IF ONLY PARENTS ARE MORE ENLIGHTENED

 

IF ONLY PARENTS ARE MORE ENLIGHTENED

The defining theme in almost all films in India is shaadi – marriage.

The Indian psyche revolves around marrying off the daughters at the earliest. Girls are not furnished the opportunities boys are flooded with. The norm here is conservative. It actively stops daughters from reaching their full, free potential. Daughters are weighted down with all  kinds of oppressive ideas of family ‘honour’ even as they have educational and work opportunities. The same parents who encourage their daughter’s lofty qualifications still expect her to prioritize marriage at a certain age, that too as per their choice. In the end, the fence they have preserved stays higher than the bridge they have built.

It means, for every woman who credit her parents for creating space for their ambition, countless women remain tied inside tyrannical conventions. Their dreams are crushed to guard their ‘reputation.’ There is zero justification for the neglect showered upon the daughter.

It is highly regrettable if girls are denied the opportunities parents favour the boys with. Girls must be as free as the boys to choose their own future.  They should never be held back from pursuing a brilliant career. It may be borne in mind that forcing the girls into narrow domesticity is the worst deterrent to progress.

If only  parents are more enlightened  the eventuality  could be reversed.