Pride and Prejudice: A tribute

I got interested in Jane Austen and her books when I was in college and had more time to read classic English literature. I was immediately captivated by both the author and her books. I thought I must pay a tribute to my favourite book as it is 200 years since the "Pride and Prejudice" was published.

I was introduced to " Pride and Prejudice" in my late teens when I was interested in all things romantic and sentimental. What surprised me was the wit and intelligence displayed in the book, which was so lacking in the typical romantic novels of my generation. I have revisited the book several times after that and I have taken something new from it each time I read it.

At the outset it is a great story with a fantastic climax that would appeal to women. Elizabeth Bennet is one of the most interesting heroines that I have come across in my life. The best part is that she is not the usual romantic pretty young lass. She is described as being bold and intelligent, stubborn and independent.

As the story progresses, you get caught in the crossfire of words between Darcy and Lizzie. I think Darcy was the original strong silent hero of romantic fiction. And the heroine gets the chance to display all the chinks in his armour. The reason I think Pride and Prejudice is different is because of the importance given to the characters in the book. Each character is described in detail and given a lot of attention. I especially liked Mr Bennet and loved the description of the father-daughter relationship. I also liked the description of each of the Bennet sisters. Inspite of being siblings each one is so different from the other. The story moves around all the characters and does not just focus on Darcy and Elizabeth all the time.

As a teenager it was so good to finally find one heroine (even if she was a fictional character) who was more interested in books than her looks. While everyone raved about Scarlett O Hara of Gone With The Wind, my favourite was Elizabeth Bennet. I could relate to Elizabeth's frustration with the society's obsession with marriage (just like the Indian society) and settling down.

As a grew older, I was more fascinated with Jane Austen and her style of writing. I was no longer fascinated as much by Darcy as I was in my teens. It is amazing to know that Jane Austen actually led a very restricted life and spent most of her time at her hometown. She wrote amidst the dull dreariness of  her dining room parlour. I still remain a faithful Jane Austen fan.

Girls are human afterall

I see four of five children (which includes my daughter) ride their cycles around my home. They are of a similar age, 4 girls and one boy, and have just started riding their bikes. I see no difference in their interest in cycles or games. Some of them like playing outdoors and a few of them like playing indoors. I like to see them run around, fight, argue or laugh out aloud. I hope I am not forced to make any differences to my daughter's play schedule simply because of the fact that she is a girl.

What does being a girl mean? It never hits you until you have a girl child of your own. Then you see her as seen from the society's lenses and everything becomes clear. A girl is not treated as a human being at all. In India we have devised a good way of suppressing women and their genuine interest in life by using various 'terms' of respect and endearment. 'Oh she is such a doll', 'she is a natural mother, a goddess'. But do we ever let her be a human being? With the same goals and ambitions as any man? Expectations are thrust on a girl right from when she attains puberty. It is like education and other natural means of growing up does not apply to a girl. There is no need for a woman to know how to make her own decisions. She is given no choice. The choice was made when she was declared a girl by God. Or was it by man?

I hope we in India, take this time to think about how we raise our children. Whether it is a girl or a boy, the difference is quite narrow and is mainly physical. A girl can have aspirations, talents, goals and can definitely make a mark in the world, if she is given a chance. She needs to be taught to be a good human being more than anything else. She does not have to be pretty or sweet or cute or coy. She needs to be taught to stand for something higher in life and respect herself for what she is. A boy should be taught that girls are not from a different species. They need to be raised to respect all human beings, whether it is a man or a woman. We as parents must teach our children by our own example, at home. A father is as important to a family as a mother. The fact that one brings in the money to the family should not make him or her any more important.

I hope we help our children appreciate differences in temperament and nature. I hope boys don't get teased for being girly or sensitive. I hope a girl who likes frocks and frills is also allowed to become a pilot if she wants to be one. A human being is complete with both the 'feminine' and the 'masculine' hidden in the genes. Let us let girls just be themselves and not put them into a special category 'women and children'. If that means women get no special queues or seats on buses then so be it. I will be a much happier woman if I know that I can stand up for my rights as an individual. Let us hope for safer and saner public spaces. 

India, awake?

I am beginning to wish that news on TV was more like what it used to be in the eighties, serious somber and soporific. Its getting too stressful to watch and listen to Arnab Goswami and others go on and on without a break. This last one week has been full of such disturbing news that I wonder if I should allow my 9 year old daughter to listen to the English news at all. I think I'd even be better off with Tamil news as the language is a little more archaic, atleast to my daughter.

You must have guessed by now, yes, I have to mention the Delhi rape case. It is a shame that we have to stage such violent and non-violent protests to induce the police to do its duty. Its difficult to separate the media from the story of the girl now. Why was this case so special? As we can see, there are rape cases being reported everyday in every big city of India? Half of them don't get any media attention. Is it because of the South Delhi connection? Should our TV channels make this case as the headlines every single day?I hope the media focuses on all acts of public violence with such enthusiasm. I hope a beggar getting beaten up by the police in Delhi gets as much attention.

Violence against the weak is prevalent in all societies. Women are considered physically weak by men and no matter how educated people are, there is no way of stopping such acts. What is important is to realise that the fault is not with the woman but with the man in that particular case. Its not because of liberalisation or the influence of western culture or degrading morals of the society. It is just a blatant act of violence in a society where there are many unhappy people.

What we should be concerned about is public apathy towards acts of violence whether it is against a woman or child or an elderly person. If there was no such protest or public outcry, we have to be really worried about the collected psyche of the Indian society. I am glad that this topic has been discussed and debated so much all over the social networks and public spaces.

The year 2012 has been full of political turmoil. Most politicians and public figures seem to have been part of some scandal or scam. We need a much more disciplined and accountable policing system in India. The various cases pending in the High Courts and Supreme Court must have a reasonable resolution and must not take an entire lifetime to get resolved. Finally, we have to be grateful to Anna Hazare's movement. It  has finally hit its target. People have started realising that they needn't sit back and watch things unfold, they have to play an active role in making changes in the society. I hope the year 2013 brings in more positive changes in the society in India and all over the world too.