Today we celebrate International Women's Day across the globe. You can see slogans all over social media, reminding the users to honour the women around who are such an integral part of our lives. But I see this sympathy for women as rather cliche because this event should be a day to put forth the question as to how our world has turned to a sexist monster. Sexist attitudes towards woman dates back to several decades or probably from the beginning of human evolution. Historically, men were always considered superior to women to the extent that women had to even fight for their rights to vote in democracy. After all who were the authors of these historical events? Most evidently the men, who always wanted to showcase their power over everything and in this pursuit they did not even spare their partners. Moreover, the religions were created to back-up this mastermind. Most of religious books highlight the superiority of men over women. And everyone endorse the idea, including women, or rather they are forced to believe so. For all those who are religious and believing in this myth, I have one question to ask - Is God a sexist? Every religion preaches God as a symbol of love and kindness. So, how could such a kind person proclaim women are made for men?
Many of my friends who know me from childhood may wonder what made me to stand for women's rights and respect, since I was also one among them who blindly believed women were made for men and many such ideals tinted with sexism. It took me years to understand that I was wrong, and I apologize for all those erroneous acts against women. While reflecting back in order to understand the reasons behind my behavior, I think it was the society that I was brought up in taught me so. All my school books related women to family and kitchen, and men as prideful bread earners for the family. Most of the people spoke about women as a ‘property’, who were required to be kept in a safe. Moreover, many implicit acts on behalf of others around me revealed that women were considered as ‘machines’ who can only be useful to reproduce and serve men. For instance, in the arrange marriage system in India, I witnessed how women were transacted with clear financial and material costs paid to the groom and his family. During my stay in Europe, I had noticed there is a profession called cat sitters or dog sitters, where the owner of these pets pay for the person who takes care of them in their absence. This reminded me of some parents in my country who pay money to bridegroom to take care of their daughter, and the society termed it as "dowry". I spoke to many men, who stood against this dowry system in principal, but were forced to take money from their in-laws, by justifying that it was given by her father for her well-being, and not as dowry. I was also very much fascinated by this reasoning power of men, probably this power eludes their rationality and endorses the sexist culture prevailing around them. For all of them I have only one thing to say that awareness and understanding always allows us to say NO. NO to those traditions which resembles slave trades, NO to those atrocities that are faced by women on a regular basis, NO to those societal or religious teachings which proclaim women are inferior to men. It is not merely their right to have equal space in our society but it is a collective responsibility of human race to ensure that we get rid of gender disparities. It is rather unfortunate that even in the twenty first century, women are treated worse than animals in many parts of the world". It is time that we recognize the potential of women around us, not to make a world better for them but to ensure our collective well being and freedom from the chains of our sexist society.
I appreciate all those men out there who give equal recognition and respect to women in their lives. The day you realize your mistakes and accept to change yourself towards the betterment of human race with equal importance for women and men, it is the day you walk out from the shame which you were carrying for decades.
As a photographer, my most powerful tool to communicate with the world are my photographs. Here I am showcasing some of the photos which I took on various occasions of life. I would like to take this moment to share them. They may not be great photographs, but all those women portrayed are either victims or who got freedom from the claws of our sexist society.
To all those wonderful women in my life, I respect you for what you are and I stand corrected for the erroneous views against women from my past.
-A man in pursuit of being a gentleman