PINK

Threats, intimidation, abduction, isolation, suppression

This is what women face when they take a stand to defend their honour. This is what the movie "Pink" represents according to most women.

I watched this movie a long time back and wrote about it then but never published it for many reasons. But for some reason, today is the day I thought of sharing thoughts about this movie with my audience and I am doing so without editing even though I know there may be some typing errors which I shall correct later. I just needed to find this amongst my writings and share it with you right away because I want us to recognise, appreciate and honour all the strong women all around us around the world. Those strong women may be someone you know closely. Sometimes the only choice left for a woman is to be strong for herself as there may be nobody standing by her.

A strong minded woman is never appreciated by our society even though our mythology depicts otherwise. A woman creates another life and yet she is misinterpreted as being weak. There is nothing wrong in being strong as a woman specially if you are defending your family and yourself. According to mythological tales or the Sanskrit epic " Mahabharat", women were the symbol of power. Our Hindu Godesses depict all the shades of a woman that make her complete and powerful. While pink may be one color associated with women, there are other colours too that could represent her. A woman can be graceful, delicate, caring as well as strong at the same time. She can represent all the colours depending upon what situations she is faced with.

The movie "Pink" must be watched by men who want to make a difference to the situation of women pertaining to safety and individual rights as well as by women who hope and wish to have a safe and secure environment . This movie definitely stirred strong emotions in every woman who watched this movie including me. Anger, outrage, disgust and determination to express your rights as a woman are some strong emotions that this picture awakens in you.

A woman has the right to feel safe. She does everything to follow all the rules or should I say the so-called safety manual decided by society for women  as Amitabh Ji puts it in the courtroom scene of the movie. And yet a woman faces similar dangerous situations on an everyday basis. Nothing is ever enough for women to ensure their safety on a date, party, work, school or college. Is this what we want for our daughters, sisters, wives and mothers ?

Things can never change overnight in this direction but what we could do is to raise our sons to respect women in the true sense . What we could do is to make sure that the men in our lives be it family, friends or colleagues to treat women with utmost respect . Why should she be harassed for declining, rejecting and denying herself to someone ? Many a times women have to deal with verbal or physical harassment from men for declining a date or rejecting a marriage proposal. Many a times women receive letters filled with threats and abuses for being single or living alone. Why ? These women in this movie are judged harshly by people in the neighbourhood just because they are single , working women living independently. Women are always a subject of curiosity and it is just not fair to let everyone else around her pass judgement on her character.

The time decided the character of women.

Why are our lifestyles and life's' choices dictated by others. Why are women's" freedom caged in the dictates of the society who refuse to accept their rights to lead a normal life with their own choices. Why are women the object of curiosity for all those whose mindset is so narrow and rigid. Why are decisions forced on them?

A woman is crushed and threatened or even austricised for taking a stand for herself specially if it is the right stand and a stand she is entitled to as a part of individual rights. A woman should be given the right to space and  say no to anything she doesn't feel comfortable about. Why can't we all follow that in our homes and outside ?

In many countries women are judged harshly and they are condemned as well as suppressed for having a mind of their own. When we talk about the word 'honour', many sentences or phrases come to our mind like " honour your family", "family honour", "honour your nation" or "honour rules". But what about honouring women and honouring their lives ? And what about respecting what she thinks as well as stands for ? Isn't that as important as honouring everything else ?

Many cultures still do not respect and accept the decision she takes and the choices she makes...Her way of thought is not appreciated and all she faces is endless rejection of her thoughts concerning her life everyday in such rigid environments even amongst her own family. The most progressive,educated and modern women around the world too face such attitude in many ways or in one way or another and in true sense experience gender inequality both at home and work. She is not allowed to decide for herself and others. A " No" is not accepted from her and she is required and expected not to decline what society demands from her in terms of relationships both personal and professional.