FILMMAKER & COLUMNIST PAROMITA VOHRA ON FEMINISM TODAY

The fate of women in India is a lot like the country itself, a mass of contradictions where every condition and its opposite can be equally, unequivocally true. The brutal rape and murder of Delhi student Jyoti Singh in December 2012 became another horrific milestone in the move to secure the rights of women. In the over two years since then the gender debate has taken on a greater intensity. The media is spotlighting issues relating to women more consistently, but for the most part this is about flagging crimes and highlighting attempts to overturn patriarchal traditions. The approach has been mainly about identifying victims, hailing heroes and crucifying villains. You only have to remember the Indian government’s decision to ban the BBC Channel 4 film India’s Daughter and the role dominant media groups played in influencing public opinion against it.

So where does it leave feminism in India today? Are all women automatically feminists? Can men be feminists? Does greater coverage of women’s issues means we have a feminist media? Will a feminist society be a better one? For many women these are questions that we confront daily. Seeking these answers has been a lifelong quest for filmmaker and writer Paromita Vohra. That maker her the best person to put nuance into our understanding of feminism and balance into the gender debate.