For You or For me? – Impact of Culture on Indian Women – DeepSweep

Impact of Culture on Indian Women

This interesting article is all about the impact of our culture and society on Indian women’s that is affecting her personal choices and daily life allot!

All of a sudden, I woke up to this.

Over lunch, with therapist and counsellor friends, a topic we discussed, was the impact our  culture, and conditioning , had on Indian women in general.

What was it that drove the women of our Indian society?

A drive of strive.

A strive for what?

As every period in time, has a particular set of rules and norms, and is applicable for that period of time, when like circumstances favouring these norms exist, what happens over years, when life evolves, and no longer those circumstances exist.

Yes, you guessed right, we continue the earlier culture and conditioning , which plays a major role in our lives.

Women over the years have been taught to think of everyone except themselves.

I’m sure it was not meant to be.  It was taught earlier, that a family grows when there is respect for all the members.

A value system existed in olden days, when families were large, and duties and responsibilities had to be divided as per roles designated, keeping into mind that the rights of all family members were maintained, in order to maintain a balance and avoid suppression of anyone.

Here a division of work was set.

Naturally , men were physically stronger  and women were biologically stronger and so the demarcation was simple. They were the bread winners and the women were child bearers and home makers.

Home grounds were women territory, and the charge of everything happening at home, became the sole responsibility of the women of the household.

The men of the household had to bring in the earnings and hand it over to the women for the proper functioning of the home.

Problems came in when these demarcations were trampled. Men overpowered the women, supressed them and then came a stage when supressed older women further supressed the young women who were married into their household, further creating a chain of suppression, which carried on for generations, thus creating a general pain body, of women, going through a life of suppression.

Things are different today, awareness has set in, however, as we discussed are the women able to get out of their suppression and think of their purpose of life?

Let’s ask them ” Do you live for me or For yourself”

Let’s go back to Prabha,

Her purpose is to now see that Manas’s singing career is made.

She proclaims that she will run pillar to post to do the same.

After going through 35 years of sheer suffering, torture, humiliation, and in numerous   responsibilities  which come with mentally challenged children, now when she has time to sit down and take a breather, what is it that goads her on.

Her conditioning to live For You, the you here is Manas her 2nd son.

Don’t our women know how to live for themselves too?

By this I do not mean give up all you have taken in hand and think of only yourself. No, but definitely do not forget the real “I”, which entered the world without a role.

This “I” took up roles to experience life, not to get lost in them. So do your bit, but dear women, draw the line when your role is accomplished and move on.

I have heard of many women, feeling upset once their children are settled in their lives, and  having lost their partner,  do not know what to do in their lives. They do not have a You in their life to do for, so they feel their purpose is over and thus fall into depression.

Do not reach this point in your life, where you are habituated to do for  others to survive.

Balance life, not letting it tip on either side. The art of living is not to let it tip over.

It could tip either way, suppression to depression or then depression to suppression.

Suddenly the pain body of suppressed women, as I mentioned earlier, looks for supressing.

Do not reach a point where you look at supressing other women or men, with a vengeance. Realise your rights and take it before you think of taking theirs.  

Dear friends please remember there is a You yourself, who has a life to value, a life you have come in with great strive. Pls do not give it away without realising it. Drive on with the steering in your hands. Steer your life, not let it be steered by others.

Cheers to the women of all generations, no I am not a feminist I am only human, and recognise the need to cheer all women.