Category Archives: India’s Daughters

Studyhall Educational Foundation is launching a campaign called “India’s daughters: Unwanted, Unsafe, Unequal”. We invite the entire Studyhall family, students, alumni, teachers, parents and others to join us as we raise our voice and consciousness against gender violence and gender inequality in India in particular and in the world in general. The campaign will include online and offline activites which will be announced on our website. Please participate in the discussions by writing blogs and comments and encourage your family and friends to do the same. Let us all work together towards an egalitarian social order.

औरत तू नहीं कमज़ोर

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नारी तुम केवल श्रधा हो जग के सुंदर आँगन में पियूष सी बहा करो, जीवन के सुंदर समतल में

नारी – नाम है समान  का या समाज ने कोई ढोंग रचा है,
बेटी – नाम है दुलार का, या समाज के लिए सजा है ,
पतनी – किसी पुरुष की समी है या यह रिश्ता भी एक उगी है,
माँ  – ममता की परिभाषा है, या होना इसकी भी एक निराशा है,
नारी – नाम है स्वाभिमान का, या इसका हर रिश्ता है अपमान का !
कहेते  है एहन सबको अपनी जिन्दगी सवतंत्रता पुर्वक जीने का हक है I  क्या आपको लगता है की हर व्यक्ति सवतंत्रता पूर्वक जीवन जी रहा है? नहीं – पुरुष  शायद जी रहे हो पर महिलायों को तो सवतंत्रता शब्द का अर्थ ही नहीं पता।
औरत को सिर्फ एक ही शब्द से नवाज़ा है की वह नारी ही देश का भविष्य उजागर करेगी – – लेकिन  तो यह है की इस पुरुष प्रधान देश में औरत ने कभी अपनी ज़िन्दगी जी ही नहीं क्योंकि यहाँ नारी को एक वास्तु समझकर कठपुतली की तरह इस्तेमाल करते है। घर में पति बहार छेड़ छाड़ बलात्कार इन सभी मुश्किलों से जोझ्ना पड़ता है फिर भी उसे ही गलत साबित कर दिया जाता है।
कहने को तो हम नारी आधी दुनिया है मगर क्या कभी आधार  घर भी हमारा हुआ है ?
जनम लेते ही दिखाई दिया पिता और भाई का अधिकार,
होता रहा नारी के हर फेसले का प्रतिकार,
शादी के बाद सहा पति, देवर और ससुर का तिरस्कार
जीवन का कौन सा पल जो नारी ने अपनी मर्ज़ी से जिया सरे हक सरे वजोद , सरे फेसले सिर्फ उर सिर्फ पुरुष ने ही तो लिया फिर क्यों कहते है की हम आधी दुनिया है।
जो अपराध करता है वो तो अपराधी है ही , लेकिन जो ये अत्याचार बिना आवाज़
उठाये सहती है, वह नारी भी अपराधी है। यदि पति मरता है तो सास कहेंगी आवाज़ बहार न जाने पाए तथा माँ कहेंगी की जैसा भी है पति है तेरा। इस तरह महिलाये ही महिलायों का असुरक्षा का मूल कारन है।
इसलिए अब हम नारियों को आवाज़ उठाना ही नहीं बल्कि अपने अधिकारों के प्रति सचेत भी रहना होगा।  और हम नारियों को संगठित होकर एक सवेरा बनकर प्रस्तुत करने का समय आ गया है। सूरज के उगने में जो हाथ पूजा के लिए उठते है। वही हाथ रात के अँधेरे में दुष्कर्म करने से नहीं डरते वर्षो से चला आ रहा रिवाज़ का तन बना जिसके नीचे पड़ा हर औरत को दब जाना।
पति देवर ससुर जेठ
हर एक के माथे चढ़ गयी बनकर तूछ  भेद
आज़ादी क्या है।उसने अब तक ना जाना
दबाया गया उसे बनाकर अनेक बहाना
बदलता गया दौर घुमती गयी घडी की सुई
पुरुषो का रहा वाही रवाया रही उनकी आत्मा सोयी
कोई तो आगे आकर आवाज़ उठाओ
बस अब नहीं सहेंगे चलकर उन्हें बताओ
तोड़ दो सब दीवारे और बेड़ियाँ
अब नहीं चढ़नि  और पाप की सीढियाँ
औरत तू  नहीं कमज़ोर
अब तेरे ऊपर नहीं किसी का जोर।
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DIET Sultanpur

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Neelam
Sr. Lecturer – DIET Sultanpur


नहीं बहायेंगे हम आँखों से आंसू,

समझाना छोड़  देंगे तुम्हे भाई व बंधू ।

करते रहोगे हम पर जब तक तुम वार,

हाथो में उठाये रखेंगे  हम तलवार ।

 

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Women, is this thing a shame

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Pallavi bhutani
Class 10 – D, Study Hall School

 

Today what all the girls can do is due to there hard work and the voice that they had and is still going on for rights. Why girls,women, mother and daughter of our country is suffering a lot why not boys why not they who try to keep all mothers, girls, and women are kept in four walls I know u must be thinking that it is not like that but still  40% of our country is following all this why?? a question that rises in everyone’s mind why don’t they do anything why are they quite . Till the time the youth will not react nothing can change what is going on in our country why is every time boys are right and girls are wrong ??  We are called a democracy country but is it so y this case has taken place ? This is because the mind of the boys towards girls , boys are free to do anything but not the girls? Just think . A murder that took place that has distorted a girl’s life who was not knowing her life will take such a turn and she would not have even thought that her life would  end up like this . Now this case should not scare girls but make them more strong and they have to fight from this bad world

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The State of Society

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Aiman Jafri
XI-D, Study Hall School

 Often I try to analyse what goes in the mind of a man every time he demeans women. Through rape, molestation, eve teasing or even a gesture.  All this without understanding the gravity of the impact he is likely to have. Is there no sense of regard or respect for a section which includes his mother, wife and daughter? Does he feel no shame in using women for the fulfillment of his immoral wishes? There are still more and more such questions, but one thing that I have realized is that monsters are never born, they are created.

The biggest support for these monsters is tolerance towards their offensive actions. As long as they feel that they can get away with it, they will consider it their illegitimate right.

There is more to equality than bringing more strict laws. That is bringing up children well (both boys and girls). Since birth the social roles of the respective sex is decided, and they dare not transgress. The male is like the “Almighty” of the household and a female’s capabilities can nowhere come close to that.  Patriarchy is at work. A man asserts his superiority by force and terror. Of course, not all males inhabit such qualities.

Unlike this, a woman is suppose to bear the burden of, well, being a woman. The only expectation she has for herself is to live up to the expectations of others. Can’t she be loved for being herself?

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निर्भया तुम्हें सलाम

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Suman Diwedi

Study Hall School

निर्भया तुम्हें सलाम …….

रात थी घनेरी
सड़क थी अँधेरी
नहीं थी अकेली।
साथ था मित्र
बिलकुल सच्चरित्र
समझ कर हालात
बोला-ना डर
मै हूँ तेरे साथ

तभी आवाज़ आयी
बहन क्यों हो घबराई ?
तुम्हे जहाँ जाना है
हमें भी वहीँ जाना है।

वह बैठ गई विश्वास पर
स्वयं की ही लाश पर
उसमे थे दरिन्दे,
गिद्ध नुमा परिंदे ।

नियत थी उनकी खोटी
नोंचने लगे उसकी बोटी
उलझ रही थी सांसे
तार-तार थी पोशाके

अश्रु लहु ,लहु अश्रु,
जीवन की गुहार
ईश्वर से पुकार
मदद मदद
वह चिल्लाई-

कही से कोई आवाज़ न आई
सब थे गूंगे बहरे
साथ थी उसकी किस्मत
लुटी हुई अस्मत
केश थे खुले
अरमाँ थे मरे
धड़कन थी,पर चाह नहीं
जीवन था पर आत्मा नहीं

जो लड़ते- लड़ते मर गई
कह दिया शहीद हो गई
हे देश! कैसा है तेरा परिवेश?
जो जीना चाहता है,
वो लड़कर मर जाता है।
और मरकर भी नाम अमर कर जाता है!!

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A belonging of someone else

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Prachi
Class VII (Prerna School)

Even today after so much development in India people yearn for a male child to carry the family name forward and getting support in their hay days. Female child is considered to be the belonging of someone else as she has to get married and go to her in laws house. Though law of the land provides equal rights to a female and male in all regards, parental heir is always a male scion at home. The best facilities; be it education , food , clothes, leisure , entertainment , or freedom are for boys . a female child is always made to feel secondary to her brother and probably unwanted too.

When a girl is young, she is guided by her father , when she is older she is guided by her husband , when she is very old ,she is guided by her son.

The time a girl is born , hardly any body feels truly happy in the family .

This social malaise needs to be treated as national security issue at the highest levels of government , various action need to be taken to children who have been sexually and physically abused and to hold the police accountable action from courts and police will not suffice if the community remains defiantly opposed to change.

India has been a patriarchy for a long time , but it is time now to move forward , it is time to develop into a society that is neither male –dominated or female dominated , but where men and women are equal – socially politically and economically . This is not an impossible dream. We can do it.

An important change that can be implemented is to make a start in the schools. Mandatory child and women’s right to education should be included in the curriculum and the focus should be put on violence against women and children in all it’s forms instead of staying away from such taboo topics , teacher should deal with them in the class room . A nationwide teacher training program must be introduced to ensure that the subject is properly taught.

Society will help us , but it is up to us women to organize our strength , individually and collectively , it is up to us to reach –out and empower ourselves.

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LIFE IN A PATRIARCHAL SOCIETY

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Jyotika Misra
From Class XI-D, Study Hall School

Sometimes I wonder what this world would be like without women? How would it look like without their presence, smile and calmness?
Today what is happening in our country has forced me to ask these questions to myself. Why are women being exploited across the globe? In our country where people worship goddesses like Durga, Kali, Lakshmi, etc, women are being treated like commodities in today’s date. Women are considered to be the weaker sex simply because they are physically weaker than men. All the wrong things are done with women and then the explanation given for it is that they are girls that is why this happened with them. Even though we claim to be very modern, we are still living in a male-dominant society, where mostly women are dependent upon their fathers, brothers or husbands in some way or the other. Women are always overpowered by the men in their family. They are forced to obey their husband or father. Why this attitude? Do the men also always obey their wives? No, then why is it only women who should listen to men? Many women face domestic violence in their families. Their husbands, sons or other relatives beat them up everyday behind closed doors in order to maintain their ‘superiority’. Inspite of all this, the women still do not step out of their house and tell the world about their husband’s wrongdoings because few don’t want their family name to be spoilt, others give excuse of their children and remain quiet and some feel that it’s their husband’s right to beat them up.

 

Sexual assault has become very common in our country from past few years. Everyday we come across articles about girls being raped and then killed. Recently I read a newspaper article about a girl being raped in a moving train and then being hanged to death on a nearby tree. And obviously there’s the Delhi gangrape case which we are all aware of. This incident has forced the whole country to think and take some action before it gets too late. It’s because of the outrage of the whole nation and because the youth took to the streets that laws are being revised in our country and steps are being taken in order to have a proper implementation of these laws. What I’m talking about here is something that comes into public light through media but what about the sexual abuse which takes place within families? Many women, specially in rural areas are being raped everyday by their husbands and other relatives. In rural areas, women don’t even realize at times that raping is an offence, even if its the husband who is doing so. This is simply because of lack of awareness amongst women over there. Young girls who are 5-6 year old become victims of rape. Men do not think for a single second before committing such heinous crimes. I don’t think any girl feels safe while walking on a road alone. The thought of what might just happen to her the next minute scares her. And in case of being molested, girls don’t feel safe in going to the police station and lodging a complaint against the accused. In the past there have been cases where girls after being raped went to the police station where they were again raped by a policeman.

 

And why are girls blamed for these offences? We can’t blame women for all this and make statements like “girls wear provocative clothes, that’s why crime is increasing.” The girls have full right to wear what they wish to. A 2 year old does not get raped because of the kind of clothes she wears. We come across girls wearing salwar-kameez being raped, at the same time girls wearing one piece being raped. So the root cause of this is not westernization, it is rather our society’s decayed mentality.

 

Is there a problem with the kind of upbringing the children are getting that crime against women is increasing at a rapid rate? Our personality enhancement starts at home. So the parents should encourage equality in their family so that the son never feels that women are anywhere lesser than men and they can be dominated. The husband should treat his wife and other women in family with all respect because his son would learn from whatever he sees being practised around him. Proper education about law and rights should also be provided to women so that they are aware about the various offences and the punishments which exist for them.

 

Shouting slogans would not solely help in fighting against these crimes. Our thinking needs to undergo a change. People should be more proactive and think about the welfare of mankind. In the Nirbhaya case, no one came to help her while she lay on the road, naked for hours in the cold weather. On the busy road, definitely there would have been people who saw her lying at the corner of the road, but no one came to her rescue. That was probably due to the fear of getting engaged in police investigation or simply because no one bothered enough to help her. We need to do away with this attitude and start taking initiatives.

 

We should work together and do away with this patriarchal form of society which we are living in and take steps towards constructing an egalitarian one.
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Servitude of a Chagrined Dove

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Ekisha Narain
XI-D, Study Hall School

Near the city of Varanasi there is an Iron casting factory surrounded by small settlements of the workers. I dedicate this song to Meenaksi. A 48 year old woman who lives there and was being raped by her own husband almost every night. She thought it wasn’t considered as rape because he was her husband. Imagine. She tolerated this for more than 30 years! Until one day when her husband, drunk, invited his friends over for a night. After suffering for more than 5 hours when the sun peeked through the window as she laid alone. It dawned upon her. How wrong it was and how many other women might be going through all this in that area alone. She decided to stand up! She couldn’t take it anymore!
She talked to all the women of the area about the incident and they  came together and formed a group against this injustice. At first they were criticized. Their husbands, fathers and brothers laughed at them and beat them for standing against their authority ! But they didn’t know the power of united women.
It’s been almost a year and they have acted against 14 men who were fired and  sentenced to about two years in prison. Now that group has over 30-40 women and 10-15 men which they are trying to expand as much as possible.

Meenaksi. A 48 year old woman who lives there and was being raped by her own husband almost every night.

Exhausted

I continue my journey,
as the outnumbered,
the weakling.
No other choice
but to live with it.
Unconscious.
Not my memory.
I’m not young,
nor fair.
But does it matter?
Not to them.
To him.
I blame God,
I know not why.
Eyes closed
I’m ready to die
Silence,
Pain,
Anger,
Powerless I lie.
Numb.
Guilty.
Is it my fault?
Yes.
For reticent i stay
hiding the embarrassment.
Fearing the forcible.
Every night.
Every night….
But not today!
Today i fly
I’ve had enough
You will not haunt us
Together we stand
against your type
You shall fear us!
Our rage now hype!
Standing tall
We’ll fight!
We’ll fight!
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Who will hear Our Voice?

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Priyanka Chatterjee
Digital Study Hall

I would like to share an experience from my work life, an experience which countless working women face every day when they leave their houses. I was visiting District Institute of Educational Training (DIET) Chitrakoot and Kaushambi, I got late and boarded a bus at Allahabad for Lucknow. It was 4 in the afternoon, I was certain that I would reach home in four hours. As luck would have it engine of the bus broke down, we got delayed by more than 3 hours. When I boarded the bus there were 25 men and 3 women onboard. As as time went by I was the only women left on the bus. It was then that I started feeling scared. I could feel many men staring at me; I could smell the drunken men at the back of the bus. Though I consider myself to be a strong and independent woman that night I felt very vulnerable. As I arrived at Lucknow I called my husband with a breath of sigh and he picked me up at half past midnight from the deserted bus station.

I still asked myself – I am an educated & independent woman and ironically working for empowerment of women, so why was I scared? I remember a little girl from KGBV Ghorawal at Sonbhadra district who said “We are scared, and we do not raise our voice” but that day in the bus I understood what she meant. It was not just about raising her voice. It is the fact that there is no one that will hear and understand. That day even if I had raised my voice, there was no one who I could expect to respond. This is where I feel that no matter how brave we are, we still need the a lawful state, We need government to take hold of administration and make our railways, our buses, roads and public places safe for women.

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