Men - The Forgotten Gender - An Eye Opener

Men - The Forgotten Gender - An Eye Opener

Sometimes it needs a jolt out of the Blue or a small incident or spark of light so to say to set right a misdirected initiative or a totally dormant issue to take a new course towards enlightenment and even freedom. I can but say that maybe today was a day for me to come across a video which was published on Facebook, which literally not only opened my eyes but also sparked my almost dead conscience, mind, and even body. Most of us do not tend to open up our personal issues in front of society for the fear of being ridiculed or even looking downcast in society in front of your "Community" but we forget the oft quoted saying that it is an even greater crime to bear in silence or watch in silence when a crime is being committed, and worse still when you are a part and party to it yourself.

I want to share this video which I am embedding below which was the main reason and inspiration behind my creating this post which I had indeed planned to publish a very long time ago and also take up this issue seriously in public. But as I mentioned earlier matter of greater priorities than this made me hold back my action. Today I will first share the video below, and also later share contents of the film 'Martyrs of Marriage" by the same author, journalist, and Documentary filmmaker Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj in my subsequent posts with my own review and comments on this issue. All I can say is as an eye-opener this will suffice to open up the topic for the general public, which I am sure she too has done, but I am trying to do my part. 

Deepika talks about the how men in the Indian society are suffering due to the draconian Indian Penal Code which is made for the protection of women but ignores men and their issues. She addresses the Indian Dowry Act from the perspective of men. Deepika talks of men who are victimized and systematically abused by laws that are made for women but are abused to victimize men.

Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj is a Journalist, Anchor and a Documentary Filmmaker. Her first documentary ‘Gramin Dak Sevak’ was Jeevika All Asia Livelihood Film Festival 2009, student film winner. Her second documentary ‘Youth Count’ was broadcast on India’s leading News channel NDTV 24x7. Her third project ‘Garima’ was a commissioned, short documentary film by USAID and Counterpart International. A software engineer turned Journalist, she was one of the ten media professionals selected from around the world for ‘Future Media Leaders Course’ conducted by Thomson Foundation, UK. She is currently making documentary called “Martyrs of Marriage” which is a commentary on the issue of Men’s right and abuse of one-sided gender centric laws in the Indian Penal Code.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

I am sure this will lay bare the already serious topic and also be a source of inspiration to many men who have been dogged by this issue, and till now have never taken the initiative to raise their voice. 

I SERIOUSLY SUGGEST YOU WATCH THROUGH THIS WHOLE VIDEO!

 

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I have intentionally left this post at this juncture to allow people to watch this video repeatedly if required, to let the topic soak into your conscience and mind, and feel empathy and not sympathy towards all those men who are living a hell in similar situations. In most cases it is our culture that comes in between our actions, and sometimes it is utter lack of knowledge of the the laws and worst still the drawbacks in these laws that makes men hold back from taking any action. I am sure this video will shine a new ray of hope for those men and their families. 

In my subsequent follow up post I will write more about the wonderful Platform Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj has set up through her film - Martyrs of Marriage" ....as she rightly says and I quote - " Crime does not know any Gender. Martyrs of Marriage is a movement for equality, a movement to save the innocent and a fight for punishment of the guilty irrespective of Gender!"