Nature CreatedMan and Woman as Equals

The house and its surroundings are a sight of peace
in the early morning of April. It nestles by the side
of a small stream of crystal-clear water. The stream
tumbles down the green mountains only two miles or so
away. There is a stretch of hundreds of acres of fertile
land rolling with yellow mustard flowers, between the
mountain range and the house. A garden is in front
of the house. Trees of many kinds bearing flowers of
various hues and fruits grow on all sides of the house.
The courtyard smells of jasmine which blooms in
bunches of white pearls. The fragrance mingles with
the thin smoke that rises from sweet smelling incense
sticks. The burning incense sticks are glowing at the
altar of God in the middle of the courtyard.
Ashangbi is in her reading - room and is busy
writing an article. She is a middle - aged mother of three
children and a journalist and woman’s rights activist.
Lanthoi, her youngest daughter, enters the room. She
is an intelligent girl. Today she looks thoughtful and
she takes a seat by her mother’s side. At the sight of
her child, Ashangbi lovingly asks, “Have you finished
your study, my dear ?” “Yes, mother, I finished it last
night. Today being Sunday, I want to do something
interesting.” Lanthoi says and waits for her mother’s
response. “Tell me what you want to do,” Ashangbi
asks her quite amused. “Mother, tomorrow I’m going
to represent the Siroi Lily House as a speaker in a
symposium at our school. The topic is ‘God Created
Men and Women As Equals’. Will you spare some
time to have a discussion with me ?” Lanthoi presses
on her mother.
Lanthoi has just had a discussion with her father
on the topic. Tomba, her father, is a husband supportive
of the activities of his wife and a loving father. He is
a lawyer and a social worker, who advocates the cause
of women. He is always proud of his wife, the two
daughters and the son. In times of need, he extends
his helping hand to his wife and children and to the
society at large. He does not discriminate between a
man’s work and a woman’s work anywhere. He shares equally with his wife in doing the household chores like
cleaning, washing, cooking and feeding the children. Had
he not shared in these activities in the way he does,
his wife would not have been a successful professional.
He wholeheartedly believes in equality irrespective of
class, religion and gender. In his discussion with his
daughter, he laments over the great injustice done on
women in the society, telling her, “My dear child, the
world is still full of inequalities. We have to find a
way to bring equality between men and women”.
Her father’s words are still ringing in the ears of
Lanthoi. And she tells her mother of what her father
has told her.
Appreciative of her husband for his views,
Ashangbi says, “Your father is right. In no society do
women enjoy the same opportunities enjoyed by men.
It is because of your father that I feel no difference
or inequality at home. But, outside our home, I have
seen that women have been subjugated in many ways.
It is against the will of God. God has sent men and
women to our Earth to share the joys and sorrows
of life equally, to share His blessings and to enjoy
the bounty of Nature equally. This is what your topic
means”.
Ashangbi knows well that men and women are
equal. Women, who are half of the human race, are
as important as men. She writes and talks about such
topics. Her daughter, though a child, also understands
well that her mother is not a person of lesser quality
than her father. She says, “Our home is full of love
with you, mother.”
The mother beams with joy at the words of her
daughter. As a matter of fact, mother is the fountain
of love in a family. This bond of love is beyond
comparison with anything else in the world. It is
because of this that motherhood has been glorified
and women accept the challenges in life to become a
mother.
Showing deep affection, Ashangbi continues,
“Pioneer women testify to the equality of women with
men. Actually, life is not possible without both women
and men”.
Lanthoi has been fascinated by the stories of
pioneer women. Her grandmother had narrated manystories of the brave queens like Linthoingambi and
Kuranganayani, who were as brave as kings. There
were also many brave women among the common
people. These women, as her grandmother narrated,
were makers of home, family, society and the nation.
They were civilizing influences. At the same time,
they were also adventurers who claimed their shares
in free land, ploughed and raised crops with their own
hands and drove cattle. Modern women have become
mountaineers, naturalists, astronauts, scientists, soldiers
and political leaders. This proves that there is nothing
a woman cannot do and also that women and men
were created as equals.
Then she asks her mother further, “Mother, you’ve
thrown light on the equality of men and women and
also have emphasized that the world is still an unequal
world. Then, what I would like to know is if there are
moral, social and legal provisions to enable women
to express their physical and mental potential and to
set themselves free from suppression”. Amazed at the
curiosity of her daughter, Ashangbi adds :
“There are many. Under the aegis of the United
Nations, there is a declaration for a new world of
equality. It has the following dimensions :
(a) equal access to basic social services including
health and education.
(b) equal participation in political and economic
decision - making.
(c) equal reward for equal work, and
(d) elimination of discrimination and violence against
women.”
Then the mother concluded, “My dear daughter, we
can affirm along with the United Nations that men and
women are equals.”
Lanthoi understands what her mother means
and what the topic of the symposium means. Thus,
confident of success, the next day, after thanking her
mother, the girl of twelve happily rushes out of the
room in the bright morning sun. The blue sky meets
the range of the eastern mountains. The small girl is
always fascinated by the small trail which winds up
the distant purple mountain.