I AM DIRTY AND UNCLEAN!
Seriously? Let’s here for a
moment assume hypothetically that the power above or God as we like to term him
or her is in fact a male. Is that how God actually would feel about his own
creation, his daughters, his wives, his mothers, his sisters…dirty, impure, and
contaminated? Isn’t it because of this biological truism that, please don’t
forget women have no control over, that the marvel of creation and birth in
reality happens.
But all you get to hear about from
the same sons and husbands you have given birth to and carried in your womb for 9 months that you are unclean and impure. Who are these so called
protectors of God and religion to pass a judgement such as this? Over centuries women have lived in seclusion
during menstruation, similar taboos related to touching food, not entering
religious place, etc. have been documented world over.
With all the hullabulloo over
this I decided to research this topic. Why does the “superstition”, “taboo”
actually exist? I realised that the subject is not what it really seems on the
surface. The cultural practices surrounding menstruation have their roots in
science and shockingly in the fact that they were originally never meant to
suppress or demean women. There is a
positive side of the story and it is obvious that none of the menstrual
practices came into being because women are impure or unholy. Do visit the
below given links to read up more about this.
It is only when we twist the
whole meaning of the practices that were meant for and made to revere and
venerate women that we reach an impasse as we are at now. People who don’t
comprehend the actual meaning of these rituals have made a mockery of the whole
matter and used it to redefine the role of women in society.
These practices and rituals
cannot be used to subdue women and deny them their most basic and fundamental
rights. The mind set has to change and change drastically. And why give the
other gender the strength and power to allow us or disallow women to do something
or not do something. Women also need to make their lives uncomplicated and not
consider themselves the lesser gender. Women need to support and respect each
other and most importantly realise they do not require validation from men to
define who they are.
Women have been brought up with
strong negative mental conditioning, self-doubts and fears. This has led to
several crimes against women: shame of being a woman, no liberty or choice,
female foeticide, dowry harassment and murder, honour killing, rape,
molestation, domestic abuse. Even day to day women are hassled in a very subtle
manner by confused men who want the women in their life to be strong and
independent but resent their strength and independence at the same time.
It is also time to stop
associating women with their virginity, physical appearance, relationship status
and motherhood. Inflated glorification of the importance of a woman’s so called
honour puts women at further risk of abuse and harassment (mostly but not
restricted to sexual crimes).
Gaining entry into the inner
sanctums of places of worship, of temples and dargahs maybe the first step for
women to stand up and have their say against discrimination and suppression but
just as a friend said today it is not enough.
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