Can There Be Equality?

"History is always written by the winners", they say and it really is true. We today live in a society which is totally divided on the basis of religion race or caste but most important factor of this division is GENDER. As we go through the pages of the historical notes and books that have been provided to us we realize that it teaches us an important lesson about how things have worked around us since the very beginning of life on earth. All the knowledge that we gather teaches us  three things about this issue. (1) women cannot be equal to men, (2) some women are special who with great hard work are able to  achieve what only men can, (3) or lastly some of our greatest intellectuals in the society might say that there cannot be a common basis upon which they both can be judged.

From the initiation of human life on earth we are taught that the nature has given separate roles to both men and women. Earlier, men were considered to do all the hunting and gathering of meat and any other work that required muscle power. The ones who failed to do so were hunted down by the very animal they tried to hunt so this basically lead to the formation of an army of men who could hunt and gather food properly "survival of the fittest" as they would say. Similarly women were asked to take care of the household chores like taking care of the children or collecting woods or berries from the forest. Now just like men this developed a special kind of ability in women. the ability to differentiate between closely related objects for example, there are two types of berries in the forests both of them have a similar appearance but one of them is highly nutritious and the other highly poisonous. Now the women who were good with differentiation were able to find the nutritious berries and the ones who were not ate the poisonous ones and failed to survive leading to a formation of an army of women who were good with description.

Today, as we have seen, these differences have been substantiated with many psychological and social experiments pertaining to the life style of men and women. But what they fail to address the problem at hand, the problem of equality. The inhumane oppression of women has lead to massive movements amongst our society to give women an equal amount of respect for the work they do. The problem of oppression has lead to such a great extent that even the elitist members of the society are forced to go through it. If we look around us we get millions of examples, like women not being paid equal to men  even if they are at the same designation or a male actor of age above fifty is asked to play a role with a heroine who would be in her early twenties and the most shameful part is that the public actually enjoy their chemistry justifying this oppression. But is not it really true that this kind of difference only exists because we say that HISTORY or NATURE has always been like this? an experiment was conducted at the United States of America and the Masai tribe considered to be the most fearsome and aggressive tribes of the world. Through some simple activities and some complex machineries they came to a conclusion that women were less competitive than men (This conclusion is wrong and you will realize how as you reach the conclusion) .

A lot of steps have been taken to improve the condition of our women in the society, giving them reservations in education providing them with special seats in metros are some examples of it but are these methods really effective?  Protective discrimination is a facet of equality agreed but can protective discrimination bring about the much desired equality in the society? Women today in a conservative country like India are asked to wear the clothes that society accepts or make friends that society accepts and to the extreme live the way society has asked you to live. After putting on such boundations on them after asking them not to go out of their houses at night because it's not safe, is it enough to give them these special provisions to get them a status which would be equal to them? No it isn't. If women are to become equal to men they have to be given a chance to prove themselves on grounds that are fair to both men and women and then they should be judged if they really are capable to be equal to men. Why can't women run our administration our countries? Why cannot a man marry a girl and then move to her house from his mother's house? Why cannot a women go out and earn for the family while the men stay at home and take care of children/ when we ask such questions we realize that these things may sound very nice but it's not actually possible in real life. The truth is It is POSSIBLE ! a small village called KHASI located in India is already following this tradition where the traditional roles that have been assigned to men and women have been interchanged. The experiment that was conducted in the U.S.A and the masai tribe was conducted in this village with the same set of activities and the same complex machineries but this time the results were different! men were considered to be less competitive than women and it was concluded that women were able to carry out all the administrative activities in an efficient manner. Just a change of roles has brought so much change. This brings us to a conclusion that women can be equal to men provided the same psychological help and the power.

In the end I would like to conclude by saying "na teri hai ye zameen, na hai ye asmaan is zami ka.....tujhse hai ye zamana naaki tu is zamaane se hai" (the earth doesnt belong to you neither does the skies belong to the earth but, this society in which we live is existing because of us not the other way round). Society was created to fulfill all humans desires, to communicate and carry out life, thats how it should always be like! The history that we read today was sadly written by the winners of that time i.e MEN. Out of certainty I say that the history the coming generations would read would be very different and inspiring.

- Rtr.Anurag Mishra
Vice President
Rotaract Club of Delhi Janak

Happy Diwali :)

For a lot among us, Diwali is a time of stress and storm. Maybe because of the unexpectedly less Diwali bonus, not enough moolah in our banks left to splurge on a house, wardrobe makeover or a new car or a longer, louder ladi to burn when all the neighbours are together in the Gali in their finest clothes and attire because after all, it boils down to " the more, the merrier. " For most of us owning pets, handling them on one of their most terrifying experiences of their extremely fragile and short lives is a conflict in such a joyous occasion of our own lives.
It's not an unusual sight to see street dogs crouching, hiding and even feeding themselves in and from a huge collection of garbage disposed off carelessly from our own homes. If a same life is seen from a human perspective, it would be like sleeping, living and feeding on a bed of thorns. But we're lucky enough to be governed by a Right to Life and have a voice to express discomfort or injustices done to us, and also fight and earn for a better life. These creatures sent by God on Earth without any of these capacities deserve much better than what they face just because we can't contain our happiness on a festival, just because we have another laugh troubling a stray animal run for his life when we hurl a cracker at his leg which some drunkard broke while racing his car late at night, just because we don't seem to remember what the festival really is all about. The times are so grave that foetuses succumb to death even before seeing the light of the day and breathe their last before breathing their first breaths. Little children, are drawn into the high seasonal demand of labour for crackers during the time of Diwali because their priorities and not homeworks and lost notebooks, but the strong need to sleep with a full stomach or the burden of the expenses of a sick family member, battling for their life night and day, stuck in the darkness of their Kaccha houses, just like the vacuum of the vicious cycle of their fate. A vacuum, in which many lives get drawn into just so they can stay alive the next day. Lets give all these distinguishing lives a tomorrow that lasts more than the assurance of the next day but a future that we all can bank upon. Let's cherish the joy of giving happiness. Let's be a gift to the world !

Happy Diwali to all :)

- Rtr.Bhavya Sharma
Rotaract Club of Delhi Janak
R.I.D. 3011
2015-2016

WORLD FOOD DAY

World Food Day is celebrated every year around the world on 16 October in honor of the date of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1945. The day is celebrated widely by many other organisations concerned with food security, including the World Food Programme and the International Fund for Agricultural Development.

Rotaract Club of Delhi Janak,a budding new club under the R.I. district 3011 took the initiative to celebrate World Food Day 2015 on October 16 in its true sense.What could be more fulfilling than make someone smile and feel happy on a special day?Especially,when that someone is terribly underprivileged and economically backward-isn't it worth our little time and effort to strive for an egalitarian society where there are no divides within humanity?

One of our steps towards this direction was the Khwaahish lunch date challenge,where we take a few underprivileged, needy or homeless children to any food joint with us and give them a treat.

Rtr.Prachi Gupta puts it beautifully,"Not everyone in this world is equally fortunate. Why is it so? My mind asks often. But this experience made me realise that answers to such questions are not worth finding. What matters is how can we contribute? Can we make someone less fortunate feel that they are fortunate the same way as we are? Even if it lasts a moment.? Yes we can.  And there is nothing better than being able to bring a smile on someone's face. Words alone cannot describe the feeling. Credit goes to khwaahish lunch date challange :)"

A social apathy towards severe issues like starvation needs to be combated.Often,this indifference develops from the notion that problems like starvation are large-scale world wide issues and we mere citizens cannot do anything .We think that it's the government's job to solve poverty as if it has got a magic wand to act as a panacea to the most complex challenges facing humanity.Yes,we are mere individuals but the world is made up of 7 billion individuals out of which atleast 50% of the more fortunate people have the resources to uplift and help out the lesser fortunate ones....and if each one of us makes that little bit of effort we are capable of ,the positive change one day can be immensely perceptible and tangible.

Moreover,you know what? That feeling you get after making someone's day brighter ,even if the joy you spread lasts for a transient period of time,is priceless.

Our second event was the Rahagiri Starvation Rally.15 members of our RCDJ club ,with full enthusiasm,covered the whole inner circle of Rahagiri to spread awareness.The walk against starvation involved distributing packets of biscuits and chips to the ones who probably struggled through their days to fill their empty stomachs with whatever meagre food they could manage for their survival.

Let us have a look at what the rotaractors of our club have to share regarding their heart warming experience.

Khwaahish lunch date challenge is one of the most exciting activities I have ever done. 

Thanking Naina Dargan, founder of Khwaahish NGO for initiating such an amazing activity to take little kids to Mc Donalds and treating them. 

It's not just about giving them a little meal, it's not as simple as that. It's also about removing that social barrier that yes people who are not well off, who don't have a shelter on their heads can come and sit at the same seats as we do, they can share a meal with us. To the astonishment of security guards and working staff in Mc Donalds who wondered that why would we bring these kids in for a meal, it's not just for self pleasure or self satisfaction or a research for that matter! Its about living equality in real sense. 

These kids were amazing! Giving meal to Kajal, Rahul, Suraj and Lakshmi was just a begining, they were just 4 ..but i guess we have to start from somewhere.

-Rtr.Sagrika Behl.

Khwaahish lunch date challenge has given me something we call internal satisfaction and pleasure.  Bright eyes of those lovely kids became the reason for my happiness. Furthermore,the fact that I was able to bring smile on their faces made me feel wonderful and that it was worth it.

-Rtr.Simran Gohania.

I feel that i am fortunate to be born in the privileged lot when i see people fighting for their basic necessities. It also gives me the courage and motivation to work for the betterment of the society. Being a part of 'Walk against starvation' by RCDJ gave me internal satisfaction. The 'Khwaish lunch date challenge',  an initiative by RCDJ,was about giving someone something which he/she needs the most. Receiving those warm smiles and blessings from those underprivileged children brought positivity in me. It felt great to be a part of these events.

-Rtr.Shreya Snehi

So khwaahish challenge was a great experience for me ... It feels so good to evade their hunger and see the little children happy after having tasty food ☺Thanks to rotaract who gave us the stage to expose our humanity. 
Rtr. Bharat Kataria

Khwaahish lunchdate challenge : It was a proud feeling when that little kid said ,'Thank you didi ' and was really happy to do such a thing...i will definitely keep doing this challenge sooner or later.

Rally: It was really amazing to be a part of the rally organised by rotaract club against starvation. Distributing little stuff like biscuits and chips was a thing which was different in our rally around that place. Few people came to us, asked about the rally and joined in the rally. It's always good to spread awareness and education regarding starvation which is one of the root symptoms of poverty in India.
-Rtr.Shubhangi Verma



Khwaahish lunch date challenge was a delight.That satisfaction I got when I got such an opportunity... To meet such lovely & sweet people out there,to watch that glitter of joy in the eyes of the little children and to  sit & eat together on the same table irrespective of our social and financial backgrounds.☺cheers to rcdj!!
-Rtr.Chitvan.

This was the first time i celebrated World food day with so much of enthusiasm. Being a part of Khwaahish lunch date challenge and rally against starvation brought a sense of internal satisfaction and happiness in me. Receiving those heartwarming smiles made me realise that my little effort is being counted and making  a difference. There is a long way to go ☺

-Rtr.Rishabh Rathore

I would like to conclude by saying that adequate food for all mankind is one of the primary means to ensure social and economic justice...and if the privileged section of this very mankind knows what it is like to starve,they would think twice before wasting food.:)