There
is a huge controversy over an alleged statement made by Pakistan Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif, where he apparently compared Manmohan Singh to a
“dehati aurat” (village woman). The primary debate revolved around
whether or not such a statement was made, and whether or not an Indian
journalist was present when it was made.
This
issue was brought up by Narendra Modi in his Delhi Rally. Soon after, a
secondary debate started building up, perhaps being deliberately pushed
to overshadow the main debate. It started with a section of the media
getting “offended” with the negative connotation given to the term
“dehati aurat” (apparently by Modi and his supporters). This article
will focus on the secondary debate and show how it is a diversion.
Here are some examples of the discourse that took shape, soon after Modi’s speech:
Sagarika Ghose, Deputy Editor at CNNIBN-
Harinder Baweja, journalist with Hindustan Times-
Salil Tripathi columnist for Mint and Caravan-
The
turn that the debate took is a little strange for two reasons. First of
all, the real issue was not about whether Modi thought “dehati aurat’
was derogatory or not. It was about what Nawaz Sharif meant when he used
the term (in jest or otherwise). Did he intend to compliment Manmohan
Singh by comparing him to a village woman? By wrongly making it a debate
about Modi’s supposed interpretation, Sharif was essentially getting an
out! Whose interest did that serve?
Secondly,
words like “dehati aurat “are indeed harmless if we go by their literal
translation. There is nothing wrong with village women. However,
context often makes words problematic, as it did in this case. To
deliberately gloss over the context is dishonest and mischievous.
Interestingly,
Ms.Ghose, one of the frontrunners of the secondary debate, had gone to
town protesting when Mr.Modi had once addressed women at FICCI as Mata
(mothers) and Behen (sisters).
So,
Ms. Ghose would have us believe that referring to a woman a mother or
sister is somehow insulting to womanhood, but referring to our male
Prime Minister, as a village woman is kosher?
Ms
Ghosh may like to note that speeches in Hindi often begin with “bhaiyon
aur behenon” and that Mr.Modi is himself commonly referred to as
Narendra-bhai. In Bengal, no one thinks its sexist to call someone Didi
(i.e. elder sister) just as the term “Tau” (i.e. uncle) is used commonly
in Haryana. Perhaps, Ms. Ghosh thinks it’s beneath her dignity to
listen to speeches in native languages?
The
“dehati aurat” episode reminds me of an earlier incident where Senior
Congress leader Digvijaya Singh called a young party worker a “sau tunch
maal” (100 percent pure commodity). When one refers to gold or silver
as “tunch maal”, it is perfectly acceptable. But to refer to a woman as a
pure commodity is quite another matter. As I said before, it is a
matter of context.
Amazingly,
the silence of the feminist journalist brigade on this issue was
stunning. Many of the very same people who have suddenly become vocal
advocates for “dehati” women, had nothing to say on the “tunch maal”
slur.
These
incidents raise an important question: What is feminist outrage really
about? Is it genuinely about advocating for the dignity of women? Or is
it about using the “cloak of dignity” to build up selective outrage when
politically convenient?
As
a woman who feels strongly about empowerment, I find this trend
sickening. There are serious issues about power and perception that need
to be addressed, challenged and fixed. There is a long and difficult
battle ahead. Using flippant, inconsistent arguments for scoring petty
political points damages the cause of women, as it undermines and
trivializes more serious issues. But do the so-called “champions of
women” really care?
Coming
back to the original debate, given the trend where anything Modi
touches is fair game for spin-doctoring, I am wondering what the Indian
media would have said if Nawaz Sharif had called Manmohan Singh a
monkey. Perhaps, they would have accepted that as a compliment too?
Perhaps they would have claimed that since Hanuman is our revered monkey
god, Mr.Singh was in fact elevated after being compared to a divine
being!
After all, common sense should never get in the way of creativity.
Source: http://centreright.in/2013/09/the-selective-feminist-outrage-of-indias-journalist/#.Uklv_xAgrW6
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