The latest show in town

The latest show in town

And you thought they could do it only to Valentine's Day, hype it out of existence that is. Just as `l-o-v-e' was smothered under an avalanche of teddy bears and chocolate hearts, roses and rhapsodies that came to signify Valentine's Day, `w-o-m-e-n' have been all but vacuumed out of Women's Day. March 8th has become the latest big show and photo-op in town, an occasion to sell everything from sarees to software, an opportunity to appear `modern,' `enlightened' and `concerned'. This new zeal to jump on to the Women's Day bandwagon would have been a very welcome, indeed heartening, development, if it didn't smack so much of hypocrisy and play-acting.

Take those masters of tokenism -- politicians. Notice the crocodile tears in the voice of a Pramod Mahajan, as he speaks about the inability of his government to pass the Women's Bill. Now the whole world and its sister know that that benighted piece of legislation has been doomed from its very inception. Yet, on Women's Day, the Union minister for parliamentary affairs feels constrained to assure Indian women everywhere that his government will bring forward the women's bill within 24 hours, ``if there is a general agreement among all political parties''. It is such empty stances that do the damage. This newspaper had a hilarious report from Mumbai about the exertions of the mayor in trying to cobble together a list of 14 worthy women from the state to be felicitated on Women's Day. The names of ``good women'' so eluded the good man that he had to look around the room and pick his own colleague as one of his nominees for the honour. When an Opposition leader demanded to know what criteria were used toarrive at the list, the mayor is reported to stated with exceptional candour that were none whatsoever and that if anyone had any suitable names to suggest, he would be only too happy to put them on his list. With such an approach to Women's Day who or what is the man celebrating anyway?

What is disturbing is that once the ceremonies of this ``special'' day are done with, all the platitudes, promises, and postures are quickly forgotten. Women continue to get beaten in their homes and policemen continue to dismiss such cases as ``family matters''. Sexual harassment continues on the streets and the bystander remains just as indifferent to it as always. Women continue to get a raw deal in terms of employment but the system is asimpervious to this injustice as ever. Laws continue to be weighted against women but legal reforms remain just pious intentions. And, yes, female foetuses are just as unwelcome as they were two decades ago and ultra-sound clinics are continuing to do great business. So what is all this about, this I-am-more-sensitive-to-women-than-thou rhetoric, this sporting of a Great Cause for 24 hours? Why does this well of concern and sympathy dry up the moment the occasion passes? Perhaps it would require another Women's Day to seek answers to these questions.