Mixed Bag Of Emotions - Sense of Pride in a fizzle

“Indian Kailash Satyarthi and Pak’s Malala Yousafzai win Nobel peace prize 2014”

 

Everyone became proud and started sensing pride the moment we read Indian…. Also, Indian to get Nobel.... One more point to sense pride in oneself and a reason to straighten up the collar.

But suddenly Google search engines grew faster to understand who this Indian is?

Who this Indian is to win Nobel peace prize after Mother Teresa ? and the data populated.

It was a shame as well as pride. A very disappointing sense and mixed bag of emotions after reading the details about this awardees.

“ Mr. Kailash Satyarthi (Born 11 January 1954) is an Indian children rights activist and founder of Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Children movement). An activist who has acted to protect rights of more than 83,000 children from 144 countries (Official Data available)

An Engineer by education but gave up his career as teacher and became Secretary General for the Bonded Labor Liberation Front; he also founded the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Childhood Mission) in 1980.

 Involved with :

* Global March Against Child Labor and its international advocacy body

* International Center on Child Labor and Education (ICCLE)

* Served as the President of the Global Campaign for Education from its inception in 1999 to 2011

* Established Rugmark (now known as Goodweave) as the first voluntary labelling, monitoring and certification system of rugs manufactured without the use of child-labour in South Asia

* Member of a UNESCO body established to examine this and has been on the board of the Fast Track Initiative (now known as the Global Partnership for Education)

* Satyarthi serves on the board and committee of several international organisations including the Center for Victims of Torture (USA), the International Labor Rights Fund (USA), and the International Cocoa Foundation

* He is now reportedly working on bringing child labour and slavery into the post-2015 development agenda for the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals

I am pretty much aware, that any reader would say am I referring wiki by any chance. Yes the details are fetched from online details available.”

But when I turned down the Awards and Honors section, it disappointed me. Mr. Satyarthi has numerous awards and honors from fellow countries like United States, Germany, Spain, Netherlands. But I could not find a Indian Pat on back anywhere. And here the shame took over my pride within seconds.

जग मारतंय पाठीवर थाप
कौतुकाचा होतोय वर्षाव
नयन आसुसले माझे खरं
माय ला कधी येणार जाग

पैसा नको, नको अडका
दखल व्हावी कामाची ….
हाती घेतलाय वसा
आस फक्त त्याला पूर्णत्वाला नेण्याची

कामाची पोच पावती
मीळो आमच्या कार्याला
एकच ध्यास निव्वळ फक्त ….
आमचा भारत व्हावा आदर्श

हक्क प्रत्येकाला शिक्षणाचा ….
घराचा , अन सन्मानाचा ….
ह्या साठी झटतोय आम्ही ….
आस नयनी एकच फक्त….माय ला कधी दिसणार त्याची ….

We have Indians being awarded with civilian awards much before they actually deserve. But these deserving candidates are awarded much after all world praises them. Doesn’t this make you all angry and disappoint you a bit ? Indian Bollywood stars are awarded the Civilian awards in the Republic of India much early and these activists (many are awarded Indian awards later, after they have world recognition). It pisses me off. Especially stars who have not really achieved anything to be awarded. These are famous for nothing.

Why do we need Google search engines to actually understand “Who these dignitaries are?” who are Noble, Magsaysay awardees? This is shame on us as well as Indians. Don’t we all Indians feel shameless about this?

I really feel though…..

मुक्तछंद …

कधी कसा शांत सोज्वळ … कधी रौद्र, तामस
कसे असे रे हे तुझे रूप ?
आगळे वेगळे भासे निराळे
आत्ता म्हणावं भासतोस असा
म्हणजे असाच असावास अंतरी तुझ्या
पण क्षण पुढचा अगदी निराळा
माझ्या विचारांच्या क्षितिजा पलीकडचा …
आधी केला तुझ्याकडे कानाडोळा
नंतर तूच गुंतावलास अंतरी मना
आणि गुंता अलगद होत गेला शृंखले सारखा
अलगद , नाजूक  गुलाबाच्या फुलासारखा
अन मग अचानाक रूपं दाखवुन शांत , निपचित झाला
प्रश्न असंख्य मनी उरले
अंधारात प्रकाशाचा एक ठिपका शोधत फिरले
आत आत पाणी पाणी
कोरडे शुष्क डोळे …
झऱ्या खाली खोलवर वाळवंटी  उरले
गरज भासू लागली त्या एका थेम्भचि
चातका  प्रमाणे आस लागली मनी
ये आता , … नको आणिक हुरहूर मनी
,थकल्या,  भागल्या,जीवाला  गरज त्या आभासाची
मनी मोर घालू लागे पिंगा
आता कधीच ना उरण्या , थांब्ण्यासाठी
अखंड पिसारा फुलवून थुई थुई नाचण्या परी
ना मनी प्रश्न , सगळं कसं स्फटिका प्रमाणे
स्वत्छ , निर्मळ , निळ्या क्षार पाण्या परी
आला जोरात मग तो , निळ्या मेघांना सारून
काळ्या कुट्ट अंधाराला सारून जोरात बरसलास तू
मनापासून सरीवर सरी मनी चिंब चिंब केलास तू
असा हा पाऊस  समजण्या पल्याड ,
पण तरी कसा निर्मल, निरगस , पारसमणी
माझा लाडाचा जीवा भावाचा …
भावनांनी कंठ दाटून आला जेव्हा …. नभं उतरू आलं माझ्या अंगणी तेव्हा …

Men Empowerment ??

“Aga eee Baiiiii chal na lavkar…… hya bayka na…sagla rasta adavtat….gadya dyaylach nahi pahije chalvayla hyanna”


Location : Signal

Status of Signal : Red

Big Hoarding above Signal says : “Rally from Pune to Delhi – Support Girl Child… Stop Female Foeticide”

We hear, read a lot about Women Empowerment. Political discussions are flooded with this hot topic. You discuss, highlight this very point in your speech, interviews and ‘half battle won’. It’s like just sharpening your sword prior in advance even when you are not sure whether you gotta go on battlefield or not. But the knife is sharpened. You don’t know whether you actually gonna use the weapon in battlefield or fruits gonna be the victims : P

So coming back, “Women Empowerment”. Hottest topic of discussion these days “kuch nahi mila toh iss pe shuru ho jao”. N number of rallies, discussions, articles are written, read on this topic. But do we really understand the idea, the intensity of the word. We only talk and discuss, have group discussions , but is that all ? Is it the end of the story that we are discussing on this topic or just the kickstart ? when will this male chauvinist grow up is the real question.

We say, women is empowered today. We claim that we should reduce the female foeticide, should support her, should avoid dowry, should educate her, should give her the right to speak up her mind, should protect her……

There are N number of things we claim we are TRYING to do. But will these all doings help ? I doubt.

I mean we are reducing female killings….. but is that the only solution? The baby is still inside the womb, but what about who already are roaming on this planet.

To tell you very truth, we don’t want the stature of goddesses, but mere humans.

We don’t want special treatment with 33% reservation…. We want normal respect

We don’t want special seats in public transport…. We merely want a safe place to stand

We don’t want appreciation in work we do…. But we surely don’t want gossips because of our sex

We don’t want appreciation on our work because we are Women….but only based on good work we do

We don’t want to become Devi with sarees dedicated to us…. But definitely we don’t want to become dis century Draupadi

It is like “Mandir ek andar Murti ko chadhao saree….. aur ussi ke samne jete jagte aurat ki utaro bhi… “ Shame on this, that still these mentally unsound things take place.

We don’t want gold ornaments to show….. but definitely don’t wanna die a dreadful death because of the same

We don’t want you all to blow up horns, and pass on special male chauvinist comments when driver seat is occupied by a female….. but expect minimally same response that you generally give

I guess we have passed on all good work decided on paper, to support a girl child, educating her but in this process of educating, transforming, society has degraded itself in literacy levels.

It’s high time to educate them morally and explain basic definitions of morality to understand the empowerment required in real sense; or else day won’t be far when society would need to update all on “Men Empowerment”.