Woes of an Indian Woman

With women being raped, molested, burnt and ill-treated by our patriarchal society across India, last week the country immersed itself in the celebration of being a woman. The concept of Durga Puja is of women empowerment. The center of attraction is the deity Durga, the all-powerful shakti. She is the warrior Goddess, and the whole male world bows down to her, grinding down the ego to the ground.

According to the legends the idol is made out of the purest clay which is mixed with mud sourced from a brothel for it is believed that no section of the society should be left out from being a part of the festivities.
Even though the festival has much deeper meaning and value, the society has not changed towards women, let alone sex workers. In Indian culture, a woman is branded as an unequal entity, who struggles for individuality in this oppressive patriarchal society wherein she exists as a mute spectator of the violence she faces on a daily basis.

"Only Gods are allowed to be independent and ferocious here. We are not them, we worship them. Aurat (woman) is supposed to be in her hadh (limits). Education is for men as we earn the bread. She is supposed to give birth and not be under the influences of Amreeka. All these short clothing leads to rape," said Mr. Shyamnath, who hails from Khanpur, attended the CR park Durga Puja.

When it comes to religion, its essence lies in the piousness and purity of the woman who is worshipped as a 'Devi' in temples. On the flipside, when a woman sells her body for money, she is looked down upon and is considered a societal disgrace. This model of 'respect' is where the beams of hypocrisy lies in Indian society.

The society still needs to mature. Fear drives the Indian society and probably a large part of the world today. Fear of death, fear of getting defamed, of losing what they possess and eventually the fear of living 'unleashed.'

Yet there is a ray of hope. The Indian society is changing rapidly. Women are waking up to the existence of their rights and embracing people with parallel thoughts with open arms. 'New India' is no longer a blind follower of beliefs which are taken upon merely on someone's word. It is important that this wave of enlightenment reaches the deeper sections of the society and shakes up the archaic values that still persist.

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