The theme of International Women’s Day 2021 is ‘Choose to
Challenge’. Those who choose to challenge are choosing to be alert, aware and
active. They are ready to stand up and stand out from the crowd. History is
witness to many such women who have risen up to the challenge.
However, it is also true that there has been great
opposition to the courageous ones. Savitribai Phule & Fatima Sheikh had
dung and stones hurled at them. Rosa Parks was arrested for seating on a ‘reserved’
seat in a bus. There are many who have been attacked, brutalised and murdered
for rising up.
Today on social media, we see Freudian slips by many in
the way they troll the women that speak up. The abuse includes threats to rape.
And such regressive trolls are followed and supported by others who themselves
may not have a courage of unmasking their real attitude towards women.
Prejudice is born of discriminatory conditioning. The
challengers could do without abuse and bigoted judgements. May be the rest of
us have to choose to challenge our own chauvinism & prejudice. We must call
out gender bias. We must choose to be sensitive, responsive and responsible to help
create an inclusive world.
those who choose to challenge, every day
need a non-judgemental, abuse-free way!
~ Pravin K. Sabnis
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