WOMAN IN MAN'S WORLD

Where the women are held in reverence there do God's reside' is an old Sanskrit proverb. You may find similar sayings praising women in different ways. But the reality is that One Indian Woman is

Teased in every 52 minutes
Kidnapped in every 43 minutes
Molested in every 26 minutes
Raped in every 54 minutes
Dies of dowry death in every 2 hours
Killed in every 32 minutes

Before the advent of the Aryans, Indian women enjoyed a noble status. The Aryan culture established a patriarchal social system ordaining the father as the head of the family. Vedas contain numerous prayers for the birth of male children.

This negative attitude towards women was aggravated with the preaching’s of certain religious leaders. Tulsidas legitimized wife beating by saying, " Dhol, ganwar, shudra, nashu, nari - yeh sab hain tadan ke adhikari ". Manu the Hindu lawgiver fixed the inferior status of women. Goddess Sita became the role model for the wives though their husbands were far below the mark of Rama.

With the advent of Muslim rule, the freedom of Indian woman was further curtailed. Their confinement to the four walls of home gave birth to various social evils.

In daily life, women are routinely defined by sex and even if all men are not kidnappers, rapist, batterers and murderers of women but all women are potential victims


DOWRY

Dowry has been defined in Section 2 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 in the following words :

' Dowry ' means any property or valuable security given or agreed to be given either directly or indirectly;

(a) by one party to a marriage to the other party to the marriage; or
(b) by the parents of either party to a marriage or by any other person to either party to the marriage or to any other person, at or before any time after the marriage in connection with the marriage of the said parties but does not include dower or mehr in the case of persons to whom the Muslim Personal Law (Sariat) applies.

There are multifarious ways in which the dowry seekers and givers rationalize their demand and compulsions for giving dowry respectively. Some of these are:

o To maintain the prestige of both the sides.
o To make one's daughter's life comfortable and save her from tortures of her in-laws.
o If an elder sister gets married without dowry, problems crop up in the marriage of the younger sister.
o To compensate on the money spent on the groom's education and upbringing.
o Demanding dowry in son's marriage in order to finance the daughter's marriage.

If dowry is not given, then the bride is mentally and physically harassed. She has to face humiliation, lack of food, burning, poisoning, electric shocks, nagging etc.

Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 suggests penalty for giving, taking and demanding dowry. Gandhiji said, " Any young man who makes dowry a condition, dishonours womanhood and discredits his education and country. "


RAPE

Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 has defined rape in the following words:

A man is said to commit "rape" who, except in the case hereinafter excepted, has sexual intercourse with a woman under circumstances falling under any of the six following descriptions:

1. Against her will.
2. Without her consent.
3. With her consent, when her consent has been obtained by putting her or any person in whom she is interested in fear of death or of hurt.
4. With her consent, when, the man knows that he is not her husband, and that her consent is given because she believes that he is another man to whom she is or believes herself to be lawfully married.
5. With her consent, when, at the time of giving such consent, by reason of unsoundness of mind or intoxication or the administration by him personally or through another of any stupefying or unwholesome substance, she is unable to understand the nature and consequences of that to which she gives consent.
6. With or without her consent, when she is under sixteen years of age.

The biological weakness of women makes her an easy prey. She is often a victim of physical violence not only outside her home but also in her home. In our society instead of providing sympathy and reassurance, the rape victim is seen at fault, which leaves her with a sense of guilt and impurity. She is kept isolated from the society. Rape victims often do not lodge a complaint about the occurrences. The reasons being:

o An unmarried girl, if raped, may not get married.
o Afraid to face the people and friends.
o If the girl belongs to some reputed party, then it would tarnish the party's image.
o Law may not give justice.
o A Married woman fears that her husband will leave her.
o Social organizations do not always help just give theoretical advice only.
o Police and doctors are not co-operative or compassionate.
o Her whole family gets isolated from the society.
o Difficulty in getting jobs.

All this makes the rapist stronger. And the girl commits suicide, feels guilty throughout her life, develops mental disorders, maintains a secretive attitude or never marries.

Section 376, 376A, 376B, 376C, 376D of the Indian Penal Code suggest the punishments for rape.


PROSTITUTION

The Immoral Traffic in Women and Girls Act, amended in 1978 defines prostitution as the act of a female offering her body for promiscuous sexual intercourse for hire whether in money or in kind, and whether offered immediately or otherwise.

Prostitution is the worst evil prevailing. It destroys the life of a female and is a stigma on our society. Call Girls, Dancing girls, Religious prostitutes, Common prostitutes, child prostitutes (girls below the age of 16 years) are the various forms of prostitution. The reasons are:


o Increasing landlessness and pauperization have led many women to migrate to urban areas where they usually become prostitutes to support themselves and their family.
o Pimps look out for destitute who are willing to sell their girls.
o The demand of prostitutes in urban areas is increasing because many men leave their families behind when they migrate to other cities and need a prostitute to satisfy their physical desires.
o Women who are kidnapped, raped, cheated, discarded by the society end up doing prostitution.
o The ambition of a luxurious and glamorous lifestyle end up making girls from respectable families prostitutes.



The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 amended in 1986 by the Central Act no. 44 has provided various acts for upholding the public morality and protecting girls and women who are the victims of the acts of prostitution. Punishments are severe incase of child prostitution. Various other state acts are also in force to curb prostitution.


FAMILY VIOLENCE

It is believed that home is the safest place for a female but most acts of violence are committed in the home itself. At parent's home she is taught all household chores. She cannot step out to make a career without permission. She always has to hide her feelings, likings and needs from the male members, even for small matters.

After marriage her in-laws control her. She is expected to be submissive, good cook, hardworking, obedient and demonstrating selflessness about her possessions. And if she deviates from all this then entire family assume the right to punish her.

Alcoholism, gambling, extra marital relations, property, non-supportive parents, mal-adjustment, enforcing superiority and conservative outlook are the various reasons behind family violence.

The various types of family violence are: Physical violence: beating, burning, no food given, shutting her in a room, forced to eat chili powder; Psychological violence: insult, no communication, threat of murder or second marriage, suspicion about character, made to do complete house work, no contacts with parents; Sexual violence: denial, perversity.
Still most of the cases go unreported because of fear of social stigma, losing family prestige, financial problems, fear of divorce, future of children and apprehension. People from society do not interfere taking it as the personal matter of the family. In most cases in order to justify the wrong act the blame is put on women herself.

Indira Gandhi the first woman Prime Minister observed: " Women's emancipation or equality is a part of our general developmental plans, but, government action can be neither effective nor adequate unless women themselves become more aware of their rights and corresponding responsibilities. "


Law has provided various rights to women to ensure them equality with men. Chapter XX of the Indian Penal code, 1860 relates to the offences dealing with matrimonial cases under Sections (493 to 498A).




PROBLEMS OF WORKING WOMEN

Working women are subject to more exploitative problems and pressures than non-working women.

o Though talented, she is not encouraged.
o The usual remark is that " she'll leave after marriage." As a result, she is not paid attention properly nor taken seriously.
o Late hours of work means risk of some unsafe situations.
o She is expected to complete all her household chores and then go for work.
o Her salary is used for household expenses, while man can spend his income, as he likes.
o She has to cope up with all types of people and tolerate nuisance from her boss and colleagues.

To eliminate discrimination against women in field of employment the law has provided women with various rights



Since ages, man has taken advantage of woman in every possible way. Whether she is educated or not, working or non-working the problems faced by her are more or less equal. Man forgets that he is on this earth because of a woman and his life will be incomplete without a mother, sister or wife.

Our approach to problems of women is sure to change if girls are assured of a good career and bright prospect in life and if we liberate ourselves from the clutches of our traditions and superstitious beliefs. But, unless man changes his attitude toward a woman, complete liberation of woman is not possible in a male dominated society like ours.

Swami Vivekananda said, " That country and that nation which do not respect women have never become great, nor will ever be in future. "

STRIVE TO BE GREAT

Who thought the day when Gandhiji and Mother Teresa were born, they would be mourned by lakhs of people and that they would become great forever. No one is born great, one has to achieve it.

Todays man thinks that by achieving power, money, name and fame he will become great. If this is true then why did not Hitler and Rawan become great?

Greatness is hidden in each and every person, it depends on one whether he wants to be a Ram or a Ravan.

You will become great the day you conquer all your faults. What is required is a strong determination.

Remember:
 Don’t lie. Sacrifice for other’s happiness.
 Have a positive motto in life – If you find a person one inch more successful to you instead of pulling him down try to be four inches successful to him.
 Speak politely and be truthful. Always be honest.
 Anger is one word less to danger.
 A moment lost is lost forever. Time lost will never return back. So use it fruitfully.
 Don’t cheat your conscious, listen to it.
 Think good to act good.
 Tolerance, self-control and satisfaction will lead you to the path of greatness.
 Great people are always moving forward towards their goals. They don’t consider themselves great but people consider them great.

The heights by great men reached and kept, were not attained by sudden flight, But they when their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.

FIRST AND FIRST

WORLDS OLDEST NEWS AGENCY

AFP (Agence France Presse) is the world's oldest established news agency, founded in 1835 by Charles-Louis Havas, the father of global journalism, a former banker, set up a business translating foreign newspapers. It began in Cubhyhole Office in Paris.

In the beginning pigeons flew between Paris and Boulogue carrying the news from Brussels (Belgium) and London(England). By 1845 the Agency was using the electric Telegraph. Today, the agency continues to expand its operations worldwide, reaching thousands of subscribers (radios, TVs, newspapers, companies) from its main headquarters in Paris and regional centers in Washington, Hong Kong, Nicosia and Montevideo. All share the same goal: to guarantee a top quality international service tailored for the specific needs of clients in each region.


WORLDS OLDEST BOOK

The world's oldest book in the history of mankind written in Etruscan, the language that is now lost, can be seen in Bulgaria's National Museum of History in Sofia. The rarity consists of 6 pages made of 24-carat gold and fastened together; the pages are covered with text and carry images of a horseman, a mermaid, a lyre and warriors.

The small book which age is over 2.5 thousand years was accidentally discovered 60 years ago in an old tomb with frescoes. The tomb was discovered in the Valley of Bulgarian Struma River during road construction works. A Bulgarian who lives in Macedonia presented the museum with the artifact on condition of anonymity. The benefactor discovered the book himself. As is known, the man is 87 years old now.


WORLDS OLDEST SONG

For fifteen years Prof. Anne Draffkorn Kilmer, who is professor of Assyriology, University of California, and a curator at the Lowie Museum of Anthropology at Berkeley, puzzled over clay tablets relating to music including some excavated in Syria by French archaeologists in the early '50s. The tablets from the Syrian city of ancient Ugarit (modern Ras Shamra) were about 3400 years old, had markings called cuneiform signs in the hurrian language (with borrowed akkadian terms) that provided a form of musical notation. One of the texts formed a complete cult hymn and is the oldest preserved song with notation in the world. Finally in 1972, Kilmer, developed an interpretation of the song based on her study of the notation


WORLDS OLDEST FORM OF ENTERTAINMENT

Worlds oldest form of safe, affordable, family entertainment is The Circus that dates back thousands of years worldwide.


WORLDS OLDEST PAINTING

The world's oldest reliably-dated paintings are found on the walls of the Chauvet caves in southern France. The paintings, which feature animals such as horses, rhinoceros, lions, and mammoths, range from 32,000 to 23,000 years old. They were discovered in 1994.


WORLDS OLDEST CITY

Hamoukar, the worlds oldest known city in a remote part of Syria, located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers according to archaeologists. This apparent city was thriving at least 4000 B. C. - which is 6,000 years ago and functioning independently from Sumer. Cvilizations were advanced enough to reach the size and organizational structure that was necessary to be considered a city

The huge city is spread over 750 acres and is believed to have been home to up to 25,000 people. The archeologists found five large stone ovens large enough to feed huge numbers of people. This seems to indicate that this was a community with industries. Also, astonishing is the fact that the living quarters were double walled with a 2-inch gap between the two walls to encourage airflow, a primitive form of air conditioning since the summer temperatures in that region could reach 40C and above. Discoveries include stone gods, jewelry, porcelain figurines of lions, leopards, bears and horses, together with porcelain-like pottery, 7,000 beads, more than a hundred clay seals with hieroglyphics used to record trade transactions, and a large protective city wall.


WORLDS OLDEST TRADE

Dutch Slavery and Slave Trade in the Indian Ocean in the Seventeenth Century is the Worlds oldest Trade. In a five-volume magnum opus on the Dutch East Indies, Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indiën (1724–26), Calvinist minister François Valentijn appropriately called the enslavement of human beings "the world's oldest trade" (den oudsten handel in de wereld). For most of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the Dutch were active participants in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean slave trades. For brief spells during the seventeenth century they even dominated the Atlantic slave trade, while for nearly two centuries they were "the nexus of an enormous slave trade, the most expansive of its kind in the history of Southeast Asia.”


WORLDS OLDEST CAR

The worlds oldest car built in 1833 was handed over to the Berlin Museum for Traffic and Technology by a private owner. The car achieved a maximum speed of 40 km/h with steam from its coal fired boiler.


WORLDS OLDEST FOOD, VEGETABLE AND SPORTS DRINK

Fruits and vegetables are undoubtedly mans oldest food. Before the start of the organized agriculture, the prehistoric nomads lived on wild game, wild fruits, berries and roots. When the ancient man took to organized agriculture he cultivated grain crops as also some vegetables in his backyard.

The oldest vegetable known to man is Broad Bean and the oldest sport drink in the world is Water.


WORLDS OLDEST NATIONAL FLAG

According to a legend, Dannebrog fell down from the sky on June 15, 1219 to the Danish King Valdemar II during his crusade to Estonia. With the flag in hand, the King won the battle at Lyndanise near Reval (Tallinn). The flag was given to him as a divine approval. This is the explanation Danes like to give in order to tell the origin of the Danish national flag. If the legend of how Dannebrog became the Danish national flag were true, it would make it the World's oldest national flag still in use.


WORLDS OLDEST CREATURE

Scientists have decided that a fossil found near Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire is the remains of the oldest creature ever to live on land. It is thought that the one-centimetre millipede which was prized out of a siltstone bed is 428 million years old. Experts at the National Museums of Scotland and Yale University, US, have studied the fossil for months. They say the specimen is the earliest evidence of a creature living on dry land, rather than in the sea.

The discovery on the foreshore of Cowie Harbour was made by an amateur fossil hunter, Mike Newman. To recognise his role in the significant find, the new species - Pneumodesmus newmani - has been named after him. The fossil is believed to be some 20 million years older than what had previously been thought of as the oldest breathing animal - a peculiar spider-like creature chiselled out of the chert - a hard quartz rock - at Rhynie, also in Aberdeenshire. The millipede had spiracles, or primitive breathing structures on the outside of its body, making it the oldest air-breathing creature ever to have been discovered.


WORLDS OLDEST SPORT

Ulama, the oldest sport in the world played with a ball, is still being played in western Mexico. The oldest ulama court, in the Mexican state of Chiapas, was built around 1500BC, while latex balls used by the Olmecs, farther west, have been carbon-dated to 300-500 years earlier. Ulama is played on a long, narrow court, called a taste, which is 60 metres long and only four metres wide. The opposing sides, of five players each, take turns serving the four kilogram rubber ball and thereafter trying to move the ball up the field, hitting it only with the hip or upper thigh, which are protected by special garments. Points are scored if one team fails to return the other's serve across the halfway point of the taste, or if the serving team succeeds in getting the ball past the opponent's end line. The first team to score eight points wins.

OLDEST ARMY IN THE WORLD
The oldest-established military unit in the world is the 80-90 strong Pontifical Swiss Guard in Vatican city. The unit was officially founded on January 21, 1506, by Pope Julius II.

FIRST STAMP IN THE WORLD
The first atmp in the world was "Penny Black", released on May 6, 1841. It featured a portrait of Queen Victoria and got its name from the fact that it cost one penny and was printed in black ink. The second stamp in the world which was issued by Canton Zurich on January 3, 1843, featured the value of the stamp in large print on a netlike background.

GANDHIJI’S SENSE OF HUMOUR

Gandhiji was ones asked that what was the compelling force which sustained his unceasing quest for truth amidst humiliation he had to suffer at the hands of white rulers both in South Africa and India. He replied with a toothless smile, “ Next to my faith in God, it was only my sense of humour but for which I might have committed suicide.” Gandhiji used to digest the hardships of life with his continuous humour. His capacity to laugh at himself was as intense as his compassion for others. He could bring his blood pressure down by a roar of laughter.

Here are some interesting instances depicting Gandhiji’s remarkable sense of humour.


Return in the same coin
Gandhiji used to slap the child whom he loved. One day Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan said to Bapu, “Bapu, you slap the one you love, but you have never slapped me. This means that you do not love me.”

Bapu looked at the huge body of Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan, smiled and said, “I do love you, but I do not slap you for this reason that if you return in the same coin I will be crushed.”


A model by mistake
Once an artist made a sketch of Gandhiji and sent it to him to get his autograph. Returning that sketch Gandhiji wrote to the artist, “who is such an ugly man, whom you have made a model by mistake and sent this picture.”


Where are your trousers?
When Gandhiji went to London to attend the Round Table Conference, a journalist known for his wit asked him, “Where are your trousers Mr. Gandhi?” Gandhiji who had wrapped his body in a single shawl even in the London’s proverbial chill replied, “Yours is plus four, mine is minus four.”
With the same shawl over his shoulders he went to Buckingham Palace to take tea with King George V., a card came to Gandhiji with the following words inscribed in it. “Has Gandhi worn enough to see the King of England?” Wrote Gandhiji on the same card, “The King of England has enough on to see both of us.”


It costs enormously to keep Gandhi poor
A doctor friend came to Sabarmati Ashram when Gandhiji fell seriously ill. Bapu said , “How much fees will you give me if I allow you to examine me?” Gandhiji was a fabulous fund-raiser. For every signature he charged fees, for every autograph he filled his tin-box. This is how he ran his ashrams. Some times there was a windfall when a rich Seth or a mill owner called on him. “It costs enormously to keep Gandhi poor’, quipped the Nightingale of India, Sarojni Naidu.


Marriage warnings
Gandhiji was married to Kasturba at an age when neither understood the meaning of marriage. On Hindu marriage, he writes in his autobiography: The parents of the bride and the bridegroom often bring themselves to ruin over it. They waste their substances and time. Women whether they have a voice or no, sing themselves hoarse, even get ill and disturb the peace of their neighbours. It was only through these preparations that we got the warning of the coming event. I do not think it meant anything more to me than the prospect of good clothes to wear, drum beating, marriage processions, rich dinners and a strange girl to play with. The two children were married for 62 years.


Viceroy for a day
Asked by a foreigner as to what he would do if he were to be made the Viceroy of India for a day. Gandhi replied: ‘I shall clean the Augean stables of the scavengers near the Viceroy’s House.”

“If the viceroyalty is extended in your favour for another day, then what will you do?” he asked again. “I will do the same the next day,” was Gandhiji’s brief reply. If Gandhi were alive today he would have found a stable solution for our polluted cities and other environmental ills. Gandhiji wanted a sweeper girl to become the first President of India.

I would not mind if that was the only thing men killed
Louis Fisher, Gandhiji’s biographer spent a week with him. During the course of lunch, Gandhiji suggested that his guest may add plenty of salt and lemon in the vegetables. “Do you want to kill my taste, Mr. Gandhi?” he asked. “No, enrich the taste”, replied Bapu. Fischer resumed, “You are so non-violent, you wouldn’t kill even taste.” At which Mahatma replied, “If that was the only thing men killed, I would not mind.”

G. B. Shaw described Gandhiji as the only man in the east with a sense of humour.