Last week I
witnessed something .
I witnessed
one of the most vibrant moving canvasses in front of my eyes. I was at Varanasi
with friends.No I hadn’t seen Arjun Rampal but something as soothing to my
eyes. We have all heard about the
grandeur of the Ganges aarti by the ghats of Varanasi.Here is something I saw
in addition to the spectacular beauty of the Arti that to my astonishment
doesn’t turn up in a google search and finds no mention in any blog either.
My friend
very casually mentioned about the last visit where she has seen
handsome(read:hot) pundits by the ghats performing the aarti. Of course I
hadn’t paid much attention to her words as I was all soaked up in
spirituality.Moreover you wont imagine good looking men all queued up at a ghat
in Varanasi.
But Lo and
Behold! As soon as our boats perched at the Ganga water front at the famous
Dashashwamedh Ghat I saw something I had never seen before. The air chanted of
cymbals and smelled of marigold.The bell chimes cast a spell as the entire
audience was gazing wholeheartedly at the aarti being done in front of us.
As for me
the artist in me was aroused. It was a dark cold night. The ghats were
ancestral.The scene in front me was iridescent with handsome men so neatly
wrapped in silk dhoti and colourful kurta that accentuated their slim waist and
masculine physique.Initially I was hesitant in appreciating the pulchritude of
the sight before my eyes for these men were performing a holy service.Later as
the event progressed I realised that the entire exercise before our eyes was
indeed a performing art . Art for me is solely a matter of appreciation and
reverence. As these pundits took the heavy lamps in their hands that only
flaunted their toned biceps and arms,I couldn’t help but draw even more closely
towards them to have a look.I was awestruck at the finesse in their wrists
which turned the incense sticks with such grace.It was divine to see them pour
the holy ganga jal around their feet in a semi circle so in sync . It was
exalting to see their hands wave the fluffy wand in the air right and left.They
enthralled the entire audience by
holding those heavy brass lamps and
making circular flights of fire in the
air.
It was a brilliantly choreographed show that
ended in the pundits blowing the conchs.We i.e my friend and I stood right in
front of them with our backs facing the Ganges and looked at them in a trance.
The Pundits noticed us too,continuously gazing at them. We were unabashed in
our admiration.
Connoisseurs
of male handsomeness or Adam teasers were we?
I surely had
to pass on this information to my female friends for them to witness this “handsome”
show.
And today as I recount that incident the
feminist in me thinks about why is there no concept of adam teasing in
retribution to whatever keeps happening on the streets with every single girl
of the country.Had there been pretty ladies doing the sandhya aarti I am sure
the entire country would have known,with thousands of pictures and videos of
youtube just like any other beauty contest. Why is it that her beauty and body
is not respected for its rock like strength that braves monthly cycles to give
birth to an entire generation but is looked at with lascivious eyes as an
object for sexual pleasure. Why do so many male eyes probe every single part of her body and make
her feel visually raped?Why is it that four men together have to pounce on her
as if she were a football?
Why is it
that she has to fight for her life for no fault of hers ?How does this kind of libido
exhibit in these rapists and eve teasers? Just because she wanted to come to a place where she could
study and happened to travel in a public transport because her parents were
extremely poor. Why do I constantly write about such issues?
Why is it
that the face of rapists is always that of a man?
What is
wrong with this percentage of guys?
Yes , I being
a feminist I worry for the future of my
gender.More importantly being an Indian I am worried about the future of my
country,for we all know that a country cannot progress without equal
opportunity given to 50% of the population.We feminists are often sneered for
vociferously crying for our rights. We are undeterred because at least we have
a sense of purpose.We are atleast fighting for a cause.Being a feminist does
not mean being against men but being against men who are against a woman’s
demand of social equality.
I appeal to the
brothers,fathers and husbands of the country to join our struggle!You cannot
exist without us.
