Women's Day

Women’s Day

By Justice Markandey Katju

            On the occasion of International Women’s Day (8.3.2013) I send my humble salute and greetings to the brave Indian women, particularly of poor and middle class sections of society (who consist of 90% of our population), who are bravely feeding and looking after their families on the meager amount their husbands or they themselves are earning, and that too anonymously and with heroic self effacement. It is estimated that about half of our children are malnourished. This means that that almost 75% of our women are malnourished, because a women would rather remain hungry herself than see her children hungry. A large number of our women are anaemic.   And yet despite this situation, and the exorbitant rise of prices of foodstuffs, medicines, etc in our country, our women are undauntedly struggling, inconspicuously and in anonymity, to keep their families going, often toiling from morning to night. Do they not deserve our praise and salute? I regard them as our true heroes.

            Many Indian women suffer from many discriminations and indignities, from cradle to grave, indeed often even before being born, as is evident from the large scale female foeticide in our country. I have written about all this in my articles on my blog justicekatju.blogspot.in (see the articles ‘On Women’s’ Emancipation’, ‘Sex Workers are also Human Beings’, ‘Crimes against Women’, ‘Sex Workers must not be looked down upon’, etc. Hence I am not elaborating on my views.

            I once again salute my Indian sisters on the occasion of Women’s Day. May the day come soon when they do not have to bear such back breaking burdens, and are given genuine equality with men.