Menstrual untouchability is a thing guys. A very prevalent thing. Inspite of all the progress we have made in every sphere of life, it's downright disgusting that things like these aren't a thing of the past yet.
I haven't been subjected to a lot of discrimination as I have been living in a nuclear household and even though my mother tried to shove some of her age old ideologies upon me, i never paid heed.
But I remember being subjected to these unjust practices back in my home town. One morning, my maternal uncle was supposed to go to temple, and I was menstruating. Unaware of it, he came and pulled my cheeks.
My aunt, (his wife) disgruntedly pulled him away but it was "too late".
He was visibly upset and gave me a disappointed look. As a 12 year old, the impact it had on me was huge. I remember feeling embarrassed and unsettled and clueless on how to respond to his sudden transition from affection to dismay just because I was on my periods!
Even though I was forced to follow a lot of these regressive practices, I never believed in them. On growing up, I realized that these were highly misogynistic and degrading of women.
I gradually evolved to break every rule in the book when it came to menstrual practices. I have even committed the "heinous sin" of going to a temple while menstruating.
If any religion deems you impure because of a very natural biological process that you're going through, I don't feel the need to follow that religion. I'm sure no God would ever claim his creation impure or worthy of mistreatment in any form. If that is the case, I doubt the credibility of that God.
These practices have a psychological impact on a woman, it affects a women's self worth and dignity.
A lot of women happily follow these practices and encourage others as well to do so because this is what they have been witnessing since childhood and consider it a normal part of womanhood to ever doubt it.
Changing deep seated mindsets is an utopian task. A lot others are forced to follow lead.
But I'm sure a lot of women like me think otherwise and refuse to bow down to age old backward societal practices.
Chage may not happen in a day, but we can definitely sow a seed by imparting the right knowledge to our fellow girls and boys and also refusing to feed these beliefs.
P. S: I am exhilarated by today's verdict allowing women to enter Sabarimala. Things won't change in a day, but I'm sure these recent developments will prove beneficial in the larger scheme of things. It is indeed a revolutionary decision towards gender equality.
Love Harsha
No comments:
Post a Comment