The practice of
killing daughters at birth has been long since banished. However, it is
believed that there are more ways of killing people than just one. Ways which
do not involve stopping a person’s heart from pumping blood but are responsible
for much greater damage. Methods which adhere to killing someone’s ambition,
someone’s spirit, devoiding a person of self confidence, driving someone to a
point where they may start to doubt themselves, forcing someone to believe they
are good for nothing, snatching away the right to make decisions, or simply not
allowing them to do something they very well deserve to do.
If you have the guts
to categorize such things as killing then beware that you live in a world where
either you are at the receiving end of the these day-to-day activities or you
are at the famous giving end.
This is what happens every
day in this male-dominated world. This is what the ladies are required to go
through every day if they are to survive. Or else they can simply accept the
supposed weakness that is attributed to them more often than not.
You would think that
all those years of education may have taught people to refrain from
discrimination, deeming it an unjustifiable trait. But it’s a shame to know
that this aspect of education was wasted on them.
Females are still
considered to be weak creatures, owners of small minds. One look at them and judgments
are made just like that. Embellished and you are too “out” to have any brains.
If you choose to present yourselves otherwise then you are too conservative.
Fighting the
discrimination war for as long as I can remember, I am so much consumed with
anger that there is a high chance of this frustration spilling over the edges
and poisoning everything it touches. And this is true for all females.
Luckily enough, I
have been raised by a father who held the education of his children; daughters
and son alike; of utmost importance. But, with the rest of the world, I am
surprised that I had to prove that I too have some brains, some skills, some
talent.
And this is the story
of every other girl. We have to work harder to prove our worth. In a job, we
strive to work, going out of our way to accomplish tasks assigned to us so that
no one gets the chance to say that females are no good.
Of course, there are
some limitations. Most of the ladies refrain from late sittings. Females may
not be allowed by their families to travel abroad. But don’t the guys have some
sort of limitations as well? Or are they all super human beings.
I beg to differ. In
my experience I have seen the female staff reach office even on the worst of
days, whereas, the male staff deemed it unsafe to leave the premises of their
homes.
Females, on the other
hand, go out of their way to make up for these limitations. They come on time
and mostly stay glued to their desks, completing their work on time.
And it’s not as
simple to go work in an office as you may think. Standing on a bus stop more
than one pair of eyes may stare at you. Walking on your way back home and you’ll
get to hear some colorful, obscene comments.
In spite of all of
this your colleagues consider it their right to judge you. And this judgment,
though I have been a target, is not something I feel comfortable mentioning.
Spending four years
in academics and almost 5 years in professional environment I have learnt that
I am not supposed to be a programmer, let alone be good at it. I am not allowed
to participate in a programming competition.
I am not allowed to talk or laugh out loud because that is not the trait
of a “good”, “nice” girl.
I didn’t know that
this is still a world where I will have to fight to be allowed to go for a
badminton championship. Where my team leads will have to fight for my
promotion, not because my performance is below the scale but because I am a
girl and I am supposed to get married soon. Where I may not be given
responsibilities because I MAY get married and I MAY resign as a consequence (and
that is a big MAY). Where if I do get entrusted with some kind of
responsibility it’s because no one else is left to shoulder it.
Where a female, if
she ever gets a chance to lead a team, is ridiculed and criticized more than
anyone else. Where your reserved nature may not be taken as your choice but lack of guts to talk face to face with the
opposite gender. And if you do talk then you are too bold, too cheap and may be
given the dazzling tile of ‘chipkoo’.
Where the
opportunities I clearly deserve are handed over to male colleagues, because,
well, because it suits them better. And while we are on the subject; cricket
suits them better. All events are tailored so that they suit the not-so-‘fair’
sex. While international travelling is considered sinful for the ladies,
attending a company sponsored dinner conveniently arranged far away from most
of the employee’s homes is mandatory. Where your resignation is not as
important as you-know-who’s because you weren’t doing anything worthwhile
anyways. Where an already planned event may not actually happen because it
could not have been carried out by a gentleman for the ladies, which makes me
wonder if we normally sit with our male colleagues with thick layers of
curtains separating the two genders.
Where a girl’s CV is
considered only as an afterthought, or maybe to fit the slogan “equal
opportunity employer”.
Where you can work as
hard as you can, and still be considered incompetent.
So yes, I give up.
I have lost all will
to go on.
I am sick and tired
of this all.
I have lost the
spirit to prove myself anymore.
I admit, I have lost, and they have won.
Because there is
nothing I can do about them besides stating:
Taleem ne in ka kuch nahi biagara
