to International Women's Day the author interviewed several prominent women about the status of women in India and personal struggles. Shabana Azmi, Actor/Activist/Member of Parliament states "India lives in several centuries simultaneously and captures all the contradictions of a multi-cultural , multi-religious, multi-class society. So it is with the position of women." Dr. Mallika Sarabhai, Danseuse/ Thespian/ Writer states, "In some senses gender inequalities are coming down. In others, however, just as the gap between the rich and the poor is increasingly widening thanks to globalisation, the one between women in general is also increasing. Today we have a mixed bag of advantages and disadvantages. Many parts of the world are becoming more patriarchal and violent in the name of religion, and more and more women are being brutalised. If you are in an educated and progressive family today, the choices are sky-high. If not, you bear the double burden of being a working woman from a family which expects you to do all the traditionally prescribed jobs. That can be crippling and totally non-liberating."

Mahatma Gandhi stated, "If by strength is meant moral power, then woman is immeasurably man's superior...If non-violence is the law of our being, the future is with women..."

South Indian women have traditionally had a greater degree of freedom than their northern sisters. Kerala has been famous for its matrilineal kinship and matriarchy was a long standing tradition in Tamil Nadu. Dowry deaths and female infanticide were virtually unknown in South India until recently. In all of India according to reports, every six hours a married woman is beaten or burnt to death or emotionally harassed to the point of suicide. In October of 2006, the Indian Parliament, due to an active campaign for women's civil rights, passed a bill that gives women who are suffering domestic violence increased protection. However, again this is advantage of class. In low income families, girls can be regarded as a liability. But even for the middle class urban woman if she fails to fit in with the in-laws or produce a grandson the consequences can be dire, including bride burning. It may take the form of dousing fuel or scalding with boiling water that causes disfigurement or death. It is claimed that for every reported case of bride burning around 250 go unreported, and that less than 10% of the reported cases are pursued through the legal system.

The message is that though there have been gains made we have a long way to go. And acknowledging women on IWD remains of extreme importance.