The Asian Age spoke to Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur (20), who was at the centre of a controversy over her comments on the death of her martyred father and her social media campaign. In her first-ever interview after she was embroiled in a battle among leading political parties, Ms Kaur told Sushmita Ghosh that the need of the hour was to teach young boys about feminism and women safety at the grassroots level. Sharing her views on gender inequality, the Lady Sri Ram College student said that gender equality needs to be taught just the way inequality has been taught for generations.
Q. There is a lot of debate on gender related issues all over the world. What according to you is the essence of these issues?
A. This is not a recent problem we are facing. Women have been subjected to patriarchy and misogyny for a very long time. Even if we go back to the Shakespearean time, women were not allowed to go on stage or act. But right now we are in a very comfortable space. Even though it is terrible, we have much more forward thinking space as compared to the past. Women are still able to ask for their rights and it’s about time to move forward. When it comes to feminism and women safety, this needs to be taught to young boys from the grassroots level that girls are not different from them and neither are they weaker. Equality needs to be taught exactly in a way that inequality has been taught for generations.
Q. There was a hullabaloo over your social media campaign over the Ramjas issue. What challenges social media is posing before women in raising their voice?
A. I believe the situation for women on social media has become worse. On social media, people can easily troll you sitting behind the screen and say whatever they want to. They usually know there aren’t any consequences because cyber space is a new concept for the government to wrap their head around which I have realised. It is terrible that women are being harassed on social media. I went through the same. Even now if I open my Twitter account, there will be horrible comments. We are moving into the world of technological and virtual space where certain laws need to be implemented on a priority.
Q. We talk about women empowerment all the time. How much do you think this notion exists in reality?
A. Girls like you and me come from upper middle class family so here the dialogue of women empowerment is somewhere important, but it is something which does not come out of the blue. If we talk about the rural sections to other classes of people, there women really need to be empowered like backward areas in Haryana, smaller villages in Punjab and if as a country we need to grow, we need to empower these women. Women are at least 50 per cent of the population, and if they are not working then how will we grow?
Q. You are a bold thinker. What message would you like to give to girls of your age?
A. Everyone who has been suffering or suffered, I would like to let you know that you are not alone and I am right there with you. I have myself faced harassment and I really need you to know that there is nothing wrong you have done. You are not the reason. Just hang in there, be strong and speak up for what is wrong and what is right. It’s important to let people know that girls are strong and can raise their voice.
Q. Today, how easy or difficult is it to be vocal about your concerns?
A. Being a Literature student, I have thought about this a lot. I feel that the society has been using a woman’s sexuality to control her for the longest time. If anything wrong happens, the question mark comes on women sexuality. If she is trying to speak up, then she is given rape threats. I don’t understand why the whole thing surrounds women sexuality. It’s time to break these barriers. It’s just like if a man is with two women, it is not objectionable. However, if a woman is going with different men, it is highly objectionable. That’s where the question of equality comes. So we need to develop and open our mind to understand the entire concept.
Q. How do you think the society can seek equality in future?
A. Our responsibility as citizens is to really counter inequalities. It’s everybody’s responsibility to stand up for those who are not in a position to speak for themselves. That’s how we can move forward.
Q. There is a lot of talk about stringent laws for sexual crimes. Do you think law is the only answer?
A. In the recent past, a lot of new laws have been introduced. But we need to understand one thing that laws and mentality go hand in hand. We just cannot implement the laws and expect the people to follow them. The mindset needs to change with the laws. There should be more conversations about how it’s wrong to harass women — and it needs to be advertised more and women should speak up for themselves. I believe in actions rather than talks.
