In a Land Of Goddesses, We Are Witnessing Crimes Against Women

So, on the Deepawali evening just a few days ago, I and my family were worshipping Goddess Lakshmi and singing hymns and prayers in obeisance as we are wont to do on Deepawali.

It is mostly in the Sanskrit language in which we, as a family, are not so proficient. So despite what a hymn meant, literally or symbolically, we were singing it impassionately. After all, it is in praise of Goddess Lakshmi, who is so revered and holds a special place in the hearts and minds of the Hindus.

Then, as we were involved in it, a thought struck me.

I am an atheist in the sense that I do not believe in God/Goddess as a person but as invisible energy or power which is the source behind all life forms existing on the planet.

I was thinking how did the concept of Goddess Lakshmi must have come about in the past. Of course, I do not believe in the explanation offered by texts or legends which say:

According to a Hindu legend, she emerges during the creation of universe, floating over the water on the expanded petals of a lotus flower.

or

In another Hindu legend, about the creation of the universe as described in Ramayana, Lakshmi springs with other precious things from the foam of the ocean of milk when it is churned by the gods and demons for the recovery of Amṛta. She appeared with a lotus in her hand and so she is also called Padmā.

These explanations are just given to signify something else. We should not take it literally. I certainly don’t.

So, when I was ruminating, I thought our sages and saints must have devised this story or an explanation to create a Goddess Lakshmi. All in an effort to hit two targets with one arrow.

The first I thought would be to make us, lower mortals, respect women.

The second I thought would be to make us utilize and use wealth appropriately and not for ulterior motives.

Crimes Against Women

Then it made me wonder, why despite being a ‘religious’ and ‘pious’ country, and despite having so many goddesses, we still committ so many crimes against women. We do not even leave girls out of this.

As per statistics from Statista.com

Domestic abuse or cruelty by husband and/or relatives was the highest reported crime against women across India in 2020. Assault ranked second that year, with over 85 thousand cases filed. Rape, which makes headlines regularly in the country recorded over 28 thousand. This was from a total of over 371 thousand cases of crime reported against women that year.

And mind you, these are the reported cases. In a country like India where countless women are shushed into silence and submission and given threats or bribes in order to not report the ‘incident’.

Where does India stand?

According to a poll of global experts:

India is the world’s most dangerous country for women due to the high risk of sexual violence and being forced into slave labour.

Even Afghanistan and Syria ranked second and third!

Why? What has happened to the land of sages and saints?

Why so much violence and hatred, especially against women?

I don’t think if we didn’t have so many gods and goddesses then India would have been much worse. It would have been equally bad.

The vices inside us will get the better of us despite anything but awareness and mindfulness.

I don’t think if we didn’t have so many gods and goddesses then India would have been much worse. It would have been equally bad.

The Way Forward

I will tell you about one incident that happened with me and my wife a few days ago. We went to a highly conservative and patriarchal neighbor for lunch. When my wife touched the feet of the aunt, the aunt blessed my wife and said, “May God give you a baby boy.”

I mean, Seriously!

I think it starts at home. Inequality between a girl and a boy child, discrimination, abuse, lack of opportunities based on gender — it all starts at home.

And ironically, most of the time, it is the mother who tells her girl child to not raise her voice against injustice or abuse, to adjust and compromise after marriage, to give up her career and aspirations to support her family.

And I think it is high time for men to change their perception of women and not to repress things that are natural, to stop being hypocrites, and to digest women’s rise to financial freedom and equality.

It all starts at home and school.