> I was quite stirred by an article called “Unwanted daughters” by Harsh Mander in the Hindu Sunday Magazine dated 29th August, 2010 on a major recent study done on female feticide in India by Action Aid India and International Development Research Centre, Canada. The article among disturbing facts like methods of killing the female child, neglect, illegal connivances of doctors and nurses, etc also talks about some interesting explanations cited up by the study that they believe perpetuate this evil norms in India. The explanations talk about the paradox that how some of the progressive policies of the Government such as inheritance rights for women, higher age for marriage, etc make them much more of an economic burden to the families as further expenditure on the girl and any property owned by them would only benefit the husband’s family after marriage as also that the woman’s physical capabilities like child bearing, productive abilities, caring abilities become the property of
men and women
>Do we know who we are? Really?
>”I seem to see my self from his eyes while i have always possessed theintelligence and politics to know or perhaps i should say interpretwho i am as a woman. But this knowledge i cannot assimilate in me, theexperience is of being in ruin, ………… “ mail from a dear friend to me, in response to an anguished mail sent to her. Says another vivacious, lively, intelligent, perceptive woman, to me, on her first meeting with me as a therapist: ” I am so sorry that I have cried…. I mean this is a first meeting with you and all that”. “Why the shame?” I ask her. “shouldn’t I be calm and composed and not really show my emotions at all? I mean isn’t this what the world wants from me, from you, from all of us?” she responds, albeit a bit surprised that i am even asking her this question. “well you are here to meet a therapist, and you are
Sarbari's Blog 