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Are There Degrees Of Consent?

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Recently the Delhi High Court acquitted Peepli Live co-director Mahmood Farooqui, in what seems to be a travesty of a judgement by the judiciary. Feminists and conscientious citizens alike have been outraged.

What has been the case so far: The judgment by Justice Ashutosh Kumar holds that in the modern world where equality is the “buzzword” and where both men and women are “initiators” of sexual acts, consent should not be mere hesitation or reluctance, but a clear and unambiguous “no”. In short, there is no room for a feeble “no”.

“The judgment creates a new defense for the rapist which does not exist in law. There is a double presumption – absence of intention to rape (by the accused) and non-communication by the woman despite a clear ‘no’ from her. The judgment has turned the definition of consent on its head. What was meant to protect the woman has been made into a defense for the rapist. The judgment is dangerous and will allow no conviction for rape at all,” is how Former Additional Solicitor General and noted human rights lawyer Indira Jaising reacted to the judgement. With its head-turning judgement, the judiciary has again established the rigidity of the conservative legal framework. What we are then left with, are the age-old stereotypes of an ideal rape victim, real rape, real resistance, and true consent. What the courts have refused to take into account in their judicial interpretation is that there is no feeble no. A no, in any form of hesitation and resistance is a no.

On the evening of the assault, the facts are these: We know that she went to his house believing they would all be going for a wedding. She found herself alone with a drunk Farooqui and his male friend.  We know she was concerned both about Farooqui’s state of inebriation and his mental health because she called his friend so that he was not left on his own. She wanted to leave soon after arriving. However, Ashish Singh, a friend of Farooqui, asked her to stay back since his wife had not returned, as if being a female friend somehow obligated her to provide “care” for him by “feeding him” in his wife’s absence (pp 4 of the verdict). Despite the fact that she had called a Meru cab (3 times) to leave his home and when the driver couldn’t find the location, she was willing to leave in a rickshaw, she was prevented from doing so by Ashish Singh, using the ruse that it would be unsafe for her to do so. But the judgement still does not take into consideration these interesting aspects into believing that she clearly didn’t consent or was interested in having sexual intercourse with Farooqui. Because c’mon, you wouldn’t want to leave a house so desperately if you wanted to have sex with its resident.

What the judiciary has carefully dissected is the relationship between the accused and the survivor, which it rightly should. it appears that Farooqui and the survivor had multiple interactions usually in the presence of other people. During many of these instances, Farooqui is described as being drunk and there are two mentions of consensual kissing. It isn’t unfair to discern that they may have been casual flirtation between the two. But that is on no account justifiable, nor does it excuse non-consensual sex at any later date.

There is a brilliant animation that uses a cup of tea to explain the concept of consent, and yes, it is as simple as that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQbei5JGiT8

Consent is a constantly negotiated process. Women can consent to certain sexual acts and not others. They can start to have sex but withdraw consent at any time during the act if they are uncomfortable. The judiciary’s stand also reflects the twisted ways in which the larger society creates the definition of consent. There simply aren’t any grey areas between a consensual sexual act and rape. An individual’s hesitation and resistance echoes as loud as a vehement utterance of ‘no’. Just because a woman wasn’t supposedly resolute enough during the act, or preceding the act for reasons which could very well involve fear, does not equate to being ‘playful’ or being a ‘tease’.

In this case, the focus has been conveniently shifted from what the woman said, to what the man understood, illustrating how problematically, the terms of consent can be twisted.

Feature Image Credits: Feminism in India

 

Ankita Dhar Karmakar

[email protected]

 

 

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College of Vocational Studies

Conditioned By Patriarchy

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On the 23rd of September, 2017, a student-run organization called The People’s Club, the ideology of which is to initiate a conversation through engagement, organized an event called “Conditioned by Patriarchy” at the Myolo Headquarters, Green Park. The purpose of the event was to discuss the social conditioning of patriarchy in the modern world. The experts Veenu Kapoor Kakkar and Anshu Singh are a women’s rights activist and a Psychology lecturer respectively. The discussion was moderated by Manu Singh.

A large number of interesting and unconventional questions came up during this discussion. Ideas and issues like a woman’s appearance being central to her value and identity in society, clothing being used as an excuse to justify a crime against women amongst others were discussed at length. The possibility of whether a matriarchy (on a vast scale) could ever be established and if yes whether it would beas problematic as the patriarchy was also brought up. A gender hierarchy in families where the word of the father or grandfather is set in stone and how it affects family dynamics was elaborated upon. The audience was an eclectic bunch of people. Engineers, finance students, practicing lawyers, professional artisans, student journalists and activists amongst others were present. The sheer diversity of the participating group acted as a stimulant to the debate. With different people came different perspectives, which gave the discussion vitality.

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The first expert, Veenu Kapoor Kakkar, having spent more than eighteen years working for the cause of women’s rights highlighted one problematic trend she had seen all across. Whenever people talked about patriarchy, they saw it as an external agency, an outside element. They completely dissociated themselves from the patriarchy; claiming to have no relationship with it. The idea that each one of us, either consciously or subconsciously has acted as an agent of patriarchy is, unfortunately, true. We have been conditioned by society to think in a particular way and until we recognize that at times the way we think may be problematic, we will never actually work upon actually being able to change it. She told the audience that in her experience everybody is somehow affected and influenced by patriarchy and unless we recognise that our ideologies, thought-process, and mindsets may be flawed, we would never truly be able to fight it. Recognising our shortcomings and actively improving on them is a universally applicable life-hack and this is efficient at fighting hidden gender biases as well. Sometimes it is our inherent sexism that we need to fight and one should now be ashamed of acknowledging that. The second expert, Anshu Singh had an immense amount of experience in how our everyday life influenced our understanding of gender and gender roles. The “conditioning” part of the debate’s topic was expertly handled by her so to speak. Her hands-on practical knowledge along with her extensive theoretical knowledge made the discussion more concrete and scientific. Manu Singh, along with being the moderator was also highly knowledgeable about the cultural, historical and socio-economic aspect of the debate. These people with their experiences and knowledge gave the younger members participating in the discussion a different perspective to look at the issue.

Certain problems, the finer nuances of which often go ignored during general discussions and debates were brought up and discussed in detail. The opinions of both students and experts on issues like caste being inter-related with gender, the protectionist attitude of society towards women,   the idea of monogamy, origins of patriarchy, the social contract within marriage, institutionalisation and violence in the current societal system and were talked about at length. It was heart-wrenching watching men and women talk about how patriarchy has affected them in their everyday lives.

The event was concluded by a performance by Sukhmanch Theatre. Some 20 young men and women gathered to present a vivid and lively performance which depicted the condition of women in status quo. Bollywood songs with misogynistic lyrics, catcalling, harassment on the streets, slut-shaming, and child abuse were all incorporated into one cohesive performance that moved the viewers with its intensity. The performance felt all raw because we had just spent the last two hours talking about the plight of women in the modern world. Actors sang lyrics that said “chalti hai kya 9 se 12”, enacted scenes of a little girl being molested or tried to highlight the plight of an acid attack victim, I watched my emotions shift from disgust, to fear, to grief and much more.

Attending this event was a one-of-a-kind experience. It is these groups, be it People’s Club or Sukhmanch Theatre that take upon themselves to play a small role in fighting great injustices. The people who come up with and are involved with these initiatives, whether it involves organising regular discussions to fight prejudice in society or enacting nukkad natak’s to create awareness; have an extremely significant role to play in influencing the mindset of those around them. Witnessing these events, which are full of idealism, with a sense of duty and responsibility and with the purpose to contribute to something greater than themselves that strengthens my faith in my generation. At a time when it is easier to spew hate than giving love; these small initiatives have a big role to play in making the world a better place.

Image credits- The Photography Society of College of Vocational Studies.

 

Kinjal Pandey

[email protected] 

 

 Sukhmanch Theatre gave a riveting performance on sexism and crime against women in India.

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Uncategorized

State University Prints Admit Card With Photo Of Lord Ganesha

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Bihar University printed the admit card of a student with the photo of Lord Ganesha on it. The cards were printed on Wednesday.

Bihar University is not new to controversies. And as is the case with this incident, Bihar University made it to the headlines with another tummy tickling incident. It reportedly printed the photo of Lord Ganesha in the admit card of a student. The admit cards were printed on Wednesday.

This happened with the admit card of Krishna Kumar Roy, a first-year student of Lalith Narayan Mithila University in Darbhanga. He is pursuing B.Com a Programme in the college. As reported by India Today, Roy said “I had filled the examination form correctly along with my photo, but I am shocked to see Lord Ganesha’s photo on my admit card. I am running from pillar to post to rectify the mistake but no one is willing to listen.” What’s more bizarre is that the admit card also has Lord Ganesh’s signature on it. Along with this, there is an error in the residential address of the student as well.

Defending themselves, the authorities of the University said that the mistake was committed by the cyber cafe. They also mentioned that they are inquiring into the matter and will make sure that the student will not face any problems in appearing for the exams.

Image Credits: www.india.com

 

Karan Singhania

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Uncategorized

India: A Failed Or A Puppet Democracy?

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In the recent Human Rights Convention held in Geneva, India tarnished its tag of democracy by voting against the survival of the third sex, internationally.

On 29th of September, 2017, 47 members of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR) met in Geneva to vote for and against banning the death penalty for homosexuals. While the majority, that is, 27 member states voted for the resolution; it came as a big-time shock for Indians since India was one of the 13 states including the United States to have voted against the resolution.

While India’s stand on homosexuality in the past has been quite ambiguous and unclear; having taken a stand at an international level as this, has had the country to pay the price by putting the legitimacy of its tag of democracy under the lens. A country that boasts of its man-made diversity outrightly denies acceptance of nature.

While the resolution limited the death penalty to the “rarest of the rare” cases with the rights of the individuals to be protected; it becomes imperative to note that India’s move has been quite unconstitutional as well, pertaining to the fact that in August 2017, the Supreme Court of India held that “Right to Privacy” is a fundamental right under Article 14, Part III of the Indian Constitution; therefore, the need to scrape out the 160-year-old Section 377, that criminalized sexual activities as “against the order of nature”, including homosexual sexual activities. The section was decriminalized with reference to intercourse between consenting adults by the Delhi High Court in July 2009. However, the judgment was overturned by the Supreme Court of India on 11th of December 2013; declaring it to be an issue to be left at the behest of the Parliament, thereby, persistently having an uncertain stand.

So far, in the international community, there have been 6 states which criminalize homosexuality with death- Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Yemen, Nigeria, and Somalia- including the Islamic States of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The 11 states apart from India and the US are- Botswana, Burundi, Egypt, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, China, Iraq, Japan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Most of the countries from the middle-east have an anti-homo attitude apparently due to their obligation and restriction of the Sharia Law.

The members of the LGBTQ+ community in India despite being looked at with tabooed eyes have succeeded in coming up with their problems and establishing themselves amidst all the stigmas. Manabi Bandopadhyay, a transgender from Kolkata, is the Principal of Krishnanagar College and an activist as well. With this stand, the lives of these people stand jeopardized, as, in the undercurrent, it gives license to the hatemongers, who, as gun-toting bikes, men, might go around assassinating them while we wait to mourn for another martyr. Something similar has already surfaced in the capital, wherein, a boy of class 12 was brutally thrashed by a group of men who had earlier called him a gay, in Shakarpur area this Sunday.

In December 2015, Lok Sabha member Shashi Tharoor of the Indian National Congress had suggested a private member bill to replace section 377 in the Indian Penal Code and decriminalize same-sex relationships; that was turned down at its very initial stage. It was taken up by him yet again, in the year 2016 but was voted down for the second time. It is quite ironical to note that our foreign pseudo-ancestors, who tainted us with the bane around 160 years ago by getting it imbibed into the Constitution; are the European nations who chose humanity over the so-called “beliefs”, while we stand on the same threshold. Most of the Latin American and European countries voted for the resolution.

India as a nation seems to be at a tug-of-war with her own beliefs and practices. This has become quite evident through the very fact that so far, none of the Governments in power, have ever, in their tenure, come clean with a stand on this issue. It has, like every other issue, been reduced to another rung of vote-bank politics.

It seems as if India is trying to follow or borrow some of the ideologies from the Sharia Law, in this context, of course.

Image credit- Press Trust of India

 

Shrija Ganguly

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Uncategorized

Bollywood Songs Glorify And Promote Sexism, Stalking and Harassment

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Bollywood films and songs are often laced with sexism, which does injustice to both women and men by turning the former into a victim and the latter into an aggressor.

“Filmi dhun pe dekh ke tujhko

Seeti roz bajaun”

“Socha hai key tumhe rasta bhulaye

Sunee jagah pe kahin chhede daraye”

The aforementioned lyrics have been taken from the songs “ and “Socha Hai”. These songs have steadily been climbing the charts and continue to be extremely popular. The concept of remixing old Bollywood songs and repackaging them to a younger audience has now become the Bollywood norm. Though these songs may evoke nostalgia, it is not the only emotion these remixes incite. With their lyrics and visuals, these songs normalise everyday sexism, stalking, and harassment.

The difficulty with highlighting sexism is that people don’t ever find it legitimate or problematic “enough”. When people, especially women, call out the casual sexism in films, they are labelled as “overtly sensitive buzz kills” or, “feminazis”. When women complain against being inappropriately touched in the metro, people around them respond with “ mein chala karo na (madam,then travel in the ladies’ coach).

The wage gap has been labelled a myth, and marital rape is legal in our country because as Ms. Maneka Gandhi, Union Minister for Women & Child Development, resonates, “It is considered that the concept of marital rape, as understood internationally, cannot be suitably applied in the Indian context due to various factors like level of education/illiteracy, poverty, myriad social customs and values, religious beliefs, mindset of the society to treat the marriage as a sacrament.” Even when brutal crimes against women take place, for instance the Nirbhaya rape case, people have the audacity to blame it on the actions of the victim – her clothing, her company, her social habits, and more.

In short, there is always justification for harassment and rape. We, as a country, do not regard crime against women or even everyday sexism as a problem, we do not acknowledge our problematic mindset. And, believe it or not, our films do play a significant role in that. Our films, on a regular basis, show male characters actively pursuing their love interest by following her around, annoying her, troubling her, and refusing to take no for an answer. In a recent example, in the song “Hans Mat Pagli” from the film “Toilet – Ek Prem Katha”, Akshay Kumar pursues Bhumi Pednekar by stalking her. He sits outside her house, follows her around, climbs trees to secretly photograph her, attacks other men who so much as look at her, and more. This kind of behaviour is not new to Bollywood; this has been going around for so long that it has now been ingrained in our society and we don’t even find it odd anymore. In a country where only 30% of people live in urban areas, in a country where interaction between the sexes is discouraged, this is even more problematic.

When impressionable young men, who may not necessarily be in touch with non-familial people of the opposite gender, watch these films, their idea of romance and love gets distorted. The hero ends up dating the heroine as a result of his shameful antics. Consequentially, young men come to the conclusion that stalking a woman is perfectly normal and acceptable. The idea that this behaviour is unusual or strange never comes to their mind because nobody talks about relationships openly and only films create the idea of what love should be.

 

Films don’t just affect how young men choose to conduct themselves, but also affect how young women think of themselves. When films portray women as reluctant and naïve, as someone always shying from both active romantic and sexual relationships, it sets the norm of how women should act in real life. It takes away the autonomy of women and establishes that “good” women should never ever want “it”, “it” being both love and sexual contact. When we make women asexual beings, who can only be pursued but can never pursue, we make sexuality in women unacceptable and thus legitimise moral policing.

The “good” women in these films are tragically ignorant and reluctant. Despite liberalisation, greater education for women, and better employment opportunities, the narrative of the reluctant woman has remained the same. From 1972, when Jaya Bhaduri sang “Nahin Nahin, Abhi Nahin” to Randhir Kapoor, to 2017, when Kriti Sanon sang “Na Na Na Na” to Sushant Singh Rajput, the idea of a woman being passive and shy hasn’t changed. If you paid attention to the number of times women said “nahin” or “na” (no) in a Bollywood song, you would be appalled.

Even though sexuality is expressed in Bollywood through ”item songs”, the sexualisation is acceptable only as long as it caters to the male gaze. Overtly sexual Bollywood songs are only deemed acceptable when they cater to men. These songs mostly include a bunch of men (ideally consuming alcohol) leering at a skimpily clad woman. So while the “strictly chaste love” portrayal has considerably reduced, any kind of sexuality in films is limited to women being treated like objects.

“Main toh tandoori murgi hun yar, gatak le mujhe alchohol se” which translates to “I am barbecued chicken, swallow me with alcohol” were the lyrics in the song “Fevicol” from the film Dabangg 2. These crass and crude lyrics are not one of a kind. In fact, the censor board continues to pass films with outright bizarre and perverse innuendos and dialogues, such as Grand Masti, as long as they objectify women. But when women try to seek autonomy and express their sexuality without catering to the male gaze, for instance in “Lipstick Under My Burkha”, the film is denied release because it is “lady-oriented”.

Some people say art imitates life, but I am of the belief that life imitates art as well. It is a symbiotic relationship, where one is dependent and influenced by the other. When people say Honey Singh’s sexist lyrics or films that objectify women do not affect and influence people, they are willingly choosing to live in an alternative reality.

Bollywood continues to be crucial in affecting our lives, and actors continue to be revered like gods. One cannot deny the influence that Bollywood has on us. These songs normalise harassment, they make women look like puppets who have little autonomy and control over their lives, they sexualise women, and only cater to the male gaze. It is high time that they are called out for the same.

The next time someone releases a song called “Tu cheez badi hai mast mast”, which clearly objectifies a woman, I hope their song does not become a chartbuster. I hope people become aware enough to recognise this kind of behaviour as deplorable and actively seek better forms of entertainment.

Feature Image Credits: Lyricsmint

 

Kinjal Pandey

[email protected]

 

 

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DUB Speak

Body-shaming vs Fitness Advice: Where Do We Draw the Line?

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Everyday magazines, TV shows, celebrities and the entire fashion industry sell us the idea of the perfect body. Who decided what was the “perfect” body? And when did we start shaming others for not fitting in a size?

Two years ago, the “perfect” body consisted of a thigh gap; however, currently in 2017, being “thick” is the new “perfect” and thigh gaps are looked down upon. The rules of fashion change every week and it is hard to keep up – but it isn’t hard to ignore. We usually don’t see what happens after that. With the rules of fashion, the definition of the “perfect” body also changes and with that, comes the eating disorders, the insecurities and self-hate, the suicidal tendencies, and body-shaming. “You can’t wear that,” “This doesn’t suit your body type,” are just some things we hear, and say, on a regular basis. “You have lost weight,” is synonymous with “You look better than before,” and it is taken as a compliment instead of a concern like it should be – but what was the problem with that extra weight before?

And it isn’t just about the extra weight, it is also about the lack of it, the incorrect placement of it, the exact number on the scale, and the relation of that to one’s beauty, that makes body-shaming such an easy thing to prevail in our society. The industry has made us hate almost anything natural about the human body – from stretch marks to love handles, is there anything even left to appreciate about a non-airbrushed body?

Sure, we have plus-sized models in the scene, who are slowing making way on to ramps and magazine covers, but our feeble minds are so used to seeking smooth, tight skins on those ramps and covers, that we forget how to appreciate a natural body. Plus-size models, although inspiring, amazing, and necessary, are called out for “promoting obesity and living an unhealthy lifestyle.” There’s a difference between fitness advice and body shaming, just like there’s a difference between fashion advice and putting people down for their body type or their weight.

Mindy Kaling very rightly said in an interview that sometimes people don’t realise that they’re going back to square one on this issue when they tell her stuff like “you’re setting goals for unconventional body type people.” Calling someone an “unconventional” body type when they’re not medically obese is just factually wrong. Forget about being insensitive, that’s inaccurate.

This, obviously, does not in any way imply that people can’t set fitness goals for themselves. It just comes down to not imposing the same on others and, especially, shaming them for being confident in their own skin (whether it is to your taste or not). Well, like they say: charity begins at home. Our battles against body-shaming can only be won when we look at ourselves in the mirror without cringing, without finding a single flaw in our natural selves.

Image Credits: The KN Clan

 

Anagha Rakta
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Features

Social Work and Personal Growth – The Story of a Teach For India Fellow

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Equal access to education is a basic right, one that can change the entire economy of a country. Presently, 48% of the 320 million children in India do not make it past Grade 5. They represent a large and unutilised population that could contribute to the growth and development of the country if they are given access to education.

Teach For India brings together the brightest, most driven students from the best universities. Why? Because they all have the same desire — to ensure that one day, all children in India attain an excellent education. For two years, the TFI Fellows work as teachers with 30 students, in under-resourced schools with the aim of inculcating the right skills, knowledge, and mindsets into the next generation of thinkers and changemakers.

Through these two years, Fellows not only impact the children they teach, but become aware of the challenges in the Indian education system. With this awareness comes personal growth that impacts their very core.

Shreya Verma, a current Fellow and alumni of DU, joined the Fellowship in 2016. Troubled with the state of the Indian education system, she decided to start making a change beyond simply staying in the field of education.

Shreya teaches 70 Grade 9 girls at Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya in J-block, Sangam Vihar and loves it. However, starting as a new Fellow wasn’t as easy as she thought it would be.

Being an introvert, interacting with parents of her students and the outside community was a challenge for Shreya. Building a relationship with the girls proved to be an additional challenge. The girls were used to a male Fellow, but in due time Shreya broke down this wall, creating a space safe for communication and vulnerability. According to her, she felt this wall break down when the girls picked up on her low emotions and vulnerabilities. Seeing her distraught, a lot of personal stories started being told, with the girls slowly opening up to her. “Now, when I come in and the girls see that I can only give 50% today, they’ll give me 50% to make it 100%,” says Shreya. She has become their didi— the person they look up to.

Emotions aside, Shreya made it her aim to provide her girls with strength and resources in school. After school hours, the girls would come to the learning centre at the Odyssey project, a project that’s part of the Be the Change Project, a Teach For India initiative. This centre is a place where the girls from her school can come, interact, and learn from Fellows and each other while developing leadership skills for the future. Shreya saw a lot of her girls coming to clarify doubts and helping one another out.

Going into her second year of the Fellowship, Shreya feels as if this school and community have been a part of her for longer than a year. She attributes a lot of this growth to her ever present Programme Manager lending support and advice during their personal sessions. For her, the desire to see her students grow and succeed has taught her the meaning of discipline and hard work on her side. The management and organisation of her classroom, lessons, and children is now reflected in every aspect of her life.

With such growth, Shreya feels ready to take on her second year and the educational sector.

 

Inspired by Shreya’s story? Applications for the 2018 Fellowship Program are now open, and final year students are eligible to apply. Click here to learn more. The deadline for applications is 29th October 2017.

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Cultural Festivals

Non-DU Fests You Shouldn’t Miss

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College cultural fests are supposedly the highlight of the college year. Fests give a chance to explore other colleges, participate in or be an observer of interactive events and competitions, eat a lot, and enjoy. While those people who are a part of societies have an idea of other universities and colleges’ fests due to competitions, others are usually not quite aware of them. Solo and group registrations can be done for various events at outstation fests for a fee that usually includes food and accommodation, and you’re done! So here’s a look at the most well-known fests of the country where you can choose to go before fest season begins at DU:

  1. Mood Indigo, IIT-Bombay

IIT Bombay hosts what is considered to be Asia’s biggest college fest with a footfall of more than 1 lakh students. Apart from competitions on stand-up comedy, dance, theatre, singing, and ‘Star Night’, there are also ‘ProShows’, which see professionals from the fields of arts and performance. It is usually held in the last week of December.

  1. Rendezvous, IIT Delhi

Held around mid-October for a period of four days, it is well-known for its fashion show event and the rock band competition. The sprawling campus of IIT Delhi sees participation of students from over 400 colleges and also has events like open mic poetry and a DJ competition.

  1. Oasis, BITS Pilani

It is held over a period of 96-hours a week before Diwali, usually. While it is relatively a newer entry for having started in 2006, it has built a reputation of being one of the most enjoyable fests with its star night featuring the likes of Kailash Kher, its novel Rap Wars, and interesting themes, set in the town of Pilani.

  1. Unmaad, IIM Bangalore

Taking place towards the end of January, it is the biggest B-school fest in the country that has featured entertainers like Zakir Khan, The Local Train, Amit Trivedi and Farhan Akhtar. Its grand scale and plethora of events are sure to keep you busy during the 72-hour duration.

 

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Rishika Singh

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DUB Speak

The Not-So-Easy Life Of Saudi Women

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The recent upliftment of driving ban, government’s strategy under the garb of the move and women’s miserable lives – is the battle against patriarchy over in Saudi Arabia?

The recent announcement by the Saudi royal family and officials of the upliftment of ban on women’s driving may seem like an unprecedented victory for Saudi women but it has little to do with their empowerment. Besides, it will be implemented till June 2018.

The sudden news can be anticipated as part of the crown prince, Mohammad bin Salman’s Vision 2020 or a strategy to improve his image internationally after ousting two distinguished prospective crown princes. This ‘radical’ change would improve his stature as a ‘feminist’ thinker and assist him in ascending the throne very soon. But all the applause that is being showered on the royal family is not to be credited to them but those women who struggled for this right since the 1990s and ended up in jails.

During the press release, it was stated that a special committee would be made to chalk out the way to go about implementing this idea of women driving motor vehicles in Saudi Arabia. What is quite startling to note is that this has been issued stating its accordance with the Sharia law and order which according to the officials earlier could damage women’s ovaries and jeopardise their fertility.
First and foremost, the question that arises is the new law’s proper and just implementation, whether the male guardian’s permission still be an obstacle in giving women this freedom and to what extent will they be able to contribute to the country’s economic growth.

Now you must be thinking what this male guardianship is and that is where Saudi women’s real freedom lies. Women in Saudi Arabia cannot travel, marry, get educated, employed or even get a medical surgery done without a male (whether father, husband, son or any other male relative) guardian’s consent. They cannot mingle or even talk with the male fraternity in public barring their guardian(s). Saudi women don’t even have a right over her children beyond age 7 for daughters and 9 for sons. Giving the son the authority to decide the mother’s fate is absolutely appalling and so in line with ancient traditions. Women are considered as mere objects for sexual pleasures.
Women and men all over the world have been trying to escape the shackles of patriarchy and here is a country that is reinstating ancient patriarchy and practically has not entered the 21st-century mindset.

I hope that these women’s lives can be changed similar to the women of Israel and Egypt and also hope you feel proud to be in a country like India.

Feature Image Credits: mintpressnews.com

 

Prachi Mehra
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Arts & Culture

The Coming-Of-Age Crisis in History of Wolves

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“Maybe there is a way to climb above everything, some special ladder or insight, some optical vantage point that allows a clear, unobstructed view of things. Maybe this way of seeing comes naturally to some people. Maybe if I’d been someone else I’d see it differently. But isn’t that the crux of the problem? Wouldn’t we all act differently if we were someone else?”

The crisis of coming-of-age identity and the adult world’s inherent debacle over thinking and doing forms the central motif in History of Wolves, the debut novel by Emily Fridlund and one of the six  Booker Prize shortlisted novels of 2017. Quite certainly a more literally and thematically complex read compared to its competitors for the coveted prize, the initial storytelling and the ability of the author to paint detailed pictures even in an economy of words stand out while her inability to bring any substantial coherence to the plot devices disappoints.

The novel is narrated from the perspective of now adult, but primarily a socially outcast girl in Madeline Furston, (also known as ‘Linda’ or ‘Freak’ or ‘Commie’ by her classmates). Her quest of self-centers around her new neighbours in an otherwise secluded and disturbed upbringing in a lakeside commune in Northern Minnesota which later develops in her teenage experiences with her newly appointed history teacher Mr. Grierson and her classmate Lily. Throughout the text the storyline traces its path notoriously meandering across the time and space, expanding from her childhood days to her life as a grown-up adult leaving the reader with multiple interpretations of how the things turn out to be.

Every page of the book seems overpowered with a chill running down the spine, and a feeling that something bad is going to happen. So powerful is the narration that an icy, soul-wrenching gust of air seems to blow throughout, and so grim is the dark and wintery portrayal of the geographical diameters of Linda and her school that the tale looks almost haunted. The treatment of the characters is powerful. Even for their grey underlined side which is always distinct, the reader is forced to sympathise with their paralysing loneliness, but the author invariably creates an emotional remoteness which prevents any other emotion in a reader than cold sympathy. That told of the remote plotline and the author’s inability to bring to a sensible closure the various parallel story strands strikeout, the reader left invariably dissatisfied, and sad.

History of Wolves does not fail to retain the tension of the plot, making the reader frantically turn the pages and identify the scandalous restlessness building up in their hearts, but the disappointing coda makes the novel fall yards short of greatness. Nevertheless, the promising abilities which Mrs. Fridlund exhibits in coming up with an atypical coming of age thriller and retaining an almost unfailing control over her diverse characters and expansive and parallel storylines are sure to establish her as one of the most promising authors of our time.

Image Credit– powells.com

 

Nikhil Kumar

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