Why are we disrobing Draupadi even today?

BeeAmma · Mar 10, 2010

Tubelight said: ↑

Hi !
A co-incidence. Over the past weekend, I had opportunity to attend a book appreciation meet where Chitra Bannerji Divakarun's "Palace of Illusions", (which is presented as Draupadi's version of the Mahabharata) was discussed ; and to watch a dance drama titled "Panchali's Daughters" ( relating the Modern Eve's travails to Draupadi's). And here in Snippets, I meet Draupadi again ! She seems to be the flavour of the Woman's Day Season !

Reading your well presented article reminded me of this quotation. The Impressionist Painter Elio Carletti described "Beauty" as " the summation of the parts working together in such a way that nothing is needed to be added, taken away or altered" Your article is Beautiful and I need add, take away or alter nothing !:thumbsup

Though its a modern trend to think of D. as a fiery, strong Woman of Substance, I can see her only as a creature of circumstance, verily, a puppet manipulated by others and who did not try to overcome or rise above the "fate" chosen for her by others. In this , she has many clones in the modern era too. And just as it is in today's society, her first enemies were women - Kunti who doomed her to polyandry , Gandhari, who did not rein in her sons, and the princesses like Chitrangada, Uloopi etc. who lured away her husbands.

When a successful woman faces humiliating slurs of having "made it on her back", the barbs almost always originates from another woman's mouth. When urban girls are harassed and molested, it is the less-urban women who first declare that " exposed meat attracts flies". Rape victims are victimised by their own mothers. Such being the shabby bonds within the sorority, is it any wonder that The Male feels no hesitation in treating women without respect ? Boys are raised by Mothers who feed them the germs of Gender Inequality with casual references like " dont ( whatever) like a girl !" As though, a girl is a distinct, inferior species.
Women need to be educated ; by education I don't mean merely the degree earning info.stuffing process. I mean total, all round personality development. An educated Woman educates a whole generation, which includes the sons.

I wonder if you have noticed, the more traditional Male Bastions are invaded by us, women, the more we achieve, the more confident we become, the more are the atrocities rained on us. ( Crime rates are only increasing by the year)The only reason for this, that I can see is that Men start feeling threatened and the only way they can face facts is by going into denial and asserting by violence ( physical and psychological) .A subtext in Mahabharata says that D. invited trouble for herself by daring to be independent minded enough to flout traditional docility and openly make fun of Duryodhana's slip-up. Treta Yuga, Dwapara yuga or Kali Yuga, Men react the same way ! And like the worthy men in that epic Court, today's men too look the other way when a dalit woman is beaten and paraded naked. Gratification by proxy.

( BTW, If I have to select an Icon from the Bharata, I'd much rather take Amba. Dumped, scorned and subjected to gross mental agony, she reinvented herself as an androgynous personality to attain her goal. We see such Ambas today too, women shattering gender fences to chart out territories for themselves under the Sun.)

There is despair and frustration when one thinks of our present state of affairs. But I have hope that all our "immature boys" will one day become Real Men.
Click to expand...

Superbly written. I am optimistic for the future generation.

knot2share · Mar 10, 2010

Dear Shail

A coincidence here too like TL. I have just started reading the book Palace of Illusions a few days ago! Your post is thoughtful once again and what can I say, except that it is just too good to read through everyone's feedback here. You bring powerful contributions from everyone here and kudos to you for that. I seem to be nodding my head agreeing with all and not having much to say. It is true that women are women's worst enemies. Certain roles in life are meant for women and certain roles are meant for men. No matter how hard we try to fill in the role taken by the other, there might still be a lack of something. I don't in anyway mean that women should not progress. It is wonderful to see such developments and things happen because they deserve. It is important that they learn to be independant in all ways sensibly. But what is more important is like what TL said in one of her fbs to Sureshmiyer I think, that women need to be treated as a human being first on par with everyone and not inferior beings. They need to be respected and their views and interests honoured. Sometimes we ourselves bring ill-happenings to us with our newly attained arrogance. ALL of us need to be re-educated all over if you ask me. Some of us get too carried away with all this and somewhere along the line the balance is lost. It is a long process to change the mentality of many but we need to start somewhere. Like Hari has mentioned, we talk about it a lot but it is time for some action.

Thank you for another good post and keep them coming. Waiting to read what you had promised OJ da!

ShailRaghuvansh · Mar 10, 2010

Tubelight said: ↑

Hi !
A co-incidence. Over the past weekend, I had opportunity to attend a book appreciation meet where Chitra Bannerji Divakarun's "Palace of Illusions", (which is presented as Draupadi's version of the Mahabharata) was discussed ; and to watch a dance drama titled "Panchali's Daughters" ( relating the Modern Eve's travails to Draupadi's). And here in Snippets, I meet Draupadi again ! She seems to be the flavour of the Woman's Day Season !

Reading your well presented article reminded me of this quotation. The Impressionist Painter Elio Carletti described "Beauty" as " the summation of the parts working together in such a way that nothing is needed to be added, taken away or altered" Your article is Beautiful and I need add, take away or alter nothing !:thumbsup

Though its a modern trend to think of D. as a fiery, strong Woman of Substance, I can see her only as a creature of circumstance, verily, a puppet manipulated by others and who did not try to overcome or rise above the "fate" chosen for her by others. In this , she has many clones in the modern era too. And just as it is in today's society, her first enemies were women - Kunti who doomed her to polyandry , Gandhari, who did not rein in her sons, and the princesses like Chitrangada, Uloopi etc. who lured away her husbands.

When a successful woman faces humiliating slurs of having "made it on her back", the barbs almost always originates from another woman's mouth. When urban girls are harassed and molested, it is the less-urban women who first declare that " exposed meat attracts flies". Rape victims are victimised by their own mothers. Such being the shabby bonds within the sorority, is it any wonder that The Male feels no hesitation in treating women without respect ? Boys are raised by Mothers who feed them the germs of Gender Inequality with casual references like " dont ( whatever) like a girl !" As though, a girl is a distinct, inferior species.
Women need to be educated ; by education I don't mean merely the degree earning info.stuffing process. I mean total, all round personality development. An educated Woman educates a whole generation, which includes the sons.

I wonder if you have noticed, the more traditional Male Bastions are invaded by us, women, the more we achieve, the more confident we become, the more are the atrocities rained on us. ( Crime rates are only increasing by the year)The only reason for this, that I can see is that Men start feeling threatened and the only way they can face facts is by going into denial and asserting by violence ( physical and psychological) .A subtext in Mahabharata says that D. invited trouble for herself by daring to be independent minded enough to flout traditional docility and openly make fun of Duryodhana's slip-up. Treta Yuga, Dwapara yuga or Kali Yuga, Men react the same way ! And like the worthy men in that epic Court, today's men too look the other way when a dalit woman is beaten and paraded naked. Gratification by proxy.

( BTW, If I have to select an Icon from the Bharata, I'd much rather take Amba. Dumped, scorned and subjected to gross mental agony, she reinvented herself as an androgynous personality to attain her goal. We see such Ambas today too, women shattering gender fences to chart out territories for themselves under the Sun.)

There is despair and frustration when one thinks of our present state of affairs. But I have hope that all our "immature boys" will one day become Real Men.
Click to expand...

Dear TL,

Thanks for your generous comments on my article. When one receives encouraging feedbacks like yours one is provoked/inspired into writing more and better.

You have mentioned:
I wonder if you have noticed, the more traditional Male Bastions are invaded by us, women, the more we achieve, the more confident we become, the more are the atrocities rained on us. ( Crime rates are only increasing by the year)The only reason for this, that I can see is that Men start feeling threatened and the only way they can face facts is by going into denial and asserting by violence ( physical and psychological)

I personally feel TL that apart from the primary reason that the men folk feel threatened, the women are beginning to get too aggressive for their own safety. I do not say that they must not progress in life, they should but must not lose sight of their priorities something which is of extreme importance to a woman. In her race to get even with men she must not land up paying a heavy price.
Just as I believe that a docile woman is not always right , I feel that an aggressive woman need not always be right too. We women lose because we fail to draw a balance in our lives. Now, you may ask why do the men not have to do that? The men have to, but most don't and later suffer miserably for that.

Because at the fag end of our lives or let me say during our twilight years, our career statistics or the money earned will not give us joy and peace. It will be the people we have near us who genuinely love us without fear and without loss of self respect that will truly matter.
Don't you think so?

See you.
Shail

ShailRaghuvansh · Mar 10, 2010

Hi Bee Amma,

Thanks for the appreciation.

See you.
Shail

ShailRaghuvansh · Mar 10, 2010

knot2share said: ↑

Dear Shail

A coincidence here too like TL. I have just started reading the book Palace of Illusions a few days ago! Your post is thoughtful once again and what can I say, except that it is just too good to read through everyone's feedback here. You bring powerful contributions from everyone here and kudos to you for that. I seem to be nodding my head agreeing with all and not having much to say. It is true that women are women's worst enemies. Certain roles in life are meant for women and certain roles are meant for men. No matter how hard we try to fill in the role taken by the other, there might still be a lack of something. I don't in anyway mean that women should not progress. It is wonderful to see such developments and things happen because they deserve. It is important that they learn to be independant in all ways sensibly. But what is more important is like what TL said in one of her fbs to Sureshmiyer I think, that women need to be treated as a human being first on par with everyone and not inferior beings. They need to be respected and their views and interests honoured. Sometimes we ourselves bring ill-happenings to us with our newly attained arrogance. ALL of us need to be re-educated all over if you ask me. Some of us get too carried away with all this and somewhere along the line the balance is lost. It is a long process to change the mentality of many but we need to start somewhere. Like Hari has mentioned, we talk about it a lot but it is time for some action.

Thank you for another good post and keep them coming. Waiting to read what you had promised OJ da!
Click to expand...

Dear K2S,

Hi! I cannot but agree with you more. If you scroll back and read the response I have given to TL's superb reply I have mentioned the very same point that you have mentioned, that we need to not get aggressive (and that means, not arrogant, not careless, not less caring). Success need not mean we lose all the positive feminine attributes that the Almighty has blessed us with. It also does not mean we become a la Menaka or a dominant taskmaster.

As for the article, I am happy that you liked it and thanks for the wonderful compliments.

Hoping to keep up with your expectations.
And yes, I remember the promise given to OJ Da!!

See you.
Shail

Mindian · Mar 10, 2010

Dear shail,

First of all, kudos to both your topics. They call for a lot of debate and healthy discussions.:thumbsup

Yes, women have been discriminated ever since the times of Draupadi. Why did all the elders not take any step to prevent that? Maybe, because they did not dare to go against the king, who was THE power?

Same holds true even today. The strong have always exploited the weak. Back then and now too. Today's Draupadi (at least some of them ) knows she has to stand up for herself .Would she take it if cheated by her own men folk? Wouldn’t she have the guts to walk off? She would, if she was economically independent.

I can only think all the humiliation heaped on women, whether by men or women are basically because of the lack of education, economic independence and being biologically the weaker sex. A responsive civil society and protective police along with economic independence seems to be the only solution,I can think of..

On a lighter note Shail, I have never understood why Ghandhari chose to be blind all her life. To me that was the height of stupidity? Even as a kid I felt that she should have kept both her eyes wide open and guided her husband .Now isn’t that a nice topic to debate upon? Really, the Mahabharatha offers many such interesting topics.:biglaugh

ShailRaghuvansh · Mar 10, 2010

Mindian said: ↑

Dear shail,

First of all, kudos to both your topics. They call for a lot of debate and healthy discussions.:thumbsup

Yes, women have been discriminated ever since the times of Draupadi. Why did all the elders not take any step to prevent that? Maybe, because they did not dare to go against the king, who was THE power?

Same holds true even today. The strong have always exploited the weak. Back then and now too. Today's Draupadi (at least some of them ) knows she has to stand up for herself .Would she take it if cheated by her own men folk? Wouldn’t she have the guts to walk off? She would, if she was economically independent.

I can only think all the humiliation heaped on women, whether by men or women are basically because of the lack of education, economic independence and being biologically the weaker sex. A responsive civil society and protective police along with economic independence seems to be the only solution,I can think of..

On a lighter note Shail, I have never understood why Ghandhari chose to be blind all her life. To me that was the height of stupidity? Even as a kid I felt that she should have kept both her eyes wide open and guided her husband .Now isn’t that a nice topic to debate upon? Really, the Mahabharatha offers many such interesting topics.:biglaugh
Click to expand...

Dear Mindi,

Really thanks for the appreciation. I am happy to write about topics that provoke people to think and not just read and forget. Not that it brings about solutions but you do realize that you can't sit on the fence for long. You need to atleast think!!

Yes, the Mahabharatha is filled with people and situations that are interesting enough to write a lot on. I too have never sympathized with Gandhari. She should have been the eyes of her 'Swami.' Instead, she chose to be as stupid as him.

Yes, many a Draupadi today does not bear torture for long and walks off courageously. But there are many Draupadis who have bloated with arrogance and don't realize how very blessed they are in their respective situations and blow it all up just to assert their authority. Of course, the suppressed traumatized Draupadis are much more than either of the above mentioned Draupadis. Still, we must not allow arrogance and foolishness to deprive us of the gifts we truly deserve.

What do you say Mindi?

Shail

Kamla · Mar 11, 2010

Dear Shail,

We are disrobing Draupadi today because she is still letting herself be disrobed! It will stop only when Draupadi bundles up all those saris and throw them back at those men and shows she can still be covered by her self esteem and a mere sari cannot make or break her!

It is happening though. We just have to look around us to see how many of our ilk have broken the traditional paths that were laid down for them and are going ahead and achieving great heights. But, soon enough we realize that it is only happening in a bubble. There is a long and an arduous journey ahead and only education and right education can bring the change.

Again,nature cannot be and should not be totally interrupted. A woman will not mind playing a second fiddle to her man. Only, the man should acknowledge her true worth and be aware that she can do anything she wants to and she is discerning and wise. Besides, even if she gets that recognition from the man, it is important she gets it from her own ilk, women!

Yes, there is much to debate and discuss on this subject. But one thing is for sure, if a woman is not respected and given her due, the country as a whole will never prosper.

Nice write up Shail and congrats on being nominated for this month's FP.

L, Kamla

ShailRaghuvansh · Mar 15, 2010

Kamla said: ↑

Dear Shail,

We are disrobing Draupadi today because she is still letting herself be disrobed! It will stop only when Draupadi bundles up all those saris and throw them back at those men and shows she can still be covered by her self esteem and a mere sari cannot make or break her!

It is happening though. We just have to look around us to see how many of our ilk have broken the traditional paths that were laid down for them and are going ahead and achieving great heights. But, soon enough we realize that it is only happening in a bubble. There is a long and an arduous journey ahead and only education and right education can bring the change.

Again,nature cannot be and should not be totally interrupted. A woman will not mind playing a second fiddle to her man. Only, the man should acknowledge her true worth and be aware that she can do anything she wants to and she is discerning and wise. Besides, even if she gets that recognition from the man, it is important she gets it from her own ilk, women!

Yes, there is much to debate and discuss on this subject. But one thing is for sure, if a woman is not respected and given her due, the country as a whole will never prosper.

Nice write up Shail and congrats on being nominated for this month's FP.

L, Kamla
Click to expand...

Dear Kamla,

So nice of you respond. Sorry for the delayed reply. Other household tasks have kept me busy.
Your quote, "We are disrobing Draupadi today because she is still letting herself be disrobed!" is just apt. :iagree
If only we had the guts to be graceful. Even grace requires courage you know. Many women now-a-days think that the more successful they are the more arrogant they should be, the more skin they should show. And the consequence is there for all to see. Until the Indian woman learns to carry success with courage, humility and grace, she is bound to suffer. As far as the hapless women who don't taste success and yet suffer are concerned, it about time, society (men and women) realize that women form the foundation of any household. And, if they are humiliated or disrobed, nobody is going to gain or live in peace.

See you Kamla.
Shail

vbhatnagar · Mar 17, 2010

hi
i just joined in, and read ur views about the disrobing of draupadi and its analogy in today's world.
liked it very much, but i still do not have enough thoughts and have nt been able to frame them well enough to say anything.
just wanted to let you know that it was really nice and thought provoking.

all the best