An Equal World - Women Empowerment
True, "parents must celebrate daughters as much as sons, recognizing their contributions to both family and society", in the words of Jaya Row, who wrote this article under the aegis of "Speaking Tree" on Page 15 of Ahmedabad City Edition of the Times of India dated 11th January, 2025.
"India has long celebrated women's power. Wealth is personified as Goddess Laxmi, knowledge as Saraswati, and strength as Durga", she also writes. Some of the Rishika's, as per the Upnishads, were powerful women who were also Gurus, like Gargi, Maitreyi, Lopamudra, Paulomi, Savitri and Andal from the Vedic period. And these are just a handful of Rishika's named in the Rig Veda alone!
With time, things changed. The onset of the patriarchal system replaced the old matriarchal systems of yore. To protect women, probably from plunderer's like Muhammad Ghazni and Chengez Khan, certain practices were established that eventually became instruments of oppression.
Remember Lady Jodha, the Rajput wife of Emperor Akbar, or Rani Laxmibai, for whom we still say "Khub Ladi Mardani, Woh Toh Jhansi Wali Rani Thi"! These women are more reminiscent of what we can relate to. Yet, there are the Nirbhaya's and countless other cases of oppression of women. There is no saying when and how all this will end.
When a mother will learn not to pamper her son more than her daughter, not to give him all the luxuries he does not deserve, to give her daughter the same gift's as her son, will change truly happen. Spiritually enriched women pass on their wisdom, raising emotionally stable and successful children who are an asset to society. In actual fact, I have seen my mother bring up my sister, who is 13 years younger than me, with the same love and care that she gave me and my brother. More and more mother's need to be educated and spiritually enlightened for the current society to change significantly.
CA Vikram Shankar Mathur
January 11th, 2025 @ 10:35 Hours IST
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