Shades of subjugation

In his really a thought stirring book The Social Contract, Rousseau remarks that, "Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains." Here the fact can not be gainsaid that no one likes to remain in fetters. A caged parrot can never be at ease, it is often found fluttering and flapping its wings in its attempts to break the bars of the cage. Subjugation is extremely disliked by animals and humans alike. The great kings of the yore have an ignominious reputation of keeping a vast number of female slaves. Today, the evil custom of female slavery is no more in practice in the sense it existed in the bygone ages. But the medieval mindedness of society has not changed.

Female slavery system is still prevalent in our country. It has only changed its colour and contours. The practice of the Pardha system that has been sternly lambasted by many intellectuals like Amitaz Dharkar is still prevalent in many parts of India. The symbolic veil in which women are wrapped is beyond any penetration. Perhaps, it is too thick to be blown off. Today the women have attained many milestones. They rub their shoulders with men in many spheres.

However, the bliss of freedom is not in everyone’s destiny. It brings huge disgruntlement to a sensitive soul to witness the fact that the regressive mindedness is still there in the air in many parts of our country. Still, the birth of a daughter in many families is considered not an occasion to rejoice. While watching a crime show on TV, I was appalled to see when an educated family fall prey to the ruses of a tantric and mercilessly slaughtered an innocent child in the neighbourhood just because the gullible parents were convinced by that if they sacrifice some child of tender age, they would be blessed with a male child. It is not an isolated episode. Many more ghastly tales of the same ilk are there to petrify us. Such deadly superstition only adds to our misery.