The legendary singer and recipient of many a
prestigious awards including the Padma Bhushan, Shri K.J. Yesudas' comment that
women should avoid wearing jeans created a furore, especially in the social
media.
He had made this comment while addressing
students of Sri Swathi Thirunal College of Music in
Thiruvananthapuram. The seventy-six-year-old singer had said the
following:
What should be covered must be covered. Women should not trouble others by wearing jeans. When they wear jean, all you can notice are the things beyond those jeans. Women should not try to become like men but must behave modestly. The attire is inappropriate of Indian culture and what lends beauty to a woman is her modesty and politeness.
There already prevails an atmosphere in India
where many feel that women are unsafe. The increasing number of crimes reported
against women in the recent years has only resulted in further reinforcing this
sad truth.
Even in the national capital women do not feel
safe; and this is a shame to us, our society. There is no belittling of the
fact that those men who indulge in such activities against women are wrong. No
mercy should be shown to such people.
However, just like there are always more ways than
one to prevent some wrong from happening, even in this particular case of
harassment against women, there needs to be concerted and coherent action. Whilst on
one hand it need not be said that men who indulge in these acts are wrong,
but, on the other, it is to be understood that at some instances provocation
caused by means of the dress what is worn triggers these men to act in a wrong
way.
Women who wear clothes that expose their bodies
are more prone to abuse. I do not intend to say that it is because of such
clothes, or, that only because of such clothes, women have to go through such
wrongs. There are cases where even a 'properly' dressed woman does undergo
harassment. All that people like Shri Yesudas intend to say is that avoiding
such attire can, to an extent, prevent the wrong from happening.
He had only made that comment as a piece of
advice to the college students. He was not forcing his view on anyone. He said that to them, in much likelihood, as a man who is as old as their parents.
Women's rights activists say that he is no one
to make such comments. What women wear is their individual freedom, they
assert. What Shri Yesudas did was merely an act of expressing his mind. It
really does not matter as long as it does not hurt the feelings of any section
of people. And it goes without saying that no women were 'hurt' by his
comments.
The President of the Kerala unit of Rashtriya
Janata Dal (RJD) Smt Anu Chacko has demanded that the police register a case against the singer for his comment, which she feels was a "threat to all the
women." However, the police refused to heed to her demand. This makes
it abundantly clear as to what extent the people have stretched their responses.
The fact that this respectable singer was
trolled, and still continues to be, in all platforms one can think of for a comment like this is
something that one needs to seriously ponder.
There are many educational institutions and even
work places where dress code is prescribed for men and women. For instance, in
the Government Law College in Tamil Nadu it is clearly written in the rules
that the girl students are supposed to wear a kameez that is long enough that it extends till the knee and salwar that is stitched. It is clearly
written that leggings and jeans are not to be worn as salwar. Why do women’s rights
activists not agitate against this?
It is, therefore, clear that only when it suits
us, we think of our freedom and choice of the dress that we wish to wear. We conveniently
forget about it when there are laid down restrictions which cannot be
questioned.
Just as many claim that they have the right to
wear what they feel, others have the right to speak; the only caveat being it
should not cause harm
Senior journalist Shri Rajdeep Sardesai tweeted
saying “Maybe
legendary singers like Yesudas should stick to what they do best?” Is it
necessary that experts in one field should not speak on any other field? If
this is the rule, in which field is a journalist specialized? Doesn’t a
journalist question or engage in every possible discussion under the sun?
Therefore, we cannot simply say that a singer should stick to his profession alone and not express
his views on any other issue.
A section
of women in Kerala complained to the police that the auto rickshaw drivers
should not be allowed to wear veshti
or lungi because they were exposing their
legs beyond the limits of decency, causing discomfort to women. The transport
officials issued a circular making it compulsory that auto drivers wear
trousers. Now, is this not an infringement into the freedom of men? Even men
can have the same discomfort when they see women exposing their bodies. Would it not be funny if men had told the women that it was their right to wear what they wanted and that none should question their choice of dress?
Shri Yesudas' comments should not have been
taken as nothing more than a small bit of advice from an old, honourable man.
Rather, the so-called rights activists chose to make an issue out of this, so
much so, that even some foreign newspapers have carried this news. By doing so,
we have only lowered the status of our country in the eyes of other countries.
After
speaking to many people I am sure that there are many men and concerned parents who find nothing wrong in
what the singer has said. But, they shy away to engage in a discussion with those who find
fault with Shri Yesudas. Why? The only reason is that in today’s
atmosphere it does not go down well even to suggest something to a woman with
an intention to help her from getting abused. The trend is to find fault with men, and
that alone!
I am
sure that by writing this I will be seen as “prejudiced,” “chauvinist,” and what
not. But, I strongly feel that I must speak side of the reality.
