Another anthology

My poem is published in Life Nama which is available on  amazon. This is my 6th contribution in a group. I hope you buy the book.

Women Empowerment

Every day we see the news, listen to the radio and read newspaper about rapes and crime against women. And government comes up with lot of schemes and programs to save the girl child, education facilities and all. But is it really empowering women? To some extent it does. Without education I wouldn't be able to write these lines. But not fully even today educated working women are easy target. Before in the market of marriage a girl had to be beautiful and capable to producing babies and plus doing household chores. But now they want the girl to know how handle home and even work. No, I am not complaining about the burden on the shoulders. I am actually thinking if education really empowers women. Yes, it helps her get job. She can look after herself without a man. She can do everything . And it is true. Then why do we need men for? Just financial support and now financially capable women do not need men for that. Is the role of man's life just paying bills? Oh yes, sex .. So marry a man for sex and the rest we women do it. We women always needed love and so does a man need. Marriage is basically sharing responsibilities. Isn't it? Then why are we burdening our shoulders and telling men we don't need them?

So back to the real question, what is real empowerment? The ability to earn money and to do household chores or being able to voice out opinions or expressing individuality apart from beings Mrs. so and so. In spite of all why are we women not able to protect ourselves from rapist who are hunting women every day. Why are we being helpless in such situations? Yes, we are physically weak. I am talking about average woman like me not Mary Kom who can box men away. But if you go back to primitive times, weak animals like deer and cows had a way to protect themselves. Imagine herbivorous deer competing carnivorous Cheetah. But If you noticed the animals always had a instinct. They focused on hearing more than seeing.

So if we women are going towards logical brain. Our education trained us to think logically and taught us lot of things. Sadly there is no proper training to live in rapist world. Not all are trained in self defense. What if we take a break from this logic and focus on gut feeling and instincts we could save ourselves in this man made jungle. And if we understand Self defense and things like that perhaps that will be real empowerment then. And fairy tales will be a joke and we wouldn't wait for prince charming to save us!!!

A solution

We all search problems outside and not within. We go to Singapore or Japan to find solution to problems of India. I think that's how it is. We meditate less and debate more. In ancient days, Mahaveer, Buddha sat under a tree till they find all answers. Vedic Rishi knew more than scientist of today. But common man like you and I are so engrossed with petty things in life, we fail to see big picture. Our life is micro level but we assume it is macro.

I read in secret by Rhonda Byrne that law of attraction can be applied by a group of people. Maybe that is why group prayers are more effective. Maybe if all masses come together we may move mountains. To lead masses we do not have good leader from past century. After Gandhi in India, Mandela in Africa we never had strong and good leaders. And I also said it is Aquarian age even if leaders will come forward, masses are in no mood to bow someone. We don’t bow before our teachers or parents anymore. Those who do are hypocrites. Then how will the masses be lead? Should God whom I see as alien figure come down to earth and take the 10th avatar. Or maybe some planets are making us dance to their tunes in gravitational force. 

Our life as a human is a mystery to me sometimes. Sometimes they say destiny is in your hands. Sometimes they say it is controlled by Karma/luck/fate. Sometimes I feel if life is a gift then why am I not enjoying it? Why is working a suffering. When earth was young it had more resources and just Adam and Eve to enjoy it. Now there are less resources and more demand. Maybe that is the reason for clashes. Each one of us is working to reach top of the pyramid. Power is with minority. 

But maybe all this is MAYA the eternal illusion. Maybe there is enough for everybody and we fail to see any of it. We are so busy suffering with the problems. Our emotional fog does not let us see vast oceans. Maybe we never had problem. And it was something we attracted. Our mind is not at peace. Maybe if we all contemplate and meditate we can find solutions to our problems; Meditation is nothing but focus of minute things such as breathing. Our life would be better off. 

People like Kiran Bedi had started Yoga or meditation in Tihar jails. It shows spirituality would improve our life. When I refer spirituality, I do not mean religious dogmas. For me both are different.

We are running towards materialism (Rahu) but we should go towards spiritualism (Ketu) but with this nature we have evolved. We had the ape brain and reptile brain. We evolved after we had another layer of brain which had logic in it. So I think the bigger brain, then more problems. More power, more responsibility. Everyone is on this earth but we create a myth of pyramid of organisation. Power is itself a mirage. The day we wash off all our materialistic values like ego, greed and gluttony we shall find peace. 

Maybe that was the reason ascetics or Hermits left the social structure to be in forest. Like those Aghori babas or Adivasis. I feel they have simpler and less complicated lives. The best things in life fresh water, fresh fruits and fresh air are all coming free. The ingenuous tribes in Andaman and Nicobar don't even wear clothes. And we mock at them. We feel we are more sophisticated. We are so proud of our logical brain that we forget there is reptile within us which is simultaneously active. This brain needs to be fed properly.

This animal brain in us loses moral conscious and like a cheetah attacks a deer, the rapist attacks a woman. The hunter mind was dressed in corporate clothing but was always animal within. We all need to exercise this reptile brain safely. Like the indigenous people paint their bodies and dance free and wild with no restrictions. We all need it too. Today’s man is worried who will think what. And later they become hypocrites. Trust me even the most decent man can slip and commits crime when provoked and when there is no society around to control them. Anyone can become a criminal. People just look for a chance. So the reptile brain in us needs to release all the repressed emotions. It should be exercised in sports or art or music. The naked paintings would be a good way release terrifying emotions. Or repressed emotions would just lead to crime by white collar man and be covered by paying the black coat advocates.

Age of Democracy

This is the age of democracy and not monarchy. There will be more and more causes coming up. It is the Age of Aquarius where humanity and friendship will be of utmost important. 

Let me take an example of Sati. In days of Mughal invasion, Rajput queens and wives of soldiers decided to sacrifice their life because they felt threatened by the Mughal conquerors. They didn’t want to turn into prostitutes in harem. So that was Sati. I think their act was justified. But later this became forced orthodox practice which Raja Ram and British government abolished it. 

And currently Muslims eat beef but Krishna worshippers and Jains respect cows. If you go back to history to the place where Islam was found, eating meat of carnivorous animals is a sin but not herbivorous. But Krishna lived with cowherds and he himself was a Kshatriya. So with the era and time period and also the place, right and wrong is defined. If you see even animals have right to live and so does a plant. Some people think it is foolish to save trees. They think why should be concerned about dumb animals and plants. But you ask the ecologist they will give you the reason.

Then come to abortion. When a woman has been given right to give birth. She has to carry baby for 9 months. A feminist would say it is basically her right to abort or keep the baby. So it is debatable. No one is wrong. Time defines right and wrong.

Capital punishment is age old practice. Why do we hang criminals? Obviously they are threat to the society- the majority. See it is always what majority wants and that is the essence of democracy. 

When British left India, we were crores of peasants and slaves. When people do hard core labour, they do not have time think so much. That is why Shudras were considered less intelligent. Obviously you making them work like donkey how can think like a cat. Even women were burdened with physical labor. They didn’t have time to think. When machines took over the Kitchen women had free time to think. And that is why in this Aquarian age, there will be no kings and no slaves and everyone can think and act. Only machines will be slaves to human.

And by the way different religion and regions have own laws. In Karnataka state women are part of HUF property and others they are not. Then coming to dowry, I feel it is okay to gift your daughter some money and possessions. After all sons you give property, business etc. Daughters had only one expense that was wedding whereas the son had to be given education, property etc. He had to stand on his feet. So he was pampered so that he takes care of his parents. So there was a selfish motive.  So I think its okay to give dowry to daughter and not in laws. In laws you give like a bribe so that the daughter is not ill treated. Imagine if in laws ill treated her and she left their home and the piece of jewelry she is given can be sold for her personal expense. Daughter’s life was hard living with strangers and work like as ass and Parents gifts come handy in harsh times. But soon demanding dowry like Sati became a ritual. That is what is wrong. People just ape ancestors when they can’t find solutions. Rituals become rules and they don’t even realize it. 

Discrimination

Gender discrimination

A lot has been told and written about this topic. Status of women has changed drastically. Women empowerment and crime against women is the happening topics discussed everywhere in the media. But maybe with this article I may bring some new direction to the hot current topic.

First, people are constantly fighting for injustice. Everyone complains about unfair treatment. Like these days reservation is one unfair treatment which was brought to eradicate another unfairness i.e. caste system. And discrimination based on economic status of a person, the rich, the poor and the middle class who prefer not to discriminate or be discriminated. This discrimination is universal. People with better resources are always feared and respected. And in some places it is not economic resource but people with physical strength are looked upon as leaders. Most of the tribal people come under this category. Within indigenous tribes there is no money so there is no capitalism. Here it is based on strength. And later in Vedic system we know Brahmins were worshipped because of their mental strength. So basically there was always discrimination and unfairness. After all we humans are from animal kingdom that have ill treated and betrayed our fellow mammals and climbed up on the social ladder. 

Now that we know there is unfairness everywhere on different basis from time immemorial, let us understand gender discrimination. Can men and women be truly equal? Many say education can give women equal status. Then discrimination will be based on degrees. So let’s assume women have better degrees. Will they still we considered equal? If we read some of quotes by educated man like Chanakya, He considers women as threat and he also feels women do not have enough brains to think individually. Women are in groups mostly. Maybe women of those eras never had individual voice and never felt safe to go against groups. And generally women give more importance to relationships over their self esteem. But with so many women writers, I think education has made an impact to reduce the discrimination.

We all live in capitalist country where each individual have equal opportunity to grow, so naturally there will be rich, poor and middle class. So to be not discriminated women should have money power. And maybe women should just do all the work which pays them money. But then what happens to our selfless housewives who are satisfied by nursing old and ailing. Is it really good for our society? What if a man stays at home to look after children? Then he will discriminated by capitalist society. No wonder women end up doing both and tiring up themselves. Then where is the equality?

Then the indigenous and the communist society may be a better society for equality. People work in groups. Everyone respects one another. Statistics say crime rate in indigenous tribes are lesser comparatively. But communist is not the modern society wants. The fall of Berlin wall is the biggest example in history. The modern society wants equal opportunities to grow. That is monarchy is not suitable to this Aquarian age. The royalty and palace is every common man’s desire. It shows we like royalty but it should favor us. So discrimination and unfairness is good as long as we are at the side of the power. We like the power but hate being powerless. So I think in the process of making equal status for women, let us not discriminate men.

This is the Aquarian age. Lot of wars will be fought in name of equality. Friendship and individuality will be more important. It just another time and era we live in. So every issue will brought forward. Ecologist will say save plants, PETA will say save animals, LGBT will support gay rights. Lot of issues which our ancestors ignored will be highlighted till the earth is a place with no discrimination.