ChandigarhX received a mail from one of its readers, SUMAN JOSHI, who shared her strong voice on Women’s Day celebrations.
Sharing her thought-provoking message here.
Women’s Day..Not Again!
WOMEN’S DAY ….do I need such kind of an awful and creepy day in my name??!!
Just came across this advertisement on FM….
“Mr. Man is in ‘the kitchen’…..Why?…because he has sent his beloved wife to ABC store because it’s HER day.
Ladies, you also come & avail 40% discount on XYZ brand this Women’s Day!”
My instant reaction was…Wow…I should be happy because finally someone understood my worth. It is as cheap as a 40% discounted item, for one day, to be precise!
Celebrating Women’s Day is just like celebrating ‘Chicken’s Day’…you feed it, make it run for life, catch, peel, cut, cook to YOUR taste, rip off last trace of skin, chew, gulp down, burp and excrete. Now that the chicken does satiate our hunger for 364 days, we being noble society dedicate one full day to commemorate chicken just in order to repeat the cycle for the next 364 days. And many chickens become happy!
In all practical terms, Women’s Day is a highly glamorized, sophisticated, discreet and universally accepted way of giving women feelings of being worthy of so-called love, care and respect for one day ONLY. Sounds harsh…it must!
After quietly / openly / forcibly / happily celebrating Men’s Day for 364 days, (which by the way officially falls only on one day)…here we are….creating hoopla and going gaga over 8 March messages, selfies, discounted dinners, make-ups, dresses bla bla bla…..going to branded stores to pick ‘one’ item to acknowledge her for ‘one day’ coz she satisfied hunger for 364 days in the form of being murdered as female foetus, killed as the new-born female, being forced to quit studies, being forced into marriage and prostitution, burnt down for much-wanted and justified dowry, inflicted with pain on her body and mind for someone’s sadism, being sidelined in professional arena, being eve-teased, body shamed, cajoled to give up career to give some significant one ‘that’ control, being cheated on, being told how not to get raped to justify barbarous instinct of more important gender and so on…
BECAUSE she is a non-existent gender for 364 days.
BECAUSE She is an ever-struggling-for-identity-
We will need Women’s Day till we learn to ‘Take Side’ on rest of the 364 days. Staying neutral or quiet has been quietly putting us with her oppressor since times immemorial! Believe me, any strong and self-respected woman handling her wearying and unpleasant battles on her own for 364 days would NEVER want such meaningless day in her name on 365th day! If she can handle her own battles for 364 day, she can do it on 365th day as well…without discounted dresses, dinners and bouquets.
If I am acknowledged 365 days because I’m a human being, why do I need any Women’s Day?
If I’m not acknowledged 364 days because I’m a woman, why do I need one Women’s day??!!
–SUMAN JOSHI
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