This article has been submitted by Pranjal Rawat for the CLATGyan Blog Post Writing Competition. If you think this article is a good read, ‘Like’ this article on Facebook (the button is at the bottom of this piece) or post a comment using the ‘comments’ section below.
Male and female, seemingly the two sides of the identical coin bearing the virtue of the human race, are the most fundamental ideals that a developing nation must forget differences of. Throughout history, mostly one gender has dominated over the other. Not only physically, but mentally also, due to social pressure and customs. Mankind in its primitive stages of advancement, would inevitably conclude dominance with respect to physical productivity; which in those ages was most applicable as compared to mental resource. Hence, half of our potential labour, capital, organization and human resource was killed before it could be born.
Yet, as we progressed onward slowly, our pacing technological and technical development had to eventually give way to better schools of thought. What religion concluded of the ‘weaker’ sex was ignored and social tendency was controlled to give a large section of our race the ability to finally progress. Custom was thrown out, individualism was established. Women’s contribution to our society grew in leaps and bounds, with leading pioneers in the fields of philanthropy, physiology, engineering, art and social work, coming from the talented pool of female individuals. The only reason why this was able to happen was the fact that we opened our minds to the possibility of stamping aside the differences between men and women. Rational and reasonable thinking, backed by a wide exposure through education alone could make this happen.
Is being different taught?
Yet, even though India claims its liberal policy gives women equal opportunity in life, is a shallow statement with well selected exceptions for facts. Women do not yet have equal livelihood chances, and it would a fallacy to admit otherwise. Schools may display equal or even favourable proportions of its strengths towards girls, but it does not erase the fact that discrimination is provided in the minds of the sufferers. When wrong ideals and misconceptions are implanted in young minds, where is the scope for complete, absolute or relative equality and opportunity for any gender. If girls are told to stay away from boys, right from birth to the day of marriage (when it is taboo to do otherwise) how can one not expect mental sieving of society. If school girls are seated in separate buses and separate study groups, how can you expect to provide for a belief of unity and unbiased nature of idealism. Schools in India claim, to be progressing at similar rates at which its students do but the real fact is that idealistically and mentally, immaturity prevails in the most profound of institutions. Family is another addition to the massive scale of influence, on the ‘weaker’ sex. Little Indian girls are taught sewing, decorating and are expected to learn cooking or a little bit of painting. They are often scolded at the slight mention of mingling with boys at the football field. Boys, in turn are never treated less than brats and rapists at every level of their sorry lives. The whole concept of a boy in India would generally give an elder a picture of a cheap vagabond.
The excuse of shielding children from the harms of sexual changes is a pitiful one. To protect a flower you do not tuck it away in a dark box under your bed, expecting safety and security. Children have to learn, children have to grow whilst playing at thier own strengths. Guidance is better than segregation into two sections of the whole human race. For all India’s cultural and industrial growth, it cannot answer the simple question:
What isn’t the difference between a boy and a girl?
