The rural woman

Quleen Kaur Bijral
“Seminars and conferences on Feminism are conducted in the urban for the urban by the urban. Where are the rural women still under oppression?”
Such successful heights have been achieved by the champions of feminism, that past-present condition of the womenfolk is proof of progression. There is a definite change in the overall empowerment of the female sex if compared with the past of misogynist oppression, discrimination and violence.
The struggle of feminism has empowered many a woman who rise in their stations on merit. Achieving what they deserve is truly a life lived with a beautiful purpose. By the dint of their will power, these women have fought against the immorality of:
* Male chauvinism.
* Patriarchy.
* Gender discrimination.
* Sexual violence and other historic acts of subjugation.
Today most of the women cherish a respectable life, which is their right and a matter of humanity as well.
What saddens me is that this sun of freedom is yet to rise in the remote areas of the country where rural women as victims suffer regular oppression – the deserted grassroots. The magnificent power of feminism is, pitifully, not visible in these areas.
They are yet to realize:
* Violence against them is not anyone’s birthright or duty.
* The oppressive diktat of male dominance is not only immoral but also illegal.
* Marital rape. Domestic violence. Dowry. Illegal.
* Property ownership. Right to job.  Education. Freedom is their right.
* Torturous superstitions as considering menstruating women as impure etc are wrong.
* Girl child is not a curse
These utterly marginalised women in the remote areas are grievously hidden from the emancipating power of feminism. They do not know it even exits. How to access it? How to understand it?
There are scores of conferences, articles, seminars, discussions, debates and other events which highlight feminism – but these intellectual sessions are conducted in the urban for the urban by the urban.
In these conferences:
* The language is strictly obscure.
* Content is more about theory than application.
* Audience is the urban population not the affected victims.
* Mostly the Objective is to discuss. Not to apply the feminist measures of freedom in the remote areas.
* Events are generally grand with good money spent on felicitations and so on.
* But the event is exclusive and not inclusive of the victims who are being talked about.
* The subaltern women might be visible in the narrative but are grossly ignored when it comes to the implementation of the rehabilitative measures.
Such has become the current state of feminism as evident in India.
There is no connectivity between the urban awareness of feminism and the rural ignorance of the same.
Such a wide chasm lies between the two, that it is indeed saddening.
Now the urgent question – how to resolve it ?
The answer is practical – go to the grassroots.
* It is not enough to use the rural women as examples to substantiate your theory but also ensuring your threadbare talks are reaching the deserted womenfolk in the remote regions of the country.
* Not only the women, the society as a whole in a village and so on need to be awakened to realize what feminism is.
* Explain in a language which is identifiable and in a talk which is implemented.
* Every conference or seminar should be conducted in this way where the participants and organisers make a collective trip to the remote areas to highlight feminism and ensure it is absorbed than ignored.
* Choose a village, a family, a girl or woman from the remote area and empower them.  One step at a time.
* Either small or grand. It must be ensured that talk is diligently accompanied with walk.
* The flashy formality of talking about feminism purely on theoretical basis needs to be done away with.
* Institutions as universities, colleges and organizations as NGOs and so on, should ensure conferences on feminism are followed with a practical approach.
If it is not done in a realistic way, then this tradition of exclusive feminist discussions is, in fact, a slap on the harsh struggle faced by the self-sacrificing women. Merely talking about feminism and not executing its ethics is indeed disrespectful towards those women who bore countless threats, scandalous criticism and public shame to empower us. They were the bravehearts of the world who worked to empower the brutalised and harassed women decades ago.
Why only talk about them and live in the glory of their struggles?
Resurrect their passion with your own selfless commitment towards rural empowerment. In a country where majority of the society lives in villages, it would serve as the most qualified tribute with life-saving effects.
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