By C V Sudheendran, Advisory Panel Member, Helping Brainz – Live from Calicut, Kerala
To begin with, let me put down a few lines about myself. I am an engineer by education and profession. I had been a writer for the past twenty years, writing on women’s issues and other sociological topics. I could win an award from the Kerala Sahitya Accademy in the year 2000. I have so far published seven works.
My suggestions on the issue are as below:-
1. School education is now bent on imparting knowledge; it has withdrawn from its prime responsibility of moulding good human beings. At the bare minimum, every child has to be taught that he or she cannot harm another, just as he or she does not want to be harmed by another. The golden rule ” Do unto others…….” has to seep into every young mind.
2. Co-education has to be promoted. Boys and girls should mingle in a healthy way. Boys would then come to know that girls are individuals with a mind and an intellect and not mere bodies.
3. A basic look in to the human natures could help. Mankind had been hunter-gatherers for 362 days and farmers for only 3 days — the hunter-gatherer period lasted 1.4 million years; agriculture began just 12000 years ago. ’362 days’ of hunting has made the male physically stronger and more prone to aggression. Also, the eyes were the most important sense-organ of the hunter as he had to locate both prey and predator with sharp eyes. This dependence on eyes and sights has made him vulnerable to the visual stimuli. One end result is his obsession with the female form and beauty. As we all know, world art and literature is studded with numberless male-authored works which glorify the female form, limbs and features.
The female, over the ages had been aware of this male frailty and had made use of it by dressing up. But for the last two or three decades, commercial forces combined with the now omnipotent visual media, is exploiting this vulnerability to the limits. The result is that generations of males and females have come to believe that the greatest asset or virtue of a female are her physical attributes. This trend has to be deliberately countered and such false notions dismantled. The enlightened female has to assert that she is not a body but a full-fledged individual. And calling attention to the body does not pay because, as stated, the male is so vulnerable.
4. Some leading film-heroines have depicted sex-hungry characters on the screen,spreading the mistaken notion that the average female is sex-hungry. Earlier ‘vamps’ were playing such roles but now the heroines, who are supposed to represent the mainstream are doing it. This is dangerous and greatly encourages the delinquent. He would simply refuse to take a no from the woman to be a real no. The heroines have to be made aware that when they are depicting sex-crazy characters and going through inciting motions, it is the defenseless who is going to pay the price. The concerned directors have also to realise their responsibility.
Before concluding, it has to be admitted that the issue is deep-rooted and complex. I have just tried to mention a few points which many others would not have mentioned.
5. Pornography and alcohol are social menaces which are doing great harm. Pornography, both online and otherwise has to be rigorously hunted out.
Alcohol consumption has to be controlled – those who have consumed alcohol should not be allowed in public places. While moves against tobacco are bearing fruit; alcohol which is a much greater menace, is not being discouraged at all by most of the States and the Centre.
