Delhi is witnessing numerous protests these days. While these demonstrations are vital for the health of our democracy, there have been attempts to stop or criminalize them. It has long been the strategy of the power elite to intimidate people with a massive security umbrella, yet citizens continue to defy them to register their presence. Among all these protests, the most 'innovative' seems to be the Delhi University girls' protest against 'Mardism'.
To be frank, I have disliked this term from the beginning. I feel it originates from a feudal, patriarchal setup. 'Mard' is the celebration of a specific type of 'manliness.' In the 1960s, cinema always portrayed a 'mard' like Dev Anand—flamboyant, singing 'Main zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya'—smoking, blowing smoke in his girlfriend's or wife's face, and talking with his head held high while the woman simply listened. Later, Manoj Kumar-type characters portrayed 'bad' women smoking cigars and drinking wine. Those were also the years of cigarette advertisements with the tagline, 'Mardon wali baat'.
This parochial term gained wider acceptance through mainstream Bombay cinema. To convert the negativity of 'Mard' into 'positivity,' filmmakers made movies like Mard and Mard Ki Zubaan, making the word synonymous with 'protecting' women.
Far removed from films, the term 'Mard' is rarely used by women in the hinterland in a positive sense. The Hindi term Purush is far more sophisticated, as it doesn't carry the same feudal baggage (though Purusharth is purely feudal and carries a similar sense of 'positivity'). However, 'Mard' was a popular term scrawled on walls and in public toilets across Uttar Pradesh, the NCR, Bihar, and elsewhere. It was heavily featured in the 'advertisements' of sexologists offering "100% guaranteed" treatments to make you a 'Mard'. Here, 'Mard' and 'Mardangi' become synonymous with sexual strength—as if you have to go into a wrestling match with your partner and 'defeat' her in bed. This 'dominance' is the core theme of these sexologists' conversations. It reflects the social patterns and taboos of our society, where a 'mard' is perceived as the person in perfect command. In fact, being called a 'Namard' (impotent/less than a man) can drive a person to suicide. That is the power of the term; any challenge to a man's sexual prowess is considered humiliatingly insane in India.
I was under the impression that the new generation would move past all this. As women become self-sufficient, I thought they would mind their own business and forge better alliances. Sweeping generalizations only help a few elites who don't suffer from these issues but can exploit them. I felt the term 'Mard' had already lost its shine, so I am surprised to see young girls—not even in their teens—rhyming 'Mard' in their slogans. I wonder if the girls ever used this term prior to these protests, but 'Mard Jaat' is the new terminology for all. The problem is: how can people outside this specific linguistic context feel comfortable with slogans using terminology that isn't in their everyday vocabulary?
There is no doubt that women's safety concerns us all. Violence against women, the social normalization of the neglect of the girl child, and political patronage of regressive thoughts are the order of the day. Yet, I will always suggest that this is not a war against 'men'. This war will never succeed if it is framed as men versus women.
As I said, there is huge diversity among us. A Dalit woman will say she faces worse. A Balmiki or Dom woman will say she is the most affected. Muslim women face it on the streets today. Similarly, the abusers are not merely 'men'—they come from different backgrounds, driven by caste, religious, and ethnic supremacy. Don't women feel proud of their ancestry? Aren't women proud of being Muslim, Dalit, Hindu, Christian, Brahmin, Thakur, or something else? It is important that we target the actual issues, speak about them, and seek institutional responses. We have a Constitution, and its honest, impartial implementation will bring results. Is it not a fact that women, too, have joined hands with those spreading racial and caste-based hatred? Should we blame all women for that? There are hundreds of YouTube videos and reels these days where female presenters blame women for the failure of marriages and our social systems. These women are not just 'puppets' of men; they are competent and independent.
The issue is far bigger than rhetoric. Today, lakhs of women are breaking their fasts on the occasion of Jitiya, which is basically meant to pray for the safety of their family, but mainly their sons. The fast is extremely tough, as they don't even drink water. A few days later, the entire country will 'celebrate' Karwa Chauth, and many 'newsmakers' will join live demonstrations of the festivities. You have already celebrated Raksha Bandhan and will wait for next year. We know all these festivals have a bias against the female gender, and they will keep lingering every year. Will you speak up against them? If yes, you will be ostracized by your relatives and society. You are not created in a vacuum; you are part of society. The whole talk of the 'individual' is a big lie. Even the most powerful people in the world, who enjoy their 'individuality', have to seek societal legitimacy for their actions.
The point is simple. Women's safety and independence are issues concerning all of us and must be dealt with both legally and culturally. In both arenas, you need men, too. For years, we have asked: how are women's issues just for 'women' alone? Isn't an attack or assault on a woman a concern for men, too? We all worry for our children when they are out, and every parent wants a safe environment for their daughter. Fathers, in particular, lose sleep when she is out or traveling because of safety concerns.
In power politics, everyone wants to segregate issues so that some can seize the opportunity to become leaders. Nobody denies that fact. But what is important is that women's safety is not merely a women's issue; it is everyone's issue. And why stop at women's safety? Every citizen deserves safety. I, too, am uncomfortable traveling late at night and have avoided it all my life. Law and order issues need to be handled impartially and in coordination with the public.
The Delhi government has failed to provide a safe environment for women. The BJP previously made use of the Nirbhaya case, and at that time, too, we saw the same sloganeering, only for it to look as if nothing would change afterward. Things have turned much worse now. The issue is not who can narrate the crisis better, but how to actually solve it. How can we make our streets and public spaces safer? The answer has to come from the government. Let us not convert this into a fictitious debate to deviate from the real issue. The authorities are responsible for providing security and ensuring public spaces remain safe for everyone. They need to respond to the current crisis and not take shelter behind the excuse that it is merely a 'cultural issue'.
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*Human rights defender
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