What does this day, 15th of August mean to you?
What does it mean to you as a woman?
What does in mean to you today in 2013 as an Indian woman, living in India or traveling there? Celebrating this day there?
What are we celebrating India? Our greatness? Our Freedom?
I remember when we celebrated 50 years of Indian Independence in 1997 on August 15th. It was such a milestone for Indians and India. I was rather young, we had the day off. I was in India at the time, and I felt the patriotic spirit beating through me. I always feel it, the Indian-ness, despite many an ex-Indian- Boyfriends' mother telling me I was not Indian enough. The sense of belonging, the Bengali-ness, my Madrasi side, the call from the Bharat Mata flowing through my blood... I'm as Indian as Indian can be. Just because I don't live there permanently don't mean I'm not Indian, just like just because I'm brown don't mean I'm not American. Anyway as I learnt from Patanjali's great scriptures, as well as other Hindu or Indian texts, all this sense of belonging and patriotism is for naught. We are all one, and this life is merely passing. Remember Karma, live this life well, and in the next life we will be fare better.
It occurred to me although its 14th August here, it is the eve of 15th August there. Oh the life of a multicultural person... we always remember all the time zones, and have to wish our friends early or late! So I thought I must put something patriotic up as my cover photo. Which led me think I'd want to put up something depicting Indian women and the Indian flag, because as much as I love India, the flag, the deeper spiritual culture etc. I remembered the atrocities carried out and constantly threatening women - abuse, rape, and the total lack of respect in the heavily misogynistic country!
My google searches gave very few results... reminding me that Ukrainian women were disrespected in India. A young girl was recently raped in a train bathroom; she was but 8! The gang rape of a college student in Delhi last year. The anger towards Indian women in positions of power. The anger towards Indian women who unknowingly appear to disrespect India - Sania Mirza her feet near Indian flag, or was it just the angle of the photo? She must be shunned! Then A random girl who photobombs the Indian Olympic team. Great disrespect. Some actress who wore a tie skirt, of the Indian flag. She must be beaten and stoned. A bunch of foerign women protesting that they were not prostitutes, because white skinend women were being attacked and raped, on the account that they were prosititutes...and then I read this account. Do Indian men really know no boundaries? Well I guess it's ok since the British raped us a century ago. NO! it's not ok!
Come on people! Wake up!
All the good pictures were of men holding the tri-color... oh brother! Gimme a break! Makes me feel like traveling home and doing a photoshoot of women with the tri-color. God bless India.
I'm as proud to be an American as I am to be an Indian at this point. We have brilliant people like Palin, Perry, etc. who are so knowledgeable about stuff, and then on the other hand India... oh India. India has improved a lot, developed, mimicked the west so well. While doing so they have forgotten their amazing strong culture, and spirituality. Instead picking up on the silly things of the culture - just ritualistic religious practice... which is so baseless if you don't study the deeper stuff. How many Indians really do yoga? At this point I think more Americans do yoga... despite Bikram going all "hands on" with his sutdents (if you get my meaning), another misogynistic example. Oh humanity redeem yourself! I'm not gonna say women are treated any better in the US... but as a part of development one would HOPE that a country's standards for how they treat women would improve.
So what shall we celebrate this Independence day India? Freedom from the British? Puhlease... We had a great leader, who some despise, lead us to freedom. Yeah he played the "Game of Thrones" (metaphorically speaking ie. politics), with the Brits, but he did know of the Yogic Sutras, and followed them to extremes. He knew what Brahmacharya means. How many men today can take up true celibacy? Yeah... thought so. We learn nothing from the good men, instead choose to always focus on their flaws.
Culture-vulture, religion-zealigion, progress-digress, we need to figure out ways to break the chain... the chain of violence against women. And let's start with you India, cause I just saw a map, or maps which said that India is the WORST place to be born in the entire world. I felt so let down. In fact, other maps depicted (based on research), that India is a country with the least tolerance to homosexuals, foreigners, and women! *sigh* Progress, independence... to what glory? Oh for the men, right... that's all that matter.
Women of India what are you celebrating today!?
Wake up!
Breathe!
Exhale and let go!
</rant>
PS: wouldn't be surprised if there's a lot of negative backlash to this blog cause ... oh pride! ego! That is strong there... very strong. Sorry Patanjali for letting you down, but obviously the "educated" haven't learned.
Vande Mataram India, Vande Mataram!
Also in the movie Chennai Express they said it was 66th year of independence, yet others claim it is the 67th. Which is it? So we count 1947 or not?
Ending it with -
What does it mean to you as a woman?
What does in mean to you today in 2013 as an Indian woman, living in India or traveling there? Celebrating this day there?
What are we celebrating India? Our greatness? Our Freedom?
I remember when we celebrated 50 years of Indian Independence in 1997 on August 15th. It was such a milestone for Indians and India. I was rather young, we had the day off. I was in India at the time, and I felt the patriotic spirit beating through me. I always feel it, the Indian-ness, despite many an ex-Indian- Boyfriends' mother telling me I was not Indian enough. The sense of belonging, the Bengali-ness, my Madrasi side, the call from the Bharat Mata flowing through my blood... I'm as Indian as Indian can be. Just because I don't live there permanently don't mean I'm not Indian, just like just because I'm brown don't mean I'm not American. Anyway as I learnt from Patanjali's great scriptures, as well as other Hindu or Indian texts, all this sense of belonging and patriotism is for naught. We are all one, and this life is merely passing. Remember Karma, live this life well, and in the next life we will be fare better.
It occurred to me although its 14th August here, it is the eve of 15th August there. Oh the life of a multicultural person... we always remember all the time zones, and have to wish our friends early or late! So I thought I must put something patriotic up as my cover photo. Which led me think I'd want to put up something depicting Indian women and the Indian flag, because as much as I love India, the flag, the deeper spiritual culture etc. I remembered the atrocities carried out and constantly threatening women - abuse, rape, and the total lack of respect in the heavily misogynistic country!
My google searches gave very few results... reminding me that Ukrainian women were disrespected in India. A young girl was recently raped in a train bathroom; she was but 8! The gang rape of a college student in Delhi last year. The anger towards Indian women in positions of power. The anger towards Indian women who unknowingly appear to disrespect India - Sania Mirza her feet near Indian flag, or was it just the angle of the photo? She must be shunned! Then A random girl who photobombs the Indian Olympic team. Great disrespect. Some actress who wore a tie skirt, of the Indian flag. She must be beaten and stoned. A bunch of foerign women protesting that they were not prostitutes, because white skinend women were being attacked and raped, on the account that they were prosititutes...and then I read this account. Do Indian men really know no boundaries? Well I guess it's ok since the British raped us a century ago. NO! it's not ok!
Come on people! Wake up!
All the good pictures were of men holding the tri-color... oh brother! Gimme a break! Makes me feel like traveling home and doing a photoshoot of women with the tri-color. God bless India.
I'm as proud to be an American as I am to be an Indian at this point. We have brilliant people like Palin, Perry, etc. who are so knowledgeable about stuff, and then on the other hand India... oh India. India has improved a lot, developed, mimicked the west so well. While doing so they have forgotten their amazing strong culture, and spirituality. Instead picking up on the silly things of the culture - just ritualistic religious practice... which is so baseless if you don't study the deeper stuff. How many Indians really do yoga? At this point I think more Americans do yoga... despite Bikram going all "hands on" with his sutdents (if you get my meaning), another misogynistic example. Oh humanity redeem yourself! I'm not gonna say women are treated any better in the US... but as a part of development one would HOPE that a country's standards for how they treat women would improve.
So what shall we celebrate this Independence day India? Freedom from the British? Puhlease... We had a great leader, who some despise, lead us to freedom. Yeah he played the "Game of Thrones" (metaphorically speaking ie. politics), with the Brits, but he did know of the Yogic Sutras, and followed them to extremes. He knew what Brahmacharya means. How many men today can take up true celibacy? Yeah... thought so. We learn nothing from the good men, instead choose to always focus on their flaws.
Culture-vulture, religion-zealigion, progress-digress, we need to figure out ways to break the chain... the chain of violence against women. And let's start with you India, cause I just saw a map, or maps which said that India is the WORST place to be born in the entire world. I felt so let down. In fact, other maps depicted (based on research), that India is a country with the least tolerance to homosexuals, foreigners, and women! *sigh* Progress, independence... to what glory? Oh for the men, right... that's all that matter.
Women of India what are you celebrating today!?
Wake up!
Breathe!
Exhale and let go!
</rant>
PS: wouldn't be surprised if there's a lot of negative backlash to this blog cause ... oh pride! ego! That is strong there... very strong. Sorry Patanjali for letting you down, but obviously the "educated" haven't learned.
Vande Mataram India, Vande Mataram!
Also in the movie Chennai Express they said it was 66th year of independence, yet others claim it is the 67th. Which is it? So we count 1947 or not?
Ending it with -
“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
― Mahatma Gandhi
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