Skip to main content

Why men in India, including ‘celebrities’, are still unable to respect Gurmehar’s audacity and forthrightness

By Fr Cedric Prakash sj*
March 8th dawns every year! As the world observes International Women’s Day (IWD), there will be the usual round of cosmetic programmes, with speaker after speaker using the politically correct words and with the typically patronising attitude towards women.
The sad and cruel reality is that precious little seems to change. In India and in several other parts of the world, most women continue to be condemned to live as second-class citizens in patriarchal and male-dominated societies.
Gurmehar Kaur, a 20-year old peace activist and student of the Delhi University, has over the last few weeks, emerged as an icon. She has courageously and brazenly taken on the fascist forces that are doing their best to destroy the fabric of India. 
The message she wants to convey is simple: she wants peace in the sub-continent. Her father who was in the Indian Army was killed in the Kargil war, when she was just two years old. However, several men in India (including some so-called ‘celebrities’) are still unable to respect Gurmehar’s audacity and forthrightness. 
They have been trolling her, spewing hate and threatening her with violence and rape. In doing so, the men prove a point that they are still unable to accept the Gurmehars of our world!
Gurmehar’s courage, finds resonance with the theme for this year’s IWD Campaign #BeBoldForChange that challenges one for “ground-breaking action that truly drives the greatest change for women. 
Each one of us - with women, men and non-binary people joining forces - can be a leader within our own spheres of influence by taking bold pragmatic action to accelerate gender parity. Through purposeful collaboration, we can help women advance and unleash the limitless potential offered to economies the world over”.
Very significantly, on March 8th, in the US and across the globe, women (supported by their allies) will find common cause and will act together for equity, justice and human rights of women and all gender-oppressed people through a one-day demonstration of economic solidarity. 
The plan is to remove themselves from the economy to protest societal barriers that keep all women from achieving true equality. Though two events are being held—A Day Without a Woman(#DayWithoutAWoman), organized by the ‘Women's March’, and the International Women's Strike(#IStrikeFor), a grassroots endeavour founded by a team of activists, feminists, and scholars—organizers are working together in solidarity to create a united message that represents women from all walks of life. 
They want to combat decades-long socioeconomic inequality by calling for marginalized communities—working women, women of colour, Native women, immigrant women, Muslim and other minority women, disabled women, and lesbian, queer, and trans women—to come together and make their voices heard.
The ‘Women’s Strike’ is intended to become the most impacting global movement. This is not an impossibility given the fact that women organised the ‘Women’s March’ on January 21st, which brought out millions of women not only in Washington, but across the United States and in several Capitals across the globe – to protest against the anti-women rhetoric of the newly- elected US President. 
On March 8ththis year, all (particularly those women who cannot go on ‘strike’ for obvious reasons!) are encouraged to wear red, which is the colour of love, revolution energy and sacrifice- as a sign of solidarity.
Since 2013, February 14th also has a newer meaning with the ‘One Billion Campaign’, which has been fighting against the sexual and physical violence against women... This year, the One Billion Rising Revolution gave sharper focus and visibility to the exploitation of women and has tried to harness even stronger global solidarity to demand an end to violence in all forms. 
‘Rise! Disrupt! Connect!’ are the catchwords today for this significant campaign. The ‘Nirbhaya’ reality in India was not a once-and-for-all. It is a painful reality to which the average Indian woman is subjected to – in the private precincts of one’s home, at the work place and even in open, public places. Women, in general, continue to be demeaned and even dehumanised.
A few days ago in New Delhi at a programme REMEMBERANCE – highlighting the fifteenth anniversary of the Gujarat Carnage there were several extraordinary women present. There was Zakia Jafri and Nishrin Jafri, the wife and the daughter of Eshan Jafri who was brutally murdered during that carnage. 
Teesta Setalvad, Shabnam Hashmi and others who have relentlessly championed the cause of the victim-survivors. Painful memories were shared. No one will easily forget the horrors and the brutalities, which several hundreds of women had to face during those terrible days of Gujarat 2002.
India has several other outstanding women today in every possible field. Fresh in our memory are the eight “rocket women’ of India, who recently were responsible for the launching of 104 satellites in one go. A historic scientific feat indeed; and as if on cue, it is the male politicians of India who want to take credit for the work of these women. 
All of us can easily find and cite several other examples of selfless and courageous women, including our own mothers and sisters, who have helped make our country and our world a better place.
Another stellar example is Savitribai Phule, widely regarded as the country’s first woman teacher. On March 10th, we observe her 120th death anniversary .She is credited with laying the foundation of education opportunities for women in India and played a major role in the struggle for women's rights in the country during the British rule. She was a poet too; her poems were against discrimination and of the need for education. 
For most of her life, she campaigned vigorously against untouchability, the tradition of sati, child marriage and other social evils, which affect women. In one of her poems she writes, “end misery of the oppressed and forsaken…break the chains of caste.”
From Savitribai to Gurmehar , there has certainly been plenty of change.Sadly, the plain truth remains- that it is not easy for women today- in India and elsewhere. Men have first to change their mind-sets and their behaviour towards women: to treat them as equals, to give them the dignity they need. This is certainly a tall order; however, the bugle to be bold for change has been sounded: “WOMEN STRIKE!”
---
*Indian human rights activist, currently based in Lebanon, engaged with the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in the Middle East on advocacy and communications

Comments

TRENDING

Adani coalmine delayed? Australian senate fails to pass crucial "reform" amendment for project's financial closure

Adanis' Mundra power plant, controversial in Australia By  A  Representative In what is being described as a new “new hurdle”, the proposed Adani coalmine in the Queensland state of in Australia failed to get the crucial Australian Parliamentary nod, essential for financial closure for one of the biggest coalmining projects in the world. The government lost the Senate vote 35-33, meaning the legislation won't pass until the Senate returns in mid-June.

Aurangzeb’s last will recorded by his Maulvi: Allah shouldn't make anyone emperor

By Mohan Guruswamy  Aurangzeb’s grave is a simple slab open to the sky lying along the roadside at Khuldabad near Aurangabad. I once stopped by to marvel at the tomb of an Emperor of India whose empire was as large as Ashoka the Great's. It was only post 1857 when Victoria's domain exceeded this. The epitaph reads: "Az tila o nuqreh gar saazand gumbad aghniyaa! Bar mazaar e ghareebaan gumbad e gardun bas ast." (The rich may well construct domes of gold and silver on their graves. For the poor folks like me, the sky is enough to shelter my grave) The modest tomb of Aurangzeb is perhaps the least recognised legacies of the Mughal Emperor who ruled the land for fifty eventful years. He was not a builder having expended his long tenure in war and conquest. Towards the end of his reign and life, he realised the futility of it all. He wrote: "Allah should not make anyone an emperor. The most unfortunate person is he who becomes one." Aurangzeb’s last will was re...

Beyond his riding skill, Karl Umrigar was admired for his radiance, sportsmanship, and affability

By Harsh Thakor*  Karl Umrigar's name remains etched in the annals of Indian horse racing, a testament to a talent tragically cut short. An accident on the racetrack at the tender age of nineteen robbed India of a rider on the cusp of greatness. Had he survived, there's little doubt he would have ascended to international stature, possibly becoming the greatest Indian jockey ever. Even 46 years after his death, his name shines brightly, reminiscent of an inextinguishable star. His cousin, Pesi Shroff, himself blossomed into one of the most celebrated jockeys in Indian horse racing.

Haven't done a good deed, inner soul is cursing me as sinner: Aurangzeb's last 'will'

Counterview Desk The Tomb of Aurangzeb, the last of the strong Mughal emperors, located in Khuldabad, Aurangabad district, Maharashtra, has this epitaph inscribed on it: "Az tila o nuqreh gar saazand gumbad aghniyaa! Bar mazaar e maa ghareebaan gumbad e gardun bas ast" (the rich may well construct domes of gold and silver on their graves. For the poor folks like me, the sky is enough to shelter my grave).

Trust, we (from People to PM and President) did not take a Holy Dip in some Holy Shit!

By Dr Mansee Bal Bhargava  I could see two deeply interlinked aspects between human and water in #MahaKumbh2025. Firstly, the HOPE that a ‘holy dip’ in the River Ganga (colloquially referred as dubki and spiritually as ‘Snan’) will cleanse oneself (especially the sins); and secondly, the TRUST that the water is pure to perform the cleansing alias living the hope. Well, I consider hope to be self-dependent while, trust is a multi-party dependent situation. The focus here is on the trust and I shall write later on hope.

Hyderabad seminar rekindles memories of the spark lit 50 years ago by students

By Harsh Thakor*  History is something we constantly remember and reflect upon, but certain moments and events bring it back to our memory in a special way. For the Telugu people, and Telangana in particular, the memorial seminar held on February 20–21 was a significant occasion to recall the glorious events, transformations, leaders, and heroes of past struggles. Thousands of students rewrote the history of people's movements in Andhra Pradesh, carrying revolutionary zeal and the spirit of self-sacrifice to levels comparable to the Russian and Chinese Revolutions.

Vadodara citizens urge authorities to adhere to environmental mandates in Vishwamitri River Rejuvenation Project

By A Representative   A coalition of environmental activists, ecologists, and urban planners in Vadodara has issued an urgent appeal to state and municipal authorities, demanding strict compliance with court-mandated guidelines for the upcoming Vishwamitri River rejuvenation project. Scheduled to commence in March 2025, the initiative aims to mitigate flooding and restore the river, but citizens warn that current plans risk violating National Green Tribunal (NGT) orders and jeopardizing the river’s fragile ecosystem, home to endangered species like crocodiles and Indian Softshell Turtles.  

Buddhist communities in Michigan protest for Mahabodhi Temple’s return to Buddhist control

By A Representative   Buddhist communities in Michigan have staged protests demanding the return of the Mahabodhi Vihara in Gaya, Bihar, India, to full Buddhist control. The Mahabodhi Temple, regarded as the holiest pilgrimage site in Buddhism, is currently managed under the Bodhgaya Temple Act of 1949, which grants a majority of control to non-Buddhists.

How the slogan Jai Bhim gained momentum as movement of popularity and revolution

By Dr Kapilendra Das*  India is an incomprehensible plural country loaded with diversities of religions, castes, cultures, languages, dialects, tribes, societies, costumes, etc. The Indians have good manners/etiquette (decent social conduct, gesture, courtesy, politeness) that build healthy relationships and take them ahead to life. In many parts of India, in many situations, and on formal occasions, it is common for people of India to express and exchange respect, greetings, and salutation for which we people usually use words and phrases like- Namaskar, Namaste, Pranam, Ram Ram, Jai Ram ji, Jai Sriram, Good morning, shubha sakal, Radhe Radhe, Jai Bajarangabali, Jai Gopal, Jai Jai, Supravat, Good night, Shuvaratri, Jai Bhole, Salaam walekam, Walekam salaam, Radhaswami, Namo Buddhaya, Jai Bhim, Hello, and so on. A soft attitude always creates strong relationships. A relationship should not depend only on spoken words. They should rely on understanding the unspoken feeling too. So w...

A Communist leader, an advocate for unity, against opportunism and sectarianism

By Harsh Thakor*  Dhurva Narayan, a prominent leader from Bihar and a Central Committee member of the former PCC, CPI (ML) as well as the newly merged CPI (ML)-MassLine, passed away on February 12, 2025. He was an influential figure in the Indian Communist revolutionary movement for over five decades, known for his role in opposing Hindutva politics and globalization. Narayan was committed to fostering unity within Communist ranks and advocating against opportunism and sectarianism.