'Women have changed, media's portrayal has not'

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, SEPT. 14. Does the media truly convey what the Indian woman is like or does it merely perpetuate an age-old myth?

Ms. Hemalatha Mahishi, lawyer and activist, believes it is mostly the latter. In fact, she says that the media ``keeps showing stereotypes though we have attempted to change''.

She was addressing students of Sri Sai College for Women at Rajajinagar here on ``Atrocities against women'' here on Friday.

Ms. Mahishi pointed out that the topic under discussion was an old one. ``Besides, it is not enough for just us women to talk about it. Society as a whole has to tackle this,'' she said.

Ms. Mahishi said women were portrayed by the media (films) ``either as cigarette-smoking alcohol-drinking types or as sari- clad, silent, devotional Bharatiya naris''. In films, heroes teased heroines unmercifully yet the latter fell in love with them. This was so even if the character portrayed by the heroine was bold, ``the type to take off her slipper threateningly''.

Aeons ago, women were hunters too. ``In fact, they often led the tribe''. But now, men and women were both human beings. If someone acted like an animal, society had a duty to correct that person.

Ms. Mahishi spoke out against what she called ``social conditioning'' -- views and norms instilled into men and women. ``Why men should not cry? Why is that women are supposed to be always sacrificing or patient? These values are universal not gender-specific,'' she said. Once peoples' thinking changed, such societal beliefs too would change, she added.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police (North), Mr. S.K.Venugopal, put forth a few ``provoking'' generalities based on statistics. He said in his sub-division there were 19 dowry deaths from 1999 to 2001. ``In 90 per cent of them, the mothers-in-law were accused often with the sisters-in-law as abettors; in two cases it was the husband.''

He said when the husband and wife stayed on their own, problems were fewer. ``Why did women as a species behave in this fashion?,'' he asked. Was a woman another woman's worst enemy? ``Mothers-in-law were once upon a time daughters-in-law. So why do they behave in this way?,'' he asked.

He urged his audience to attain economic independence before they got married. That would help them in future. The experiment in setting up an ``all-woman'' police station in Ulsoorgate had failed. ``Please try to find out the reasons for this,'' he said.

Ms. B.Saroja Devi, veteran film actress, and Mr. Justice A.J.Sadashiva, retired Judge of the Karnataka High Court, spoke. The function was jointly organised by the college and the Rajajinagar police.

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