Here is the list of some influential females who share their views on celebrating Women’s Day.
To celebrate or not to celebrate Women’s Day. This has always been a hot debate. Where the day is observed to celebrate women worldwide and to address women related issues, there some people consider it as chivalry. Some called this day sexist as Men are not celebrated to such an extent. So, is it unfair to them?
At this point, it becomes highly essential to understand the difference between Chivalry and equality.
To gain better understanding on the subject we asked some influential women of the country to share their thoughts on the concept of celebrating Women’s Day.
Shonal Narayan Aggarwal
“Equality and talking about how justified it is to celebrate men’s day, I don’t feel there’s any need to celebrate women’s day too. However, why we SHOULD celebrate women’s day is also because a lot of men do not think women to be equal and this is the best way to drum this into their heads.”
Kiran Bedi
“Equality will not need Chivalry! Latter is needed when there is inequality! And on being asked why women’s day when there is no men’s day, I would say that it’s men’s day every day. For they are perception-ally the providers and deciders! Hence, they have it unless they choose to be otherwise.”
Pallavi Joshi
“To begin with, Chivalry and Equality have nothing to do with each other. If men open doors, pull chairs, or stand up in the presence of a woman, it is out of their own volition and as a mark of respect to the existence of women. We all as humans are taught etiquettes. Now these differ from a man to a woman. Just like all of us, men or women do the same where senior citizens are concerned.
If I offer my seat to an older person, I am not trying to prove to him/her that I am stronger or physically more able; it’s just my way of showing respect and making them comfortable. Also, when faced with a high-ranking person, don’t we get up in his/her presence? What are we trying to do here? We are showing our respect.
Traditionally in our society, women have always been respected. Do not forget that goddesses exist only in our culture. A woman has always been synonymous with Laxmi or Durga. Now was Durga ever any less than Shiva? No, they were each other’s equal counterparts. So, to me Chivalry & Equality are mutually exclusive. Men who ignore etiquette under the guise of equality not only lack social grace but are also insensitive to women as a human being.
As far as we are concerned, it is not incorrect to expect chivalry, but it is wrong to make a fuss of it in its absence, for we are the new age women, and we can surely open our doors.”
Alpana Gujral
“I believe in manners, and that goes for both men and women. If there were equal rights from the beginning, then one wouldn’t have a women’s day. At one point in history, Women’s Day was observed to celebrate women’s right to vote.
I believe that men have also made tremendous contributions that have been critical in this movement of equality and are also a part of the Celebration. Celebration is not gender-related; everyone plays a part. Therefore, defining another day called Men’s Day is not required.”
Premalata Sarcar
“I believe in equality. Why should anyone be dominated on any basis, least of them a gender. Yes, we should celebrate women’s day because celebrations of any kind are welcome.”
Dr. Prerna Koli
“I want equality. I feel that we, both men and women, should work as a team, hand in hand. As far as celebrating women’s day is considered, I feel it is not about women’s liberation or rights, but we celebrate women’s day to make our presence felt. We just want the love and respect we deserve.”
Kangana Ranaut
“I think chivalry is offering equality to women. Both chivalry and equality are interrelated. Just because I would like someone to take care of me, opening doors for me does not mean I cannot take care of myself. It is just showing respect and affection. Chivalry is offering women equality with both hands extended. I think it is nice to celebrate women’s day. A day out-of-the-box to celebrate what we take for granted. But we can also give a day for men’s day.”
DJ Barkha Kaul
I believe in equality for sure. But at the same time, it is completely justified because it is a male-dominated society; the life of women keeps changing, and if there were no women, there would not be any men, so women need to be celebrated in a big way and what is better than a women’s day?
Sreeya Bhattacharya
“I want equality from men. I don’t want to be treated as a second-class citizen, or just a baby maker. But also, being questioned that if it is justified to celebrate women’s day when there is nothing called men’s day, I’ll probably say that half of the celebration is for men, like Maha-Shiv Ratri, Raksha Bandhan, Bhaiya dooj, Karvachauth, etc., so one single day dedicated for women is no big deal.”
Somya Rastogi
“What I want is no extremes. I want an amalgamation of both, a perfect balance of equality and chivalry. Equality for me is not fighting for your rights but asserting them. I feel celebrating Women’s Day is biased and ironic when we talk about equality. Equality is supposed to be from both sides and we should at least give them the privilege of being celebrated.”
The concept of feminism and women’s day is often considered favouring female in an unjustified way. Women never had a problem celebrating Men’s Day. Hearing to these influential ladies of India, it is clear that most of women believe in the concept of feminism. And knowingly or unknowingly Chivalry became a part of it.
