Plight of "The Fairer Sex"..!!!

It was a hectic day in my office here in Chennai, courtesy the utopian tasks entrusted on me by my company guide. To do away with my loneliness, which knows me by name, I happened to call one of my juniors from my college in Bangalore. The conversation began in a light hearted mode and gradually got engrossed into complex mythological discussions. To my surprise, I discovered an ardent and a flourishing hue of religious extremism in him. I was deeply shocked and surprised when he said that his sister is a fervid liability for him and he wants her to be married off as soon as possible. He just wants her sister to walk down the aisle despite of her willingness to study further. He is worried about the huge investment in her wedding considering he hails from the “Great Bihar”.

I can well understand a senior citizen or the seemingly old orthodox fraternity to talk in such lines but this sort of a statement delivered by someone who is hardly out of his teens speaks volumes of the sad state of affairs in our country. He further expressed his hatred and his astute unwillingness to mingle with the so called lower castes (Neech Jaati). He cited an instance in his childhood where he happened to devour something offered to him by someone of a lower caste unknowingly and later puking it out after solemn realization. What can we infer from this scenario? Are we still in the uncivilized era? I feel our scriptures have to answer that. He justified his foolish and illogical stand for women and the lower caste citing instances or direct verses in our scriptures which project women as a butt of ridicule created to satisfy and serve their male counterpart. I was deeply agonized and startled after probing his viewpoint. He was certainly true and our so called scriptures posed a striking revelation, something which I have never ever imagined in my wildest dream.

When I started having a look at what our Holy Books have to say, I thanked my parents and the Almighty that I didn’t study them in my journey from a toddler to a youth, who knows even my thoughts would have been polluted. I also wish to present the devastating effects of the caste system on the educational, social, and economical status of Dalit women in modern India. My aim is to highlight the harsh reality of the suppression, struggle and torture Dalit women face every day of their miserable lives. The hardships of Dalit women are not simply due to their poverty, economical status, or lack of education, but are a direct result of the severe exploitation and suppression by the upper classes, which is legitimized by Hindu religious scriptures. Following are certain verses which I want to share with you so that you can also be aware of the extreme sad state of affairs and the plight of ancient Indian women:

Ø A man, aged thirty years, shall marry a maiden of twelve who pleases him. Or a man of twenty-four a girl of eight years of age. If (the performance of) his duties would otherwise be impeded, he must marry sooner. (Manusmitri IX.94)

Ø By a girl, by a young woman, or even by an aged one, nothing must be done independently, even in her own house.” (Manusmriti V.147). Her father protects (her) in childhood, her husband protects (her) in youth, and her sons protect (her) in old age; a woman is never fit for independence. (Manusmriti IX.3)

Ø Women have no right to study the Vedas. They have no right to know the Vedas. The uttering of the Veda Mantras is useful for removing sin. As women cannot utter the Veda Mantras, they are as unclean as the untruth. (Manusmriti IX.18)

Ø A Brahman, Kshatriya, or Vaishya Man can sexually exploit any Shudra woman. (Manusmitri IX.25)

Ø They (women) make a lie appear as truth, and a truth appear as a lie. The Mahabharata Anusasana Parva, Section XXXIX

Ø A damsel, whose menses begin to appear (while she is living) at her father's house, before she has been betrothed to a man, has to be considered as a degraded woman: by taking her (without the consent of her kinsmen) a man commits no wrong. Vishnusmriti 24.41

Ø Lakshmana (addressing Sita) said: It is the nature of women all over the world to be vicious, fickle, and sharp-tongued and to sow seeds of dissension. Valmiki Ramayana Aranya Kanda, 45.29

Ø A woman who has been unchaste should worship Siva in his calm aspect, Siva who is Kama. Then she should summon a Brahmin and give herself to him, thinking ‘this is Kama who has come for the sake of sexual pleasure.' And whatever the Brahmin wishes, the sensuous woman should do. For thirteen months she should honour in this way any Brahmin who comes to the house for the sake of sexual pleasures, and there is no immorality in this for noble ladies or prostitutes. Matsya Purana 70.40-60 (cf. Mahabharata III, 2.23)

Ø It is the nature of women to seduce men in this (world); for that reason the wise are never unguarded in (the company of) females. For women are able to lead astray in (this) world not only a fool, but even a learned man, and (to make) him a slave of desire and anger. One should not sit in a lonely place with one's mother, sister, or daughter; for the senses are powerful, and master even a learned man. Manusmriti 2.213-215 ( Can you believe this)

There is also a mention of something derogatory to women in the holy ‘Ramcharitamanas’ which is not worth a mention here. So can it be ever imagined that the scriptures of the oldest religion of this earth will propose something as awful as this. I am not only grieved but even ashamed of having such instances inscribed in our scriptures. I feel these scriptures have been manipulated by a certain class of the society only to rule the common people which encompass a major portion of the society. This self proclaimed superior class has designed the plight of millions only to empower themselves. For me God is somebody who resides everywhere in every human being. He is the source of internal strength and he is too glorified and mighty to be confined to a particular religion. He is the Almighty who do not discriminate the human folk on the basis of caste and gender. If He proposes such then He aint God.

All I want to tell is that a major part of the country is trapped by the Superior Minority Brahminical Hegemony which feeds us with all those mythological trash and divides us and rules us. I am not against Brahmins as a caste or community. As I refer the divided subcontinent and never trace the history from any cut off year, I insist upon that the Brahminical Zionist white supremacy is rather a phenomenon correlated to Manusmriti and Zionist Hindu Imperialism post modern Manusmriti.

The cast system divided the society and ensured the Brahminical hegemony in such a refined manner with surgical precision that any resistance whatsoever is immuned immediately. We may see it in entire North East, in Kashmir, in Uttaranchal and all over the tribal parts of the subcontinent as the nationalities are enslaved in a colonial set up of exploitation. All political parties, Left as well as right, are engaged in the persecution of the underprivileged and marginalized people. So all the anti people Acts are enacted and the Parliamentary soap opera is reduced into a Ramp show exposing lot of skin!

I believe until and unless we break the false Myths and come to address the historical reality we may not change the society. Since the society is not going to change in near future we have to ensure equal opportunities for the enslaved outcaste communities as well as the superior gender and the fairer sex, WOMEN. This Nation is bearing Brahminical hegemony for thousands and thousands years. Why the Nation is not ready to accommodate the weakest and deprived and persecuted majority population? That’s because the enslaved people themselves fail to distinguish between myth and reality.

Its high time we ponder over these and dont let this venom pass to the next generation...!!!

Always urs...
Dev DC