Lakshmi sits at the feet of Vishnu. “Patriarchy!” someone shouts. Kali stands on Shiva’s chest. “Female power!” someone cheers. Shiva as Ardhanareshwar, half a woman. “Gender equality,” someone asserts. These images are at least a thousand years old. They are as popular today as they were then. So what do they say about Indian society? Patriarchal? Matriarchal? Gender-sensitive? All of the above? None of the aboveu00a0

All of the above confuses us, as Indian society is undoubtedly patriarchal, but not as uniformly and universally as media would like us to believe and the West is eager to publicize u00a0My answer would be: none of the above u00a0But my voice will not be heard. For I follow the Indian way of seeing which celebrates the symbolic, the subjective and the subtle not the modern (read Western) way of seeing which is rooted in the literal, the objective and the mathematical. The Indian lens allows us to find infinite meanings in the scriptures. The Western lens permits only one, preferably one that is simple, easy to understand, hence popular.u00a0