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Showing posts from April, 2009

FASHION, THE LATEST TOOL OF DISCRIMINATION IN INDIA

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After globalization, many western brands opened their outlets in India . It was followed by the large scale advertising of these products. Advancements in technology and new satellite links enabled the transmission of Western Television Channels, in India . People were exposed to a whole new world. This was followed by the BPO Boom. The unemployment rate of the educated people, living in the metros, came down drastically. The disposable income of people went up and the new range of lifestyle products and brands were hard to resist. The fashion obsession in the West was transferred to India . Every individual is expected to look his/her best today. Packaging is as important as the product, but in case of women, it seems more important. India is a multi-cultural and multi-racial society and people of different regions and across the social classes, have different beliefs. So those who haven’t been able to adapt to the changing lifestyles, are looked down upon. Advertisements play a

Crime Against Women in India

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Gender equality is a very popular topic of debate in this country. Urbanized men often crib that women have all the rights and some laws should now be framed to protect men from women! This article is going to show how different the real situation is. There are several laws in our constitution, to protect women. The sad part is these laws are rarely ever imposed. Over 32000 murders, 19,000 rapes, 7500 dowry deaths and 36500 molestation cases were reported in India in 2006. However there are many instances where crime against women, goes unreported. These are figures released by the National Crime Records Bureau. While Madhya Pradesh is worst off among the states, the national capital New Delhi continues to hold on to its reputation of being the most unsafe city in India . Delhi takes the top slot for crimes ranging from murders and rapes to dowry deaths and abductions. Instead of leading the way in tackling crime, the country’s capital is a cauldron of crime. While the

Indian Women

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According to Indian Mythology, the woman represents ‘Shakti’. Our goddesses destroy all evil and ensure that justice is done. Saraswati is the goddess of education and wisdom. Laxmi, is the goddess of wealth and prosperity and Kali, is the destroyer of evil. Ironically, Indian women are not allowed to educate themselves and be financially independent. They also become victims of crime. Our religious texts accord equal rights to women. However, the perpetrators of patriarchy misinterpret these very texts to subjugate women. India got its independence in 1947. Indian women played a very important role in the freedom struggle. Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar, Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi Sarla Devi, Muthulaxmi Reddy, Susheela Nair, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, Sucheta Kripalani Aruna Asaf Ali, Vijayalakshmi Pandit and Sarojini Naidu, are some of the women who helped us in winning our independence. Yet can Indian women be called truly independent? India is a multi-cultural and multi-