Why To Suffer

We are living in the world of questions.We keep on searching  for the reasons.The foremost question is "Why are women not treated equally?Although nobody cares but it is a matter of thinking. Aren't all people equal then why does discrimination takes place among male and female?It keeps on coming in papers and live one news...cases of rapes,discrimination,abuse,violation etc its only the females that suffer and not men.As time is changing our country is developing.We have stopped sati and allow widow remarriage but more problems are arising like female infanticide,rape etc.If this is the condition of our country then how do we call ourselves "literate". As of sure all are equal is mentioned in laws but we don't actually follow it.Still men are given preference.After so much rapid expansion of  knowledge,education and technology, we are still stuck on this issue.There are no fields or tasks where women can't opt for.They are equally talented and devoted to their work in comparison with men.What boys can do so do girls.They why is it that they are not given opportunities?No force on Earth can deprive anyone of their rights.Its just matter of time that women has to raise her voice and stand  for her rights.People should change their mentalities and broaden up their minds towards women.This ideology has to be changed.We have good benchmark examples around us- Kiran Bedi,Kalpana Chawla,Rani laxmibai ....all these great ladies were perfectionist in their work.But  still why do girls like Nirbhaya have to suffer?No one as thought over this.Women should get chance to showcase their potentialities. We live in a high class society but still we say a girl is spoiled  if she wears short dresses,attends parties.Even the boys do the same but who cares they are boys after all.Surely they'll be a time when boys will be asked to be back home before 7 pm and women will be ruling streets.

Stairway to Life

 -Shefali Gokhale

She entered the world,

In her mother's laps, safe and curled.

As she grew, she became a mature, young lady,

Never was her life dull and shady.

Then came the bad part,

That's where all her problems took a start.

Came the Angel of Death, one fine day,

She lent her hand and said, "I've heard you pray."

"Come with me"

"And from all these problems I'll set you free."

Thoughtfully the girl said, "No, I'm fine."

"I'll handle these problems for they are mine."

Left the Angel of Death upset,

The meaning of her precious life, the girl did get.

Here, she took a stairway to life,

Here, she took HER stairway to life.

Girl Power

-Shefali Gokhale 

Oh why do you be so lonely?

Is it your fault solely?

Why do those people stare?

Towards girls is the world being fair?

Gender equality is what we say,

but girl abuse makes news everyday!

How will we make the people change?

When will girls be able to express their rage?

When will girls be equal to boys?

Girls too are humans and not just toys!

Educate a girl and she will educate the nation,

Why trouble her when she is God's impeccable creation?

The plight of the modern woman
-RUTURAJ SAHASRABUDHE

Though we say that that gender based discrimination has totally vanished from today’s society it is not totally true. Women are still considered to be weaker than males. Today a man is still first preference in the army. Males are considered to carry on the family name but the women  has to take her husband’s surname. The child that is born carries his father’s surname and not his mother's. People still believe that it is a woman's job to perform jobs like working at people’s home as nannies or babysitters. Gender discrimination also takes in our homes when girls are not allowed to wander outside the house at night.  Women are not only discriminated in the society but also harassed at homes by their husbands. Women are also discriminated in religions. Women are deprived from praying in the public. Only men are seen in mosques sitting for Namaz . Such discrimination also takes in the Hindu religion. Women are not allowed to hold  the plate of diyas  while aarti. Sati is another anti-feminist tradition which has resulted in tens of thousands of women being burned alive. However it is not just religion that spearheads the mistreatment of women. This type of discrimination also takes place in sports such as tennis where the prize money is the same for both males and females but the sets played by women are only 3 whereas sets played men are 5.
Today in many villages a girl child is considered as a burden for the family. They have great fanfare when a boy is born; he is seen as an heir to the family, whereas a girl is seen as only a waste of money and time; 'she will get married, then she will only associate with her husband's family. She will never visit us.'   Though strict laws are passed in our country we still hear cases from the media about female infanticide, domestic violence etc, all these practices are still running rampant. As the future of our country, we all need to realize the wrong doings in our society and spread awareness about them.

A burden?

In our fast developing economy today, we find ourselves knocking on the doors of development with regards to architecture, GDP, etc. Many other countries have come knocking on our own doors to seek spiritual guidance. We have great cultures as well as traditions. But somehow, not all traditions lead towards equality as a whole. The most common danger we today face in independent India is Gender discrimination. These two words are so prominent in India that they just cannot be ignored. Not even in the highly developed areas of our country. Women, everywhere are the victims. They have been brutalized, belittled and harassed only because of their gender. The boy child is always more favored as he is supposed to be the heir who carries on the legacy of the family. But what we ignore frequently is the fact that it is finally women who give birth. Female infanticide although banned now can still be seen prevalent. Sati although eradicated can still be found practiced in many remote villages. Dowry, is probably the most famously known practice. The parents of the family of the girl consider it as the most respected tradition dating back to ages and hence work their whole lives to collect enough. The truth is its never enough. The in-laws always want more. And if not provided with enough, the girl's life becomes a living hell. These are just a few of the many mundane practices carried forward against women. Our girls face these problems everyday. Every morning is another dawn of cruelty and harassment. Yet, we have been progressing, step by step. Many women idols we find today have helped us get rid off the superstitions and demeaning traditions. We today can acquire knowledge and reach great heights. If nursed, girls can also put forward a helping hand to contributing towards society and helping other girls who still suffer. So today, I ask you to let go of all the evils and embrace gender equality for a better future for our children to live in and our ancestors to be proud of.