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My choice



Feminism, according to Wikipedia is, "a collection of movements and ideologies that share a common goal: to define, establish, and achieve equal political, economic, cultural, personal, and social rights for women. This includes seeking to establish equal opportunities for women in education and employment."

There has been so much hysteria over #Vogue Empower's latest video campaign-"My choice"  featuring Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone, directed by Bollywood director Homi Adajania! Everywhere I go, people seem to talk about it and suddenly "women empowerment" and "feminism" seem to be the new buzz words! 

I watched the video made by Vogue and must confess, it failed to impress me. I love Deepika Padukone as an actress and I am sure she has her own reasons to take up a social cause like women empowerment and I respect her for that but I am not convinced the content of the video succeeds to convey message effectively. 

Let us assume that Vogue India's intention in making this video was not commercial gain but purely altruistic. It had all the potential of celebrating women's right to choose but the content comes across as far removed from ground reality, is too farfetched and gives a distorted view of "feminism" and "women empowerment". The lines said by Deepika lack power to evoke emotion and the depth to invoke thought thus alienating and diluting the very premise of the message. Is feminism about women versus men? Why not women AND men? There appears to be complete ignorance about grass root pragmatic issues of women. Our paradigm shift needs to really be in what women need to desire for themselves as their spaces of liberty.

It is constant endeavour for any Indian woman to protect the wings of her freedom from being clipped by the opinions or attitudes that demand blind subservience to conformity or slavish attitudes towards out dated traditions and mindsets, the real malaise where women are thought to be dispensable!  Unfortunately the reality around me shows many privileged young urban women not having the gumption to be the architects of their own destiny.

Of course, gender politics and the comprehension of equality and humanism needs to be addressed urgently today. There are no tricks involved to determine dignity and honesty within relationships between the two sexes; and men only have to reflect upon one of the age old precincts of common sense wisdom, which is to respect another as you would yourself. It is in the small gestures of consideration that we humanize our engagement with people and determine the value of intentions by our corresponding actions. We need to make this the credo for all human behaviour if we are to evidence significant change in society. Subtlety is undoubtedly the most alluring magic within the arena of sexuality and it has to hold consensual desire for it to manifest its beauty.

Still I Rise

You may write me down history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise. 

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you best with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room. 
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like tear drops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it aweful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own backyard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you? 
Does it come as a surprise?
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise

I am black ocean,leaping and wide,
welling and swelling I bear the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise

Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and hope of the slave.
I rise.
I rise.
I rise.

Maya Angelu

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