These days are largely subjective; biting perceptions with a hint of melodrama here and there. These days we live with a clause(and claws too). Mostly these are the days when we rely more on tags and labels and bracketing, when squibbing and display is the real deal than the real substance itself.
I am not even talking about the fine luxury Movado flashed in the profile picture of my distantly common to common friend in FB list, exhibited slyly . That’s superficial, right! I am rooting for something deeper than this.
SCENARIO – I
Let me then start with my own first hand actuality. I have mentioned it before in some of my journals that I am a quintessential woman and love every part of being a woman. So do you label me a feminist then?
My life experiences, occurrences, exposure and sensibility has led me to feel certain way about issues sensitive pertaining to gender bias not in general but being endured and witnessed in day to day phase and almost every sphere of life. In other words what I saw, heard or felt as a fellow human being from my real life happenings and cues being picked, made me believe in certain way.
Now let me clear the air before. I don’t endorse any kind of extremism be it in any form. My intention is even beyond that – very clear, very basic. A life is a life; doesn’t matter boy or a girl. It will flourish, let it flourish rather allow it to flourish into it’s absolute possible potential.
More so I believe in humanism which I am sure a term like that exists; the spirit that dwells into humanity. To make it sound coherent, anything that values life on this earth without putting a clause based on caste, creed or race and in this case gender, I respectfully defend that. So I can be a non misandrist and as well care for equality and social justice.
We human beings are dubbed as the supreme creation. Just because I am not exposed to certain debilitating circumstances should not make me raise a brow or turn blind eyes towards a cause or call.
How justified is that? Where is the empathy then?
Does that make me hate a man, of course not. It’s like ‘do you like night or day!’ I see the day because I felt the night. Perhaps nature sets the best example of coexistence and conjunction.
SCENARIO – II
The other day one of the current top best-selling author and television personality posted an intensely thoughtful quote in his social media page and those lines impressed me. What I could interpret with whatsoever knowledge I have, it talked about the intense need for sense of balance in today’s life. But then a series of slander and derogatory words were thrown at his character, forbearing, career choices, and even writing skill on the comment section.
I wonder were they actually foreseeing the calibre of T S Eliot, William Burroughs or may be James Joyce. Believe me being a language and literature student and connoisseur of words, it’s not that easy comprehending a piece of seasoned literary work . Ulysses demands as much attention and intellect as any scientific concept but catering to different faculties of mind. I wonder further were they be able to appreciate rather comprehend the syllables if it was one of the absolute classics being provided to them.
I have heard this innumerable times that to gain some you have to loose some. The author fits the bill in this case. He writes to cater to the mass; simple story about life with easy to understand English and of course some discourse on life lessons. So why not label him pseudo-intellectual!
Looks like we want sugar even if we are diabetic. I guess even that’s not the purpose. Either it’s the shameless publicity stunts or a defence mechanism to balm one’s own inner complexes or may be that few minutes of glitz and media visibility or hooligan bonhomie, they hurl those abuses even without thinking once. They come as if they have become natural recourse of life.
Whatever the reasons were, it totally diluted the deeper or richer message the quote reflected amidst personal attacks and acrimoniousness.
SCENARIO – III
Few days back there was much uproar on using a trending trick for campaigning a delicate and pressing issue of female foeticide.
Is the cliché ‘Something is better than nothing’ redundant now? Well I understand we need more than something to curb this heinous and diabolical anti-social element.
While researching for an assignment on this issue one year back I came across some horrific figures related. Foetal sex determination and sex selective abortion by unethical medical professionals has today grown into a Rs. 1,000 crore industry approx. There are concerns that PCPNDT Act has been poorly enforced by authorities and had extreme low conviction rate.
I still get teary eyed when one of the readers, a sixteen year old collegiate wrote to me after reading my piece on this issue:
June 18, 2014 at 1:13 am
“A very powerful piece of writing. I can relate to it mostly because I was an unwanted girl child. If not for my mother I wouldn’t have been alive or might be given up for adoption. But she was a strong women, and she saved me by going against her own family. I never got the guts to write about this topic, moreover because my father loves me now, and has changed his views for better. Its a touchy subject for me but you portrayed it perfectly. Thank you.. :)”
I quote exactly the words she wrote. The sad reality we live in.
Yes, of course we can’t expect overhaul in few days as the monster was neglected and grown too enormous. Awareness and Education along with compassion guarded with stringent law and order enforcement is the need. Infact this demands a movement in every level.
One thing my simple heart failed to understand how can a positive step towards mass awareness or cognizance of a compelling issue, how much ever minuscule it is, can garner such ire!
Isn’t it convenient now to label me as proponent of some colour brigade. But I don’t belong to any colour brigade or scheme with exception of the tricolour. Politics and me play hide and seek. Though I know I can avoid it to an extent but can’t ignore it being a part of the system. Like any other ordinary educated Indian, I love my country whole heartedly and aspire India to be prosperous, progressive and protective from injustice and inequality.
As from parliamentary brawls to primetime news hour and social media mud-slinging, do we always have to shout or abuse to make a point or to be heard? Or is it sometimes that the agenda is something else; just to get noticed and grab other’s attention in easiest possible manner.
When did skepticism and exhibitionism creeped into our disposition and infested the whole system devouring even the ounce of tolerance and sensibility left within us. ‘Just talking for the sake of talking’ – does this make sense!
Without clarity of thought and sense of balance, to see things the way they are and doing things the way it ought to be is that difficult today.
Irony is amidst this hullabaloo to be in the race, we missed the finishing line way back.
And that gives me the liberty to raise a question,
‘Is common sense that uncommon today?’
