Odisha's women need revolutionary change in thinking for a holistic development

A cultural mass-struggle necessary to change the feudal mind-set
By Rupak Johnson
The women, in northern belt of India, have largely been non-participants in the development process of their respective states. Unlike south, where women are understood to have a pragmatic approach towards globalization, the scene in the north is fraught with confusion and embarrassment.
In mid-eastern state Odisha too, the women are yet to come in terms with the reality of industrialization and modernization. However, too late, Odisha also jumped into the development bandwagon to come out of the poverty tag attached with it for a long time. The present government invited the big business players to join hands with them in exploring the possibility of the elusive growth. And the state desperately requires skilled human resources to work as development agents. The huge task ahead is not possible without the participation of womenfolk, who consist of a large chunk of the population. But the question is: How can they be ready for action ?
Women in Odisha: An overview
The Constitution of India provides for equality between men and women according to Articles 14, 15 and 16. But there is denial of equality at various levels because of the strong feudal mindset in the state. The feudal and agricultural societies of the yore brought in the male-dominance concept because of the physical strength of men-folk. Women preferred to play second fiddle by confining themselves within the four walls of the house cooking food, giving birth and rearing children.
The situation still holds true for Odisha, especially the rural belts, where nearly eighty five percent of the total population resides. And despite dominance of mineral-based industries, agriculture continues to be the mainstay of about three-fourths of the total working force. As a result, women keep themselves associated with only household work; they do not want to think anything else; they restrict their outlook.
In Odisha, like other parts of the country, women are still looked down upon. The birth of a girl child is seen as a tragedy even among people belonging to educated class. The girl is considered as a burden. This is the reason why the reports of female foeticide appear in media at frequent intervals. The disgusting practice of dowry also cast the women in a negative picture; she is treated like cattle in the marriage market; she has no value of her own; her education and thoughts are of no meaning.
It is strange to learn that women in Odisha are still far from equal in terms of their rights and privileges. They work from dawn to dusk doing their chores and taking care of the members of the household, but sadly, they are not supposed to have their say in decision-making. It is the male who decide or rather the society, in general, that would want him to decide. The woman, however intelligent and wise, is seldom asked to participate. It is immaterial to know whether she possesses 'a piece of her own mind'; she is a mute spectator who is forced to play a passive role.
What are the reasons?
Women in Odisha have not learnt to assert themselves and they also suffer from low self-esteem. Intelligence Quotient tests have established that the IQ of an average woman is the same that of an average man.
Given a chance, women can perform as well as men in almost all activities. There have been umpteen numbers of examples in the country where women showed they can deliver. Right from Kalpana Chawla, the late astronaut of Indian origin to, Indira K. Nooyi, the chief executive officer of PepsiCo, Kiran Desai, the man booker prize winner, Sania Mirza, the mixed doubles Australian Grand Slam winner to Aishwarya Rai, the international face of Indian film industry, there are ever increasing number of women achievers from our country. These women are known to have been assertive, a trait which implies exercising one's own rights and having conviction — a firmly held belief in one's own self.
A majority of women in Odisha are cocooned in a pile of prejudice and pre-conceived notion. They do not want to come out of the rut; they lack self-will and the urge to achieve a foothold in the society. The state can boast of a handful of women achievers who have given Odisha recognition at the national level.
Nandita Das, Kalpana Das and Roopa Mishra are some of the achievers who brought laurels for themselves as well as for the state. But, the success rate is few and far between. There is a huge scope for women in new-age professions like television, journalism, fashion design and entertainment. It is rather strange to note that the women here are cut-off from the political thinking; they treat politics as pariah. They still believe in clichés like 'the person who does not have any other work does politics'. Strange enough! Living in a globalised world with such thinking is pathetic and calls for serious attention. It is indeed a gross misconception which has been inculcated on their minds by external forces.
The women should look at their neighboring states Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal where women have strong political base. They need to look at Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Punjab and even North-East. A breakthrough initiative for Industrialization and modernization of the state is possible only through the active and collective participation of its citizens at thinking and action level. Odisha's women must act fast.
What to do?
A change in the outlook is possible with the willingness to change along with a positive approach. The slogan 'Yes, we can' played a key role in Mr. Barack Obama's historic victory in USA; it was the essence of his political campaigning. This attitude is required in Odisha too. The women need to have self-belief which will open up news vistas of opportunity for them. They need a revolution in thinking level, a complete overhauling of the mindset. They need to ignite their brain to have a clear vision of the surrounding.
A mass-struggle is required to help them break free from the mindset of feudal societies. The women need to think beyond the four walls; they need to lift themselves up. In the age of machines and computers, Odisha requires large participation of women. Physical power, the emblem of feudal mindset, is passé; mental power is the new mantra. It's time to dream big. Emancipation waits for them at the door.

The author is a communication expert. Please send your feed back at janatavikasmanch@gmail.com or visit http://www.janatavikasmanch.blogspot.com/ for more information.