This article has been written for Techkriti Blog for a Cause Contest. The topic was: “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the World.” Write about a particular issue concerning the position of women in today’s society. For more information visit: http://www.socialscribblers.in/techkriti-blog-cause/

1. “THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE RULES THE
WORLD “
The woman is a pillar of the nation.’ What does this statement
emphasize? This statement says that without a woman, the nation cannot
stand just as a palace cannot stand without its pillars. Our population is
made up of 50% of women. What role does a woman play in our life?
Have we ever wondered what would happen if there was no woman? Are
women as safe as they should be? Let us see.
A woman plays many roles in our life. She is a mother whom we
love the most. She is a friend, a lover, a sister, a grandmother and a
teacher. But only a fraction of people consider themselves fortunate that
they have given birth to a girl child. They support their daughters and are
happy with them. Such people have tried to erase the difference between
a girl and a boy. We pray to Goddess Saraswati for her knowledge and her
melodious voice, Goddess Lakshmi for her wealth, Goddess Durga for
war, peace and enlightment. Also, many women have set an example

2. before us that they are no less than a man, like Razia Sultan; she was the
first lady ruler of the world. Similarly, Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi fought for
her motherland against the Britishers. Annie Besant was the first female
President of Indian National Congress. Kiran Bedi was the first female IPS
officer. Mother Teresa was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. Indira
Gandhi was the first female Prime Minister of India. Pratibha Devi Patil
was the first female President of India. Meira Kumar was the first woman
Speaker of Lok Sabha. Many other women are also there who have set
excellent examples before us.
But the love, affection and respect that a woman deserves, are we
giving her that? Most of the women in our society are uneducated. Even
their families do not encourage them to get educated. Also, the demand
for a boy has increased the number of female deaths. Some of the girls
die because of poverty, some because of high illiteracy levels, and some
because of poor nutritional status and because of ill health. I read
somewhere that out of 12 million girls who take birth every year, only
one-third of this population is able to survive and live till their 15th
birthday. A woman suffers so much pain but still she has a lock on her
mouth. Also, girls are deprived of many of the rights that a boy enjoys.
The value of a woman is unrecognized in the society. People have
forgotten that it is a woman who gives birth to a boy. Why do we always
feel that a boy is much stronger than a girl when we know that a girl is
mentally stronger than boys?
Now, I would like to draw your attention to the biggest ever tragedy
that took place in Delhi on 16 December, 2012. This gang rape case
sought attention from all over India. People became furious. They were
filled with aggression. They wanted the accused to be hanged to death at

3. that particular point of time. The gang rape victim suffered so much and
at last, she lost her life. Also, female infanticides and foeticides are the
most popular social evils prevailing in the country. These evils are the
outcome of poverty, illiteracy and gender discrimination. In ancient times
also, woman had to suffer a lot. She had to perform Sati when her
husband died. Also, Rajput women had to perform Jauhar when the ruler
was on the point of losing a war. Many women had to take part in Purdah
and Devadasis. After the Delhi gang rape case, there a pause in the crimes
happening against women. But now, every day, there are so many girls or
women who are raped. On the roads, many girls are commented on their
looks and appearances. Also, girls receive dirty messages and MMSes.
These days women are harassed for dowry after marriage. In such cases,
a woman is driven to suicide or her in-laws kill her. The increasing number
of sexual harassment cases and forced prostitution of young girls have
become a matter of grave concern. Innovative techniques like biopsy,
ultrasound, scan tests and amniocentesis, devised to detect genetic
abnormalities, are highly misused by a number of families to detect
gender of the unborn child.
Keeping these issues in mind, the government has taken many strict
and major steps for the protection of women. But have these measures
really worked??? Do the women have safety rights? Can the girls and
women freely move at night? I don’t feel so. Now, we need to take special
care of our body language. There is a need to take care when we
communicate with strangers on social networking sites. Delhi is prone to
gang rapes and other crimes against women. Despite the governmental
steps that have been taken, India ranks 4th in the world in being the most

4. dangerous country for women. Also, women in India continue to face
atrocities like acid throwing, etc.
In the light of these issues, do Indian women have a bright future?
Yes. They do have. But for this, the women themselves will have to
ensure it by being vigilant, alert and united. They should unite and
struggle against injustice, discrimination and ill-treatment. When a
woman can care for the whole family, then why can’t we look after her?
When we can respect the Goddesses who are also women, then why
can’t we respect the women in our society? We cannot imagine a world
without a woman. Then is it not important to respect her? It is said that
God also helps those who help themselves and it is equally true in the
case of equality and liberty of women in India. A woman will always be
immortal.
“A HAPPY GIRL IS THE FUTURE OF OUR COUNTRY.”
-Devanshi Gupta