“Where the mind is without fear…”

“Where the mind is without fear and the head held high…” Rabindranath Tagore touched millions of hearts when he wrote this poem. The poem was written in the pre-independence era, in which Tagore wanted his countrymen to live a life with dignity and honour, a life with freedom. But I see a connection between the verses of the poem and today’s world. Ours is a country known for its great tradition and culture. It’s a country where goddesses Laxmi, Durga, Saraswati are revered. But are women actually safe in the land where women in the form of goddesses are worshipped? I am appalled when I read the newspapers these days. Women are facing so many attacks; acid attacks, rapes, domestic violence, trafficking… No wonder our parents are always worried about the security of us girls. We are not allowed to do so many things in the name of safety. So is our mind actually without fear?

The Nirbhaya case and the Asifa case shook the nation. Unfortunately, the magnitude of crimes against women has been on a steady increase. In a study it was estimated that almost two thousand of married women face domestic violence. The average crime rate is almost twenty or more per one lakh of population. To top it all, the national capital, New Delhi, is also often termed as the crime capital of our country.

Former U.N. Secretary General, Kofi Annan, rightly stated: “There is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women.” It’s time the people and the government of our nation understood that development of women is, in fact, the development of the nation.

The Indian government has done a lot in terms of legislations for safeguarding the interests of women. Many laws have been passed since independence to protect their lot. But the law should be over and above everyone and should apply to everybody whether governor or governed. Sadly this is not the case in our country. We so often come across cases where the rich and powerful, the so-called “well connected” people of our society manage to commit crimes without being caught.

Beti Bachao Beti Padao is a big and farsighted campaign by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But it’s my appeal to him that instead of keeping these schemes on paper something should be done so that the guilty are punished in such a way that nobody dares to commit crimes against women ever in their wildest dreams. Make the judicial system such that the perpetrators are punished immediately. Justice delayed is also justice denied.

Women deserve a better position and status in society. Their destiny should not be governed by a mere loss in the gender toss. God has made women with a perfect blend of strength and tenderness.

Women deserve a better position and status in society. Their destiny should not be governed by a mere loss in the gender toss. India’s women, for ages, have taken charge even on the battlefield and fought for their country and freedom. God has made women with a perfect blend of strength and tenderness.

Though our Constitution provides many rights to the female section of our society, we are still far behind in achieving the equality the Constitution talks about. The most important need at this hour is to educate and sensitize male members of society so that they stop their discriminatory practices towards women. For this to happen, first of all, efforts should begin from our homes where we must empower female members of our family by providing them with equal opportunities of education, health, and decision-making without any discrimination. Because India can become a powerful nation only if it truly empowers its women. And only then will we awake in a country “where the mind is without fear and the head held high…”