March 08 and Kerala Concerns of Sthreepeedanam

At least to a section of opinion makers here in Kerala,
Agolavalkaranam (Globalization) in the context of women's rights, just means massive onslaught

on this beloved country's great Culture!
Like women daring to visit pubs, daring to defy the dress codes,
daring to shatter the values of family and bringing shame to the
country and the countryMen, so on and so forth.
While Muthaliks and Modys are there in Karnataka and Gujrat at large
to fight these evils, who will fight here?
Going by the press reports, we find the local police to the leftist-
rightist women/youth/students organizations to the neighborhood
fraternity vigilance volunteers arrayed in the great task of defending
culture. Part of the task of (people) getting opinionated against w
omen's assertions, is of course left to the Fourth Estate together
with the Samskarika Nayakans and Nayikas of Kerala through rhetoric s
and imagery of globalization destroying Culture.... especially by
w omen shedding their sense of guilt and shame, daring to express
their sexuality in first person, unmindful of the Culture and
Tradition!
We find in one report after other ,youths being rounded up by the
police for no cognizable crime.
An item appeared in Malayala Manorama daily on the other day. It was a
report under a sensational caption, about an incident at Kollam
railway station. Lacking in many details,esp of the legality of the
police/railway court's action, the report would mean that two people
of different sex, unconnected either through marriage or through
blood relation, sitting together and talking is an act punishable with
instant arrest and fine!

Well, one is tempted to ask a few questions to these self-styled defenders of culture:
Do they really like to see women of Kerala ever having autonomy over
their bodies ?
Even while we find chapters of peedanam (atrocities) unending here in Kerala, are
we confident enough to be able in any near future, to stop seeing
women of Kerala just as victims of 'peedanam' (perpetration of atrocities)?
When will we able to find them as active individuals/ collectivity
fighting , challenging the male regime of gender and sexuality on the
one hand, and demanding progressive reforms in education about sex and
reproduction on the other?
When will we/ they be able to take on this essentially anti-woman,
protectionist attitude that promotes kind of
single handed discourse on peedanam, wherein, active agency is denied
to women on every count?
When will be able to dispense with the need of outfits like "Stree
Suraksha Samithis" ,which virtually edifies the dictum of Manu (Women
should always be protected, and they never deserve to be free)
Flip side of the institution of peedanam is family, the burial ground
of every right of women to full citizenship.
It is high time that we openly defied Culture, Morals and Traditions
at least to the extent they openly take sides with an agenda of
perpetuating patriarchy in all walks of life, be it physical labour,
reproduction, sexuality or the organization of family.