Controversy is not new to the union minister of state for culture and tourism Mahesh Sharma. When the former president Abdul Kalam passed away, he made an insensitive comment saying that Abdul Kalam was a good man despite being a Muslim. Before that, he promised to purge Indian culture of ‘polluting’ and ‘western’ influences. In my opinion, he is one person who has embarrassed the government more than once in the past and he needs to show some restraint and sensitivity.
A couple of days ago, Mahesh Sharma was caught in the midst of another controversy when he issued an advisory urging foreign women not to wear short skirts. On expected lines, he received huge flak from the liberal and feminist brigade. His statements were termed regressive and misogynistic. Some of them said that such statements from the culture minister would form a stereotype that India is a male dominated society that discriminates against women. The other criticism was that if women are asked what to wear and what not to wear, men must be given similar advice and must be asked to behave themselves. Mahesh Sharma later issued a clarification that his statement was only in the context of women visiting religious places. Even after that, he continued to receive flak.
Now, where does our culture say that women must visit religious places wearing only saree or any other Indian attire? By making such statements, Mahesh Sharma is only belittling our culture. Having said this, had Mahesh Sharma not brought in the religious places angle, are his statements wrong? I certainly do not think so.
First of all, his statement was not a diktat to foreign women. It was a mere advice that women would be better off not wearing short skirts, especially in the night. Every country has its own set of characteristics and depending on that, foreigners visiting the country must take adequate precautions.
For example, anyone visiting a Middle East country (I’m taking Saudi Arabia out of the equation here as there are very few things that one can do there) would be advised not to wear flashy clothes. Anyone visiting South Africa would be advised not to venture out alone after sunset, especially pedestrians. Anyone visiting some of the smaller towns in US would also be advised that it is not safe to be on the roads when it is dark unless you are inside a vehicle. Would it not be absurd to make a blanket statement that all these countries are unsafe?
Another example I would put before you is of UK government and their government policy of 2010 to 2015 for British nationals overseas which states some advises for women travelers:
- think about how your clothing will fit in with local customs – what are local women wearing?
- don’t wear expensive jewellery
- wear a wedding ring (even if you don’t normally) to help avoid harassment
- be wary of new ‘friends’, even if they are fellow holidaymakers
- don’t tell strangers where you are staying or give out too many details about your travel plans
- if you’re traveling alone you may attract unwelcome attention and you may receive unwelcome propositions or remarks – it is usually best to ignore them
- act confidently
- plan your daily itinerary – know where you’re going, what you’re doing and how to get back
- some hotels and hostels have cards with contact details and directions – take one
- never hitchhike or accept car rides from strangers
- ask your hotel or hostel to recommend a taxi firm – try to pair up with someone you know when traveling by taxi
Likewise, nobody can deny that in many parts of India, women would be better off if they do not venture outside alone wearing short skirts or any short clothes, especially in the night. This does not make India an overtly conservative country where women are not respected. It is just a matter of precaution. If someone says this, why should he or she be seen as a regressive misogynist? Nobody is imposing his ideas on anyone or putting restrictions on a woman’s freedom to dress.
Let us get a fact straight: there is a set of perverse men in India, who would misbehave when they see a woman all alone wearing short skirts. Why not take precaution and be safe rather than sorry?
Coming to the criticism that these kinds of statements would form a stereotype about India, where were the liberals when the famous documentary ‘India’s Daughter’ was made by Leslee Udwin? Anyone who has watched the documentary would think that Indian men are the most notorious people in the world and they live to rape women. The same set of liberals was then opposing the ban on the documentary. Although I do not support a ban on the documentary, the point I would like to make is that not all men in India are womanizers as the documentary portrays. In fact, most Indian men are not womanizers.
The other oft heard criticism is that when women can be lectured on what they should wear, men must also be given guidelines on how to behave with women. Yes, there is no doubt that men must behave themselves and must learn to respect women and there is a fraction of perverted men who misbehave with women and treat them as sex objects. What is the way to ensure that such men behave properly with women? The only one way is to make our laws stricter. Only then would such men restrain themselves. Would liberals agree for tougher laws? No. When there was a legislation passed in the parliament to reduce the juvenile age from 18 to 16, the same liberals said that it was a hurried and immature decision. The person to oppose this move the most was Brinda Karat, along with her bunch of leftists. The left liberals must realize that they cannot have it both ways.
To conclude, it is not in the context of ‘our sanskriti’ or ‘our culture’ that Mahesh Sharma’s statements need to be looked at. Our sanskriti does not tell us to disrespect women who wear skirts, shorts or any western clothes. His statements must be looked at from the context of safety and precaution. I am all for empowerment of women and treating them at par with men. Issues like dowry, female infanticide, lack of toilets for women in schools and highways are some of the real issues that women in the country face today. But, unfortunately, the real issues have been taking a backseat and frivolous issues are being taken up by the so called feminists in the country.