Advancement today is very much connected to owning of latest gadgets, branded clothes and accessories and leading a so called modern lifestyle. The dictionary meaning of the very word modern restricts itself to appearance and behaviour. Fundamentals like rationality, intellectual gravity, analytical ability, power of discretion and ideological reasoning are altogether ignored especially when it comes to define advancement of women, both by men and womenfolk themselves.
The paradoxical contradiction between the contemporary definition of advancement and its true meaning therefore is not able to blur the myths and misconceptions against women and their status continues to deteriorate. The prejudicial lower status of women limits their growth further resulting in silence and acceptance to crime and violence against them.
It's hard to tell that the national Capital saw a 43.6% increase in its crime graph in 2013 over 2012, with the crime against women rising a whopping 412%. (PTI Data 2014) However, it poses a question mark on the sensitivity, responsibility, ethical and consciousness levels of the educated society too where emergence of new age crime against women such as publicising private life through electronic or social media in the form of photos, MMS, video clips etc, coercing women to watch and take interest in pornography and antisocial immoral activities like wife swapping etc has become an accepted reality. And what to talk about that contemporary empowered lot of women which is ready to take one night stand for appraisals and job security.
The degradation of womanhood is attributed therefore not just to the society but the proprietor itself. Unfortunately, grievances of innocent ones who ever raise voice against such high end molestations at workplaces are not attended to in a rigorous way.
Such victimization at the receiving end that may not be involved in provocative pursuits and at the flip side, may be struggling to gain a dignified status in society, falls at moral and cultural risk. This whole game of conventional as well as unconventional offences against women masks the glory of overall womanhood at large thus making even advancement, a threat to women safety.
What then can change the complete school of thought behind women as weaker sex or just another mouth to feed or a piece of beauty or an object of desire as many call today the world over?
Revered Spiritual Master of the time, Shri Ashutosh Maharaj Ji, the founder and head of Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan says, “To alleviate women from repeated cycles of subjugation, we must work at two levels – one is that the society should be made aware of the status of women as in the vedic times and secondly, women themselves should realize their real self worth. And to make both a living reality, ‘Self-Awakening’ is the only solution.”
The scriptures sing glory of awakened and truly empowered women, devi anusuya, brahmavadini gargi and savitri to name a few and why to forget the not so ancient ones as mera bai, lakshmi bai, kota rani and rani karnavati etc who not just reached spiritual heights but also stood against societal malfunction and successfully corrected all wrongs of the then era.
Is it hard for us to create such stories of empowerment today standing at a platform which is literally, scientifically and technologically advanced?
