By Gwangphun Gangmei
I am a man born of a woman. I am morally obliged as a man to stands, and to speak for the welfare and security of women. Today in a men dominated society, it is indeed very hard for women to really express their pains and rights to be heard and get comforted, secured or relieved. The dominant attitude of men still holds strong refusing to listen to and understand the position of women. Today, women, girls or female human being are being greatly devalued, lowered their dignity below humanity. By culture or fashion of the world, Women’s value and dignity have been greatly damaged and their position as equally human being are so unnaturally lowered. They are made as an object for men’s gratification. They can be sold, bought or bartered. They are used as beast of burden or slaves in the homes. Many a time, they are beaten, treated and even killed for no false of their own. Being weaker vessels, helpless and beautiful in form and structure, men folk’s attempts to molest rape or tease much against their will.
What an inhumane world is our world becoming? What shall we as men do about changing this wicked scenario? Men must realize and enlightened. Women must awake onto their status and rights to live a free life together with men. This generation must be changed to generation of love, hope and prosperity.
The reality and unwanted truth is, women are not an animal or lower human being. They are equally human being in all manner and nature. I states, that women are complement part of men; man without woman is not a complete humanity. Therefore human society consists of both man and woman. Half or more of Human population is women. If man advocates inequality of status with women or put women lower being than men, on what authority is such sanctioned against the will and plan of the creator? What gain or good will man profit other than prideful dominant ruling which naturally leads to human downfall? What is better than mutual sharing, understanding, helping and mutual living together with women? Man needs woman to build a home, society and nation. I am pain to see disparity and discrepancy in today society where women are compelled and conditioned, subjection to men’s wilful imposition. I don’t read books on women’s rights neither intend to gain their favour nor bribed. I only feel and understand their conditions by observing their plights not by hearing their report of grievances but by listening, observing and sensing their pain through their unspoken languages. I feel like am intervened by unseen touch, to spell out the truth about the other person called Woman. I accepted this inspiration and moved to write on Women’s reality left in obscured region of humanity induced or shaped by patriarchal system of human society. Women silently suffer throughout generations in the hands of men as systemized in the given society. Men remain stiff-necked and go on about doing their will upon women. Some blame women pointing to the event of Eden incidence and justifies that it is the creator’s designed, or as penalty given to women for committing the first sin. Any excuse or blame men may put on women to make their rights justified can never suffice the reason for their action against the will and rights of women. However, strong the justification we Man may put on the issue, the truth remains and some day, the light of trut
h will shine upon the stiff-necked and eventually women-kind will be emancipated forever from the man-made imposition of authority over women.
Nature bears witness that Woman painfully generates mankind. Naturally Men are made to be loving and kind to women for painfully bearing human generation. Man was alone and incomplete without woman and so God made woman out of man to be with man as better half-of human being. Woman is said to be the better half of man. Man the stronger half of woman. Therefore, the biblical psalmist states, Man(man & woman) are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Unnaturally and unfortunately, women are being treated by mankind as server or servant to man. This mentality of man over woman is predominantly shaped as human culture. I said, this is not right. This is not what God made woman to be so. I believe, God made woman to be definitely with man as equal being having equally different functions, role and responsibility in all spheres of life. God made no lesser brain for woman and no lesser heart for man. The difference is in the use of it. Man’s brain and woman’s heart must work together to make a perfect whole of humanity. Man tried to use their brains without woman’s to run the human society. The spoiled is irreparable and humanity is kept imbalanced. The sorrow of humanity results due to imbalance system of human society created by mankind. Womankind and mankind together makes humanity balance and perfect. Restoration of humanity to its balance position depends on man’s realization of their wrong mentality and woman’s as well their accepted condition. Woman must realize that they are equally human being having equal responsibility for the good or bad of the society. Men too must sense that women are equally responsible for the bad or good of the society. Having sense this equableness can humanity live together in harmony as designed by the Creator. In order to maintain peace, justice and harmony in the society, both the sexes must equally sense the need for each other, respect each other and help each other in all affairs of life; social, political, spiritual and day to day personal and inter-personal activities. Man and woman must work together, shouldering the responsibility to care, preserve and protect life not only of man but also of animal and plants. The work of Human welfare lies in both the sexes. Nature defines clearly the role, function and duty of man and woman, each to perform in relation to each other and for each other. God never give greater responsibility to man and lesser to woman. It is wrong to think the other way too. Man cannot reproduce without woman and vice-versa. Man therefore cannot live without woman and woman as well. Humanity needs each other for the purpose of human race to continue here on earth. In every consideration both the sexes must necessarily be included. Both are equally responsible and contributive. It is wrong to think that different in sex makes the difference in social status or rights. Human rights speak of both the sexes in equal term and volume. Man and woman are born free and given equal liberty to choose or do as he or she likes. Each is responsible for one’s own action or choice. The false and sin of man cannot be transferred to woman and vice-versa. Therefore God judges man and woman as per his or her work. The dignity of man and woman as a human person is equal in the eye of God and so we must view as God views it. In the context of Naga society, where belief system is being shifted from animism or olden deity worship to Christianity, there arose certain thinking pattern; some thinks to purely preserve the customary practices, some thinks to modify to suit the Christian society, while others totally rejects the customary and traditional practices. In all the thinking pattern and beliefs, there exists a sort of discrimination against women in one form or the other. Therefore, what we need today is, to understand, accept and apply which is relevance, universal, and practical to our context. According to Art.371 A of the constitution of India, Nagas have every right to accept or reject or modify or amend any laws of parliament or even to apply it in the Naga society provided the Nagaland state Assembly pass it as laws.
My appeal to the Govt of Nagaland and all the representatives in the state assembly is to broad-mindedly consider and render a better position for woman; accepting women as part of men in all decision making level or forum so as Naga society can also cope with the changing and growing reality of the present generation, not lagging behind, dwelling in the old and darkened customary binding. 33% reservation is Indian system prompted and tempered by their Hindu culture, and traditional practices trying to apply in our Naga society as legal imposition in the process of indenisation of Nagas till all Nagas are Indian by culture, belief and practices. It implies that, so long as Nagas remain under Indian system of governance, the Indian laws and regulations binds and we are bounded. Providing only 33% reservation to women can be conditionally accepted and understood as actualisation of man’s role toward women as fellow human being. In the process of realising and understanding women in the Naga society, men should be happy and well-come out the status given. I propose that women should be given equal status, rights in the society for them to work alongside with men in all social interactions and development. Only when Naga men realize the indispensable reality of Naga woman to work together with man as equally human being responsible to each other and for each other, then a new and better generation of hope, prosperity and Peace will be actualized. It is time for Naga to think and live in term of pragmatic and realistic reasoning prompted by the current world of changing and growing, not just speaking or doing things as accustomed to by culture or tradition. We need a changed mentality to transform old and obsolete norms and lifestyles into a realistic and awakened understanding. Some one rightly put the words this way; “It is not the sins of the fathers that descend unto the third generation, but the sorrows of the Mothers”. The unexpressed pains and unrecognized rights of women remain unaddressed or not listen to adequately. This is a failing part of the Naga society. It is men’s role to restore and rebuild the lost image of women being, their status and rights as equally human being so as dignity of human person is recreated. I believe women in leadership roles can help restore balance and wholeness to our society.
This article is published with an intention to bridge the gaps of understanding between men and women and to build a mutual sharing of responsibility in building and shaping the Naga society, If there be any mistaking or misgiving found in this article or create negative impression, the writer holds the responsibility as a person to clarify or to claim responsible. For any query or feedback, readers may contact the author through the given No. 09612848686 or email add. fitawelfaremin@yahoo.co.in.
