Happy International Men's Day

Quite often than not, I am asked the real definition and meaning of 'Feminism' and I give a very simple and a straightforward reply to it - 'Feminism' is not just supporting women but fighting for an equal cause for men too. If you find someone calling themselves a 'Feminist' and supporting or even encouraging 'Male Bashing' and discrimination against 'Men', they are not a 'Feminist' at all. I have always been very vocal about supporting and encouraging equal rights for 'Men'. Though we don't need a specific day to celebrate and respect a gender. Albeit having said that, in this day of utter chaos and confusion, I believe, sometimes, you have to blow your own trumpet, because nobody listens to you, when you walk quietly into the night.

Today is 'International Men's Day' and the focus is [and will always be] on Men's health, Gender equality and Promotion of Well being among the 'Most Beautiful Creatures to have Blessed Planet Earth' - i.e 'Men'. The 21st Century Women, celebrates your presence and also appreciates your contributions, sacrifices and progress made towards the society. The never-ending of loop of normalising toxicity towards men and asking men for favours just keeping in mind and highlighting their gender is as good an inequality as anything else. Men don't cry. If he does, he's weak. Men do not feel pain. If he does, he's tagged as meek. Men need to keep a measure of their words.

If he talks a lot, he's just another flamboyant guy. If he doesn't talk at all, he's arrogant. Men should be responsible, be he an 18 year old boy or a 56 year old man. Men cannot listen to their wives. If he does, he's a henpecked husband. Men cannot listen to their mothers. If he does, he's a Mumma's boy. Men should open doors for women. Men should hold chairs for women. Men should pay the bills. Men should take responsibility of their families. Men should earn more than their partners. Men should never be a house-husband. Men should not put on make-up. Men should not pamper themselves once a while with spa, pedicure, manicure.

Men should drink whiskey, rum, and not vodka based cocktails. Men should not wear pink. Men should not do this, men should do that....Etcetera etcetera. There's a huge list if I go on expanding the unsaid rules of our society. But there's something which we never appreciate. Men accept. Men mould themselves according to what society puts at them. Men maintain as much balance in the universe as women do. Even now, when I pen down words for men, I am perplexed, because we hardly use adjectives for them. I was taught in school about how Jane Eyre was a thousand adjectives, while Mr. Rochester was just wild and outspoken.

That's how society is; unjust. Happy international men's day to all the men, the ones in our lives who go unappreciated, unsung and un-honoured. Because if we do not understand it's importance, if we do not celebrate it, if we do not rejoice the presence of men in our lives, if do not look up to the sacrifices our fathers made for us, or the love showered on us by our brothers, or the intimacy shared with our boyfriends and husbands, we should be ready to accept the truth. The truth that our fathers, our brothers, our husbands and boyfriends, our male friends will go unappreciated, unsung and un-honoured. Cheers!