Reading newspaper or watching any news channel nowadays is very sad as they do not reflect brighter side of life. In April 2016, in Ajmer, Rajasthan four foreigners including two women were molested and looted by six local men out of whom one was a minor. Such incidences make me wonder whether India is a nation full of sympathy or hypocrisy.I ask this question frequently.
India is famous for our diverse culture and religion. We have a very old proverb of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’. But do we truly follow this proverb or it is just another illusion? Can we say that we actually treat our guests equivalent to god? Crores of rupees are spent to make advertisement where Amir Khan tries to make everyone understand the meaning of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’.
When Pratuysha Banerjee committed suicide on April 1, 2016, news channels were for many days making speculations about the reasons behind the suicide or murder. Females had gathered together and were all crying, and the whole environment was gruesome. People across India were sympathising with her parents and showing their love and care for Pratuysha.
Meanwhile in the country within the last three months of this year 237 famers have committed suicide and the news channels have made very less coverage of it. May be this news will not increase their TRP. They are not to be blamed, they show what people want to see and people definitely don’t want to see a poor farmer committing suicide. So such news is hardly telecasted.
It appears hypocrisy is reaching its heights. On one side people are sympathising with the young actress who decided to end her life and on the other side we are least bothered to even blink an eye upon those poor farmers who commit suicide because of helplessness. The reaction of the people should be the same in both the suicide sitiuations, but is not the case.
For many days, the channels and newspapers have been discussing the alleged affair between Hritik Roshan and Kangana Ranaut. Is the speculation so important? Are kids who have been orphaned due to their farmer father having committed suicide or a female feoticide in Haryana is not as important as Kagana and Hritik? What knowledge are we gaining out of such news?
Another interesting example. Empowerment refers to increasing the spiritual, political, social or economic strength of individuals and communities. It often involves the empowered developing confidence in the capacities of others. However, females are fighting for entering the temple and mosques and touching the idols of god claiming they should have same rights as males.
In many parts of rural India, females are not allowed to have education, child marriage is still practiced and female foeticide still happens. Are these matters of small importance than fighting to touch godly idols? Every single girl who doesn’t get educated or every single girl who gets pushed into child marriage or killed is a regressive step towards the failure of women empowerment.
Women empowerment doesn’t come by the way of dressing, the right to drink, the right to smoke or by the right to enter a temple or a mosque. It comes with helping other less privileged female to stand on her own feet, to marry on her own terms, to get educated how much ever she likes and in whatever field she wants; to do job of her own liking and to have a decent living.
Indians live in a big illusion that we have very rich culture; but may be in the wrong areas. We are sympathetic people, but hypocrites also. We sympathise with those who least need it, we look into problems not needing our care and we turn our back to those problems if attended can lead to drastic changes. Hence the question: Indians are full of sympathy or hypocrisy?