If I Could Change One Thing In The World.

Having the power to change the way the things works, to alter the course of nature to your convenience, the ability to turn circumstances in your favour, sounds so alluring and pleasing. The mere thought of being able to change or bring a change in itself is very exhilarating. And why wouldn’t it be? Who wouldn’t want to access this ability? I totally would love to.

If someone were to ask me the same, trust me I have a list ready! But since it all comes down to one thing, one choice and one decision, I think I have it clear. If I could change one thing about the world it would definitely be the practice and initiation of the very idea of the women question and this word women itself. You all must be wondering what this women question is? Women question is usually a phrase used in connection with a social change in the later half of the 19th century, which questioned the fundamental roles of women in Western industrialized countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, and Russia.

The term was first used in France during 1450s : theQuerelle des femmesquestioning the institute of marriage as to why only men were given the chance to chose the partners and why not women? The supporters argued that it is the woman who is actual ruler, the matriarch of the universe. She is the bearer, the provider and the destructor too. Mankind without women is nothing but a rifting chaos of bodies. So why not provide this simple chance, the opportunity to the women to choose her potential mate, the one she deems fit to able to help her survive the whole world. The one that will not suppliment but compliment her.

Who knew this mere idea in the ages like Romantic or Victorian would evolve and come to be known as a Centre of grave debates, rights, authority decentralisation and social reforms?

This very idea of women question exists today too but in a different context altogether.

There are still many societies in both the first world and the third world countries that do not give their females the opportunity to choose and explore, but still there are many groups, writers and activists who have successfully managed to break the stereotypes, the shackles and the generations of conditioning of the mind.

It gets a little disappointing seeing the progress rates in India being really low as compared to the first world countries, despite India being one of the youngest nations not only in the terms of its democratic regime but the vast endless amount of Human Resource. Why we always stress on educating the young not the old? Why we always stress on investing in the upcoming and the established? That’s because we all know, it’s the new, the upcoming, the young that has all the new ideas, the zeal, the energy to bring a change and live it.

So why in a developing country like India with oceans full of youth, the progress rates so low? The acceptance of changing roles of women, their choices of being gender fluid, making statements, redefining the boundaries, breathing liberally not well accepted? And the hype about body politics, conditioning of mind in restricting the females to multiple levels in multiple spheres, being judgmental and chiding a women for smoking and ignoring a young boy doing the same because it’s a “male trait” so patted upon? Why people why?

Why the so called movie critics would make an issue out of the movie like Veere Di Wedding with 4 female leads and critiquing it to a point of calling it an utterly disgraceful show of the idea of women just because a film having 4 strong female leads is expected to talk about feminism and portray the image of an ideal Bhartiya Nari?

Who is an Ideal Bhartiya Nari?

I’d like to ask each and every one of you. Who is she? How to find her? Does she have any address, koi pata? Have you ever seen her? How would you identify or tag her?

A 21st century young Indian woman realising her own dreams, discovering her potentials, being courageous enough to stand up for herself, to be able to answer back to all those eve teasers and body shamers, to glare back at all those judgemental eyes, to support her fellow sisters, to help them get up when they fall and help dust their troubles and woes, to be able to have the heart to voice her thoughts, and roaring shut all the discriminators, abusers, the so called leaders of the society that troubled her mother, grandmother and fellow sisters like a lioness is a true Bhartiya Nari in my eyes. And I see one in all of you.

I know the world in which I live in, the country with which I identify myself with, will take a lot of time, revolts, revolutions, sacrifices and patience in reaching to the level where every girl, every woman will be able to breathe and live liberally. This is what I wish I could change one thing in this world, because the country I am a resident of, the society I belong to, the city I live in is my world.

And I’d like to sum up my views with a Hope and a little wish of Beyoncé’s iconic song “Who runs the world?- Girls!” becoming true one day.