The Sabarimala Stigma Role

Though I am a Hindu by birth, I am an Indian first. As a citizen of India, I respect my constitution. Hence, I believe the Supreme Court’s verdict on September 28, 2018 regarding Sabarimala, to be just and progressive. There might be many who would disagree with me for lots of reasons.  The most argued reason being the so-called religious traditions of the temple. The ban on the entry of women aged between 10 and 50 is claimed to be an age-old practise. However, there are documents which show that the entry was strictly banned only after a 1991 Kerala High Court order.  In olden days, women used to visit the temple but not in large numbers as compared to men. What if the ban on entry of women had nothing to do with tradition and religious practise? What if women considered the pilgrimage to be hectic or what if it got developed as a practise with the passage of time? What if it was never obligatory? As we all know, history could be misleading many times.

Let us consider the present scenario – the women arrange everything for the men to be able to go and worship the lord. Even if women are allowed to go to the temple, how many men will be willing to prepare for a comfortable journey for the ladies.

Yet, these could be ignored as illogical assumptions.

Okay, so even if it was a practise of an obligatory nature followed from ancient times, how could the SC’s verdict hurt the sentiments of a religion/group? Well, what harm could the women do by entering the temple? There were traditions in temples that allowed only people belonging to certain castes to enter the shrine. The ones who dissent with North Indian temples that do not allow lower caste people to enter inside the temple, simultaneously supports the temple customs of Sabarimala.

The question is not whether women should enter the temple or not, the question is when the taboos and stigma linked with menstruation ends. The first time when my aunt told me not to go to temple with my sisters I was confused. (Though she explained, I didn’t understand what my menstrual cycle had to do with the purity of a place). There are thousands of other girls like me who, clearly having no idea of such a rule, aren’t permitted to visit temples. Yet, this belief that the sanctity of a shrine will be shattered if a woman on period enters the temple will remain to exist unless a change be brought. And, I believe that the uplifting of the ban on entry of women (within the age group 10 and 50) to Sabarimala proves to be a Magna Carta of gender equality.

Justice D.Y Chandrachud, one of the five judges of the constitution bench said that “The stigma around menstruation has been built up around traditional beliefs in the impurity of menstruating women. The menstrual process of a woman cannot be a valid constitutional basis to deny her the dignity of being and autonomy of personhood. The constitutional values stand above everything else as a principle which brooks no exceptions, even when confronted with a claim of religious belief.”

When such an explanation is given, they would bring in the instances of religious practises by other communities which are discriminative and oppressive. They would bring up the question – Why at Sabarimala? Gandhi says “Be the change you wish to see in the world”. Well, let the change begin from here. Let Hinduism prove to be an all-inclusive religion. Rather than creating havoc over this verdict, the Hindus must be proud and happy to welcome the Supreme Court’s judgement.  We can hope to see further changes in such practises of other religions too, because we live in a country called India.

All this being said, there will still be many people bringing their most powerful argument that it will destroy the sanctity of the Sanctum Sanctorum with the entry of women of all age groups. If the intention is pure devotion and if it is out of total faith then it should never be discriminated on the basis of caste, class, gender or even religion. Many (including the former president of Travancore Devaswom Board) fear that this would turn the shrine of Lord Ayyappa into a  tourism spot. I don’t understand how these same people didn’t bring such a similar concern to the proposal of an airport project for the holy place. Well, I guess increased levels of oestrogen makes a better tourism destination than an effective transportation network (a strategy other tourism spots could adopt).

Finally, to those who would only go by the holy books and scripts and would never let down their stand on the age-old custom, I just have got one thing to say. Just because it is written, it doesn’t have to be followed; and just because it is followed it doesn’t have to be right.

This is the most daring judgement of SC and it will lead to hammer out such ugly prejudices in many religions and help to achieve progressive democracy in society. The pilgrims should visit the shrine following the system of the holy place, men and women alike. They should preserve the true sense of worship.

Vistiary: SECTION 377 - THE PAST AND THE PRESENT

Vistiary: SECTION 377 - THE PAST AND THE PRESENT: On Thursday 6 th 2018, there was a great revolution in the Indian System. There was a huge uproar, throughout the country, of people sup...

SECTION 377 - THE PAST AND THE PRESENT

On September 6^th 2018, there was a great revolution in the Indian System. There was a huge uproar, throughout the country, of people supporting the scrapping of Section 377 of Indian Penal Code.  It brought a vibrant colour to the society and people have started adapting to the circumstances.

Most of us, generally consider Section 377 to be an act that just criminalises homosexuality. However, there are more aspects to it. ‘Section 377’ of the IPC criminalises all the carnal intercourse against the order of nature. This means that all kind of acts like oral sex, anal sex, sex with the same gender or with different species of animals is a crime. It was introduced in India during the British rule in 1862. But it has continued its ways into the twenty first century, branding people with a criminal tag due to their sexual preferences.

The reading down of Section 377 appears to be imminent. However, there were lots of difficulties in bringing upon this change. The section had already been brought down by the Delhi High Court in 2009. The order was in response to a writ petition, Navtej  Johar  vs. Union of India, filed in 2016 under Article 32 by five LGBTQ individuals who argued that their fundamental rights have been infringed upon by Section 377.

The five-judge constitution bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman, Justice A M Khanwilkar, Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice Indu Malhotra had reserved the verdict on July 17,2018 on the conclusion of arguments.

The tone and tenor of the hearing of the matter on July 17 - the day the verdict was reserved - saw the court telling that it was duty-bound to strike down a law that is in conflict with the fundamental rights and not to leave it to majoritarian government to address it.

Now, let’s see why the Section 377 is not against the nature of God. Firstly, being a homosexual is not a choice. It is not up to an individual to choose with whom he/she wishes to have sexual attractions. Secondly, homosexuality is not a disease. There are lots of people who still consider ‘homosexuality’ as a disease which can be cured with treatment, which is a wrong notion. Even, the Indian Psychiatric society has also recently supported the fact that homosexuality is not a disease or choice. Various biological studies also show that homosexuality may be due to genetic and environmental factors. If the nature is itself responsible for such traits to occur on human beings, then how does it be against the nature?

Our History shows that it was tolerant and had a liberal attitude towards homosexuality from the ancient period. There are many instances to prove this. For e.g. , in the temples of Khajuraho, there are images of women erotically arousing each other women and men pleasing each other. The famous Kamasutra has references of homosexuality. Similarly, the Mahabharatha displays a transgender warrior named Shikhandini . Ancient Indian texts, inscriptions and paintings on temple walls, though not much approving of homosexuality, acknowledge its existence in those days. The Islamic territories like the current day Iran and Iraq had an open attitude towards homosexuality in the 16^th century. Yet, people often term homosexuality as against their religious scriptures and as a sin. Whereas, homosexuality isn’t a sin as long as the adults engaged in sexual activities have each other’s consent.

The section 377 of Indian Penal Code states that: “Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal shall be punished with imprisonment for life or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine”. The section also has various implications for heterosexuals. According to the meaning of the section if a man and a woman engage in sexual activities which are against the order of nature they will be punished with imprisonment for life and/or fines. This means that anal sex and oral sex are against the order of nature as they do not contribute to the process of reproduction. This is a really old law introduced during the British rule but times have changed, the concept of sex is no more as much as of a taboo. 

India has a long history of tolerance and compassion towards every section of society as is evident with multi ethnic and multi religious society. Separating homosexuals just for their sexual preferences is anti-nature and anti-Indian. 

In the 21^st century, the laws needs to be progressive and such laws which infringes the sexual choices of an individual has to be scraped down. The society should have broader outlook and accept homosexuals rather than torturing and discriminating them. Their fundamental rights are being violated. Just because homosexuality is not widely practised in India does not mean it is not normal. Just because it is not common does not mean it should be condemned. When people actually put themselves in theirs shoe and realise the hardships they go through from childhood, the way they are treated in the society as criminals or untouchables, how their desires are crushed upon, only then will we be able to understand their position and work for them.

Vistiary: PEACE ON EARTH OR PIECES ON EARTH ?

Vistiary: PEACE ON EARTH OR PIECES ON EARTH ?: When I look around myself I can see the fear for tomorrow in the eyes of people. They are worried about their lives and the world they...

PEACE ON EARTH OR PIECES ON EARTH ?

When I look around myself I can see the fear for tomorrow in the eyes of people. They are worried about their lives and the world they are living in. I am able to hear the unheard cries of those thousands of mothers who are losing their children each day. And I ask myself what can I do?

Every morning we wake up, we are confronted by all such news of violence, crimes etc. on newspapers, radio and other media. The photos shared on social media of children suffering and dying in Syria raises a question- Is this the place where each child expects to grow up? Is this the kind of progressed world we have created for them?

Every child deserves to dream and fulfil their dreams. But how could these children even dream if they are always on vigil for any attacks and haunted by the shower of missiles & bombs. Thousands of civilians are being attacked for no sane reason, including hundreds of innocent children. Such a cold-blooded massacre in the 21^st century! No doubt it is a humanitarian cataclysm.

In Geneva, the UN children’s fund issued a blank “statement”to express its outrage at the casualties among Syrian children, saying it had run out of words. Yes, we all have run out of words and no words, condolences or sorrows are of any use to them.

We have got to accept the truth that we are the ones who are building this reality. We are the ones preparing the modern world to welcome the newer generations while pointing out guns on new born babies and keeping the score of children murdered.  No other species on Earth would be as cruel to their own tribe as humans are.

Nevertheless it’s never too late to realise that we could transform this reality. Nobody is born evil. It is the society that moulds an individual. The main factor behind these wars is religion. However, the ultimate purpose of all religions is to serve and benefit humanity. This is why it is so important that religion always be used to affect the happiness and peace of all beings and not merely to convert others. So why fight in the name of religion? Why judge people by their colour of skin? What urged us to acknowledge someone as an enemy just because of the place they were born in? Why destroy our own species to gain nothing from it? Why spread hatred and negligence instead of love and respect?

Hence, let’s all come together to make this world a better and safe place. Let us for God’s sake stop caring about the gods we pray to. Rather, let’s create a world full of compassion for all the creatures and care about Mother Earth instead of widening our country borders. After all, the Earth is the only place we all have born in and will continue to exist.

The viral picture of a little Syrian girl (not aware about what’s happening in her surroundings) revealing an innocent smile on her innocent face, amidst all the rubble, is an expression of hope. It shows the faith she places in humanity even after all that she had to witness. So, why don’t we restore that faith for the sake of those children? Only then can we be proud of the world we have built for them. ‘Let love be our ultimate religion, earth our home and world peace our aim’.

“What kind of peace do we seek? Not the peace of the grave or the security of the slave. I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, the kind that enables men and nations to grow and to hope and to build a better life for their children--not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women--not merely peace in our time but peace for all time”.

-          John F. Kennedy

The Lost Morality

 It’s been a long time since I wrote something. However, the news articles in the newspapers ignited me to talk on the topic. ‘A hundred year old woman raped to death’. What a perverted act? Has humanity lost all its sanity? How could one do such a brutal, heinous crime? Most of us would have a common instinct to slay the accused. Lynching seems to be the right solution. But I doubt whether that’s going to do any good. Will it stop such sexual violence?

The fatal Delhi gang rape of 2012 led to a massive outcry among the public and it was expected then that such cases will be reduced in the coming years with the development of tougher laws. However, what we are able to see is an absolutely opposite result. Females of every age group are being molested and harassed every day.  In fact, newspapers might be allotting a space for such kind of news piece (and sometimes, as much as a whole page is dedicated for it). Now all the major cities have rape cases to boast about.

The recent news of police station refusing to lodge the FIR on complaint by a teenage girl makes me doubt whether they are in favour of the accused and promoting for more of it. Well, rapes have become an old topic to discuss. The media has made our hearts numb on such issues. We have got so accustomed to all of these that we just ignore them. 

Anyhow, what could one do regarding it? Who is to be blamed for this? Those men? Those chauvinist hypocrites for whom female bodies are just a commodity. Those victims? Those victims of rape who are blamed by the society for their negligence, daring, dressing, talk etc. I just feel sorry for the people who are of the opinion that the number of rapes could be reduced if the women do not leave their homes and remain traditional. Pity at their unsound brains and illogical reasoning! A guy had commented on a social media post that the majority of sexual abuses will cease if ladies wear a shawl. Oh dear brother, only if it were that easy! 

We are all to be blamed for the increase in number of rapes. The blame goes to the government for their lukewarm laws and mild punishments for rapists; the police for ‘who knows what’ reason refuses to file FIR from women during such circumstances; the politicians for bailing out rape criminals; the media for sensationalising rape news simultaneously desensitising the public; the cinemas which are filled with sexist sarcasm; those onlookers who watch a girl being beaten up by a boy and do nothing to stop the crime in the first place; those parents who discriminate their boy and girl child; all those husbands, brothers and boyfriends who assumes a right to harass, suppress and torture their wives, sisters and girlfriends while imposing their rules over them. The whole society needs to be reproached for their victim blaming and unjust, discriminate remarks.

As long as people follow the similar approach, nothing is going to change. Not women empowerment neither pseudo feminism nor moral policing is going to bring down the number of rapes. We have to admit the fact that ‘no man is a saint’ (the recent reports of priests, swamis and baba gurus accused in rape cases are substantiations for it). Every human being has their sexual urges, men and women equally. However, it doesn’t give anyone the right to prey on a human body just to please their needs.