Right To Equality

It’s no secret that the fairer sex in India is mostly treated like second-grade citizens with discrimination starting from the mother’s womb. Ace actress Kangana Ranaut says equality with men is a far fetched dream. “In this country, the number of women who get equal rights is embarrassingly small. Although I now belong to a world which seems privileged, I come from a background where women cannot even expect to be treated equally. This is a country where female foeticide is alarmingly high and violence by men is accepted. Even in the place where I work, I am expected to be in Barbie doll mode; anything beyond that is not acceptable. Women who speak their mind are not encouraged. Forget freedom of equality, no freedom of any sort is given to women. The attitude in this industry is so feudal and regressive that it is unbelievable. Women are hardly thought of as thinking beings, and very few seek their opinion. Women are put in four basic groups — cute women, bold women, wild women and women who can be exploited,” she says.

Cultural and Educational Rights

While the country is making advancements in various fields, many children are denied education. Blaming it on poverty, filmmaker Nila Madhab Panda, whose award-winning film I Am Kalam was based on former President late APJ Abdul Kalam and aimed at inspiring the poor to educate their children, says, “First of all, we should stop blaming the government for not being able to provide education to each and every child. Instead, we, who are able to help, should help the government in facilitating their education, which is a stepping stone to empowerment. In my hometown, Bhubaneswar, there is an institute called Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences which functions with funds raised by people. They provide schooling and fulfil basic needs of thousands of less privileged children. India will grow only if its kids are educated.”