16th year of the new millennium is about to end and we are still stuck in good old misogynist and sexist era. With a hope that 2017 will bring equal rights and changes for women in the country, here’s a (hopefully) last look at primitive situations Indian women had to face this year.
Kerala High Court rules women cannot wear Salwar-Kameez/Chudidar inside the Padmanabhaswamy temple
The headline says it all! One of the pillars of four estates of the country, the Judiciary shocked us once again when it ruled out this super medieval practice. We doubt if during the medieval times, people would have controlled what one should wear when paying a divine visit. The Kerala HC’s ruling that women should only wear a mundu (dhoti) inside the Padmanabhaswamy temple, makes it hard to believe that it’s 2016! Though this move has sparked protests across the country, the ruling stays!
When our beloved Panchayat banned mobile phones for girls!
What is it with targeting women whenever there seems a trouble for so called ‘provoked’ men in some parts of the country? In February 2016, a Panchayat in an Aligarh village banned mobile phones for girls and you won’t believe what the reason was. They ruled that the girls are getting ‘corrupt’ due to their access to the modern telecom world. It’s a great setback to the current government which is trying to turn the country to a digital one. All the best with that!
Throw your favorite pair of jeans in the trash!
Guess what? St. Xaviers College, Dhobi Talao, Mumbai banned ripped jeans and sleeveless tops for girls this December! Agnelo Menezes, principal of St Xavier’s told the media at the time,”We don’t allow sleeveless and short clothes on campus. Recently, we added ripped jeans to the list.” He added that the move was taken to ensure the environment in the campus doesn’t turn “vulgar”. We have absolutely nothing to say to that!
Triple Talaaq and women!
Muslim women have for decades protested against the ‘barbaric’ Sharia law which doesn’t allow them to divorce their husbands and instead the husbands can divorce them on social media by just saying ‘talaaq’ thrice. As weird as it is to digest, even after the the Supreme court stated that the practice needs to stop and it’s unconstitutional, the Muslim Personal Law Board stated that the state should not interfere with the religious law! More power to women who are fighting against this and let’s hope they get a breather in 2017!
Man can divorce wife if she asks him to leave his parents house!
Yes, women should be prosecuted for leaving our parents house post wedding and staying with the in-laws (sarcasm). While granting divorce to a Karnataka based couple, the Supreme Court, the highest authority of the country, made some serious observations. The court ruled,”A Hindu son can divorce his wife for the cruelty of trying to pry him away from his ‘pious obligation’ to live with his aged parents and provide shelter to them. A son, brought up and given education by his parents, has a moral and legal obligation to take care and maintain the parents, when they become old and when they have either no income or have a meager income.” This has not shocked us at all!
Rape survivor killed herself post wedding with the rapist
Yes, if you’re raped, you should marry your ‘beloved’ rapist, NOT! A 19-year-old rape survivor killed herself when she was forced to marry her rapist in Haryana. The girl was married for seven months and took her life after the physical and mental torture she went through. Guess who got them married instead of prosecuting the rapist? The Panchayat! We still don’t understand how the Panchayat has the authority over law!
2016 – A year of Body Shamers
What is body shaming? It doesn’t need to be yelled out in loud words! A simple comment from a family member or a friend like,”Oh you look fat in this dress, may be you should lose some weight,” is body shaming too. Many women on a daily basis are ridiculed for being on the so called ‘healthier side’. Looking at an overweight woman and saying,”Oh you are so pretty, it would have so cool if you were a few kilos lighter.” This should be declared a crime. No, we don’t say we should promote unhealthy weight or obesity, but let women decide what and how they choose to conduct their body weight. The same goes for skinny and thinner women! Can we stop it already?
Actresses can’t work post wedding
This trend we thought was changing in the recent years as Madhuri Dixit, Aishwarya Rai and many other married stars are back on the silver screen. However, South cinema’s sweetheart Samantha admitted that she has been shown the cold shoulder by many filmmakers post the announcement of her wedding with Naga Chaitanya. We hope the married actresses take a stand and fight against this disgusting shift in opinions about them post marital bliss.
“Actresses are here to show their bodies in itsy-bitsy clothes”
Katthi Sandai’s shamed Director Suraj came up with the most ridiculous, sexist and misogynist comment this year-end. When asked about Tamannaah’s role in the movie, he just said that the actresses are paid in crores to add glamour on the screen by showing off their bodies in their skimpy clothes and not for serious acting. This comment of his obviously faced a backlash as Tamannaah and Nayanthara slammed the director for his comments. He later released an apology, however, the damage is done and it shows the creative world is an active part of the sexist year!
No is a no!
When a woman says no it only means NO! How do some men not understand that point? Many murders and acid attacks were reported across the country this year. The reason? Rejected love proposal and ignoring a crazy stalker. Most written about story this year was the murder of IT professional Swati at the Nungambakkam railway station by an alleged stalker who couldn’t digest that she ignored his proposal. The case was closed after the ‘accused’ Ram Kumar committed suicide in police custody. Now it’s another story that he was still ‘ accused’ and not convicted.