Do we still need to identify women in relation to a man? Can she only be defined as someone’s daughter or sister or wife or mother? Why do women who are immensely successful in their professional lives still referred to as mere relatives of men? Can we not give them social acceptance and embrace their individuality?
New Delhi: Our country has seen a galaxy of women scholars like Sita, Maitreyi, Gargi, Amrapali, Sant Soyrabai, Bharti, Lopamudra who have led the quest for truth and equality, they have transcended from realism to deeper metaphysical understanding of the world and laid the foundation for Indian feminism. We call our nation as “Motherland “, it delineates our rich Indian knowledge and cultural values.
Can one say it’s the degradation of Indian feminist ethos, when one patronises the highest constitutional post of a nation when it is occupied by a Women. There has been a lot of hullabaloo since Her Excellency Murme jee was nominated, is it because she is a Tribal Women. She was accused of being a rubber stamp president even before she took the oath. Just when we thought that our country has been maturing and marching towards inclusivity and have had enough of men slyly demeaning women under the garb of crass sexist jokes and comments, the day saw another incident that offended, enraged, and shook numerous women like me.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, a serving member of Lok Sabha and a minister of the Congress Party from Berhampore of Bengal, made a fleeting comment that he thought would go unnoticed by the lot. In a conversation about the Honourable President Droupadi Murmu, he addressed her in a way which is highly demeaning to not only the Honourable President but to all women across the country. Later dismissing it as nothing serious and claiming it to be a “slip of the tongue”, he asserted that it was a mere mistake. There has been an uproar in the parliament ever since over an official apology from the minister and the Party Head, Ms Sonia Gandhi. To explain better, the nuances of the ideology and biases behind this incident, let us consider the name Draupadi. One of the fiercest women in the Mahabharata and a staunch feminist, Draupadi is a character that is revered by one and all. And honourable president Murmu jee has stayed true to the name by proving her acumen in the political and the social spheres time and again. Mr Chowdhury, on the other hand, hails from Bengal- the land known for being a high cultured place .What is being passed off as a mistake or just a slip of tongue, runs much deeper than the face value it possesses. Mistakes are often unconscious portrayals of our inner selves- with biases, prejudices, and a lot of orthodoxy. The Patriarchal society is infamous for its chicanery to achieve a stratified society which only benefits the men of the community. Thus, it is not unnatural to see that our beloved Member of Parliament made a comment that is embedded in misogyny. Our “slip of tongues” are often a mirror to our bias against the marginalised, the lesser privileged- which we diplomatically censor to seem an unproblematic being to society at large.
Why is this bias, then, seen among those whom we consider as the elites? Why comments that are rooted in patriarchy are received from the left liberals who are privileged, refined, and diplomatic and all things good? The term ‘Rashtrapatni’ can be roughly translated to “the wife of Rashtrapati’‘. This statement is assassination of her worth and maligning of her character which is highly objectionable and unacceptable. This statement is beyond the lacuna in our diction, one could have referred to her as RashtraMata. Just because she is a tribal woman does that imply, she has no right to dignity, is the question haunting me.
Do we still need to identify women in relation to a man? Can she only be defined as someone’s daughter or sister or wife or mother? Why do women who are immensely successful in their professional lives still referred to as mere relatives of men? Can we not give them social acceptance and embrace their individuality?
In 90s when I was born in Bihar we were not allowed to venture out after sunset because of rampant abductions and other safety issue and today representative of that party are calling her rubber stamp, I wonder how could they question the merit of her nomination when they themselves have crushed the dreams of many young women from my generations where social inhibitions are always at war with the dreams and aspirations, it is safe to say that these barriers only increase with an ascending order of intersectional identities. Her Excellency Murmu Jee, on being elected, has acted as the wick of thousands of candles that were waiting to be lit. Even if we ignore the petty party politics for argument’s sake, this incident reflects how fragile the male ego of these chauvinistic ministers like Mr Chowdhury are threatened as soon as they cannot fortify their dominance in any sphere- and god forbid if a woman takes their place, all hell breaks loose. Is the position of the President of our country reserved by patriarchy? Why are there people who still find it difficult or are simply unable to accept a tribal woman in a position of power?
Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav can only be celebrated if we celebrate the victory of every Dalit and Adivasi woman like we would celebrate that of a man. 75 years of independence can only be spoken of when we believe, not only on pen and paper or to seem unproblematic, but with all our hearts, that women from the margins belong to all and every space or position that had once been occupied by a man. Only then can justice be truly served. The erasure of prejudice from our minds against the people whose narratives have always been invisibilized, will be the one and only apology that Ms Murmu rightly deserves.
(Dr Aditi Narayani Paswan is Assistant Professor, Sociology, Maitreyi College University of Delhi and founder of Dalit Adivasi Professors and Scholars Association )
