To build an egalitarian world, there must exist a progressive and healthy thinking society. However, India lags far behind in the race in becoming a progressive state all because of the hindrances provided by perpetual customs and taboos present in the society. These taboos and customs are more associated with women. Whatever they do, the women are always stigmatised for their actions. Whether it’s widow remarriage or working late in the office, they always have to face the scourge of criticism.
In this context, I would like to draw attention to a recent controversy when Malayalam magazine ‘Grihalakshmi’ took a bold stand by featuring a model breastfeeding a baby on its cover. The cover sparked a nationwide debate and led to some illogical criticisms.
Where Does The Sanity Lie?
The epicentre of the controversy is the sexuality associated with the feminine body. Some think it is an inappropriate way of campaigning breastfeeding. However, our society has failed to understand that in this 21st century, we have misinterpreted our culture.
If we dip into our past, the same boldness can be seen depicted on the walls of Khajuraho and Markandeshwar temples. So, it is obvious that some serious anomaly has occurred in our culture in its journey from ancient to the modern times.
The Way Ahead
All guns of the society in the virtual world blazed off talking about women empowerment, respecting women on the eve of International Women’s Day. However, we must remember that delivering and implementing the same is a different story. Let us not be the empty vessels, rather let us work together in our own possible way to eliminate these social dogmas and focus on more important issues like declining sex ratio, gender sensitisation. A progressive society will help in building a progressive state.