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The South
Asian Life & Times - SALT |
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Contents Cover Story
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Violence Against Women
Long, long before the much appreciated talk show
Satyamev
Jayate, hosted by Aamir Khan, had
aired on Star India Network channel , another lesser known channel, on
limited budgets, had already addressed many of the issues and concerns
raised by Aamir Khan. IBN-7 channel has been airing
Zindagi
Live for five years now – a talk show
hosted by the lesser known of the two, Richa Anirudh. The programme is now
into its sixth season.
Zindagi Live
in its past five seasons has addressed many women’s issues. SALT met up with
Richa Anirudh and had the following conversation with her days after the
horrific and brutal tragedy in Delhi. What are
your feelings about what happened in Delhi? It should never have happened. Why do we take all
this? India has become a very tolerant society. It has become so normal for
women to be pinched, touched or teased. We don’t even object to it. Have we
become a deaf society? It is a heinous crime which should not have happened
at any cost. What has
made the entire country stand united against this particular tragic
incident? Why has it taken us that long to make our voices heard? Why did we
take it for so many decades or centuries? I feel our background and
our roots have a lot to do with it. In a society where people still do not
want a girl child – foeticide and female infanticide are still a reality in
our country. Some states and regions in the country have sex ratios as low
as 830 girls to 1000 boys. Also, there is a huge difference between the
upbringing of a male and a girl child. The male child often sees his mother
being beaten up and abused by the father. What kind of upbringing is he
getting?
A son is free to do what he wants but a
girl child is taught to behave like a ‘girl.’ The do’s and don’ts are
different for the two sexes. How many people think about their daughters’
careers instead of their marriages?
Dowry
system and domestic violence still prevail. It is a vicious cycle – it has
to stop somewhere. But, thankfully, things
are beginning to change. Social media is becoming a strong tool of change.
Though television and newspapers have been covering events,
they
have never been able to mobilise society to the extent social media has
done. Facebook, Twitter and text messages have been powerful tools. We are
getting more and more aware as a result. What has happened in Delhi is too brutal. However, I
do feel that the coverage and public support the tragic incident has
received is because it happened in the capital city. Had it happened
elsewhere in the country, I would have my doubts about the public outcry.
Would the country stand so united had it been another city? Would this issue
have been so highlighted had it not been Delhi? Slightly doubtful but I am
happy at the public response, especially from the young University-going
youth. It is a very good sign. I am optimistic about the future.
Richa, originally from Bundelkhand, grew up in
Jhansi and moved to Delhi after the birth of her daughter in 2000. Having
worked for Doordarshan and Zee channels, and also with Pandit Ravi Shankar
for a year, she joined IBN-7 in 2005 and has been with them since – as a
host on
Zindagi Live
– a talk show that focuses on real issues people face in our society. She
has also been invited to offer ‘Expert Advice’ on the very popular programme
Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) hosted by one of India’s beloved stars – Amitabh
Bachchan.
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