Religion doesn't need to be interlinked with anything else. Does it?

The World is ever-evolving. But are we evolving as human beings?

Every time I talk to my parents regarding equal rights and opportunities, I always get to hear one line from them: "Tumne Abhi Duniya Nahi Dekhi hai!" (You haven't seen the ways of the world yet!)

Yes, I'm a freshly graduated young adult. I agree, I haven't seen the world the way they have seen it. And no, I do not have any experience in the worldly ways of how things are done here. But I am aware of them. 

Well, I don't usually get involved in topics related to religion and politics. Because I feel that everyone has certain views which can make or break the conversation and indefinitely cause division among people. So, neither do I get involved in them, nor do I encourage them. I, for one, respect all religions. But I've noticed that certain people don't. And that's not right! 

Religion can be a very touchy subject, I am aware. But things that happen based on religion are not right. Today, I was kind of compelled to write this article because I felt the need to vent out how I feel about everything that is happening. 

Now, I am a very social person and in the 20 years that I've lived, I've made a lot of acquaintances and some really good friends along the way. And let me tell you one thing, Religion has never been a deciding factor while doing so. I have this habit of believing in the best of the people and obviously trusting the vibes I get from them before forming any kind of bond with them. And honestly, this habit has given me the opportunity of knowing some of the best people in the world. 

But the world these days, I think,  functions in a very messed up manner. They correlate things that aren't supposed to be correlated in the first place. For example, taking into consideration, religion and job opportunities. I mean, if you think about it, they have absolutely nothing in common. But people tend to relate it anyway. 

My parents tell me that once you grow up, and start applying for jobs, you will face a lot of rejection because people might not prefer you based on your religion. And me being from an HR background, couldn't really understand why they said that because I know for a fact that I wouldn't do something like that. So I did some research. I reached out to some of my very close friends who I knew would give me a very unbiased answer. And I got some very useful insights.

So, for further analysis of the topic, we'll be taking up an example of how the Indian population is divided in terms of religion. Now, I need you to imagine a very hypothetical situation. A company is hiring for the position of Vice President for a private sector firm. Through a series of interviews, four very talented and experienced candidates have been shortlisted for a final round of interviews and final selection. Know that all candidates have equal experience and equal qualifications and knowledge for the job. In short, there are no better candidates for the position other than these four candidates. Also, know that each candidate belongs to a different religion. Candidate 1 believes in Hinduism, Candidate 2 believes in Christianity, Candidate 3 believes in Islam and Candidate 4 believes in Sikhism. 

Now let's further bifurcate this analysis into two scenarios. The final selection of these candidates is to be done by a Senior Executive of the Company and the Head of HR.

Scenario 1: Both the above-mentioned authorities believe in Hinduism (since it is believed by a majority of Indians.) 

Scenario 2: Both the above-mentioned authorities believe in different religions.

Now the question is, "Who will get the job?". Another question we need to focus on here is if the candidate who gets the job is getting it because of favouritism based on his religion or because the recruiters feel that he genuinely deserves the job. 

If we look at scenario 1, there's a pretty good chance that the candidate who believes in Hinduism will get the final job offer. This is what my parents think at least (I'm sure this is what most of our parents will think anyway). Now, this has a 50-50 chance of happening. Looking at scenario 2, there's a fair chance for all the candidates to get the final job offer. 

Do you also think that this is a possibility? Coming back to how the world is actually functioning with several open-minded youngsters taking up positions of responsibility, I think that this is where the change is happening. Nowadays, recruiters are more focused on seeking a skilled candidate who is the right fit for any job profile. Yes, there may be a little leniency involved but I don't agree with the involvement of biased decisions at the end of the recruitment process.  Maybe it's just how our parents think given all the past events that have happened in our country based on religion. Maybe it's just how certain people are wired. But, we have to agree that there might be a chance that the recruiters might show a little leniency while interviewing the candidates as in the first scenario. 

In the past few years of attending college, I never experienced any culture of favouritism whenever it came to placements or taking up any position of responsibilities. 

There also might be a very good possibility that we are living in this shell of a "safe space" where everybody has equal rights to everything, be it a position in the student council, being on the executive committee of the college fest, or sitting for job placements, which is why we haven't experienced that culture of corporate politics based off of religion per se. It is a good thing to instil in students who are ready to take on the world.

Lemme tell you one thing, that's not what our parents think. For people belonging to minorities in our country, it is not that easy to compete with so many factors like reservation categories and religion, and even politics now. I sometimes feel like these three are interlinked as if in a Venn diagram. You can't get into one without getting into the other. You start talking about one topic out of the three and somehow end up talking about all three. And eventually, a healthy discussion becomes a very competitive debate, since people are not satisfied with their peers' opinions and only want to establish their point as being "correct".  

If things weren't already disintegrating on the social front, with the reservation system in play, there's definitely a greater division among the youth. Young adults have this ideology that people from reserved categories have an advantage because of the reduction in cutoffs for entrance exams and eligibility criteria for colleges, and even sometimes for job opportunities. This is leading to the formation of extensive groups among the youth, putting aspects like secularism and unity in grave danger. But that's a discussion we'll have some other time. 

Religion is made for humans... Humans aren't made for religion! But somehow, everything is interlinked with religion, which in turn causes disagreements and further leads to riots between people belonging to different religions. Eventually, people start blaming and taking out faults in other religions, which leads to people "protecting" their religions resulting in insults hurled at innocents, mob fights, murders and even rapes. Does it not bother you in any way that people are dying just because they are trying to "protect" their religion? This is not the type of country I want to live in. Do you? 

A few weeks ago I came across an article about how a temple in Patna, Bihar, turned off its loudspeaker during Azaan as a mark of respect for the Mosque situated 50 metres from the temple. During Ram Navami, the mosque offered Sharbat to devotees coming to the temple showcasing an amazing example of maintaining communal harmony and brotherhood during times of need. That's the kind of country I want our nation to become, and not the kind where people put down other religions for political gains or to glorify the religion they believe in.

I think it's high time we begin to realise and recall the lessons we were taught in school called "Unity in Diversity" and start respecting other religions and not making them the root cause of fights and riots across the nation. Politics and Religion are two very different concepts and I think interlinking them and taking advantage of them for political gains should be stopped. It's on us as citizens of the country to not fall prey to such traps involving both religion and politics, therefore living a peaceful life of our own and letting others live a peaceful one too. And finally, every individual is known for their uniqueness and it's up to them how they express it. No individual should be judged based on their beliefs and especially their religion. Everyone deserves an equal chance to live the life they dream of, and they should be given at least one chance, if not many, to live that life. Religion shouldn't be the deciding factor on whether or not a person deserves an opportunity they're worthy of. Everybody should be given a fair chance for everything. Period.

Is Love Enough?

 

“And they all lived happily ever after! The End!” 

Wait… Hold Up… What after that?

We’ve all heard a lot of love stories ending in happily ever afters, and even love stories ending in tragedies. Love stories that end in tragedies, well they usually become a lesson to learn from or they become famous examples people use to justify and define what “Love” actually is.

But talking about love stories that end in Happily-ever-afters, well, they don’t really end. Or do they? We all know about the frog turning into the handsome prince, or the beast turning into the handsome prince, or the princess coming back to life or waking up from her sleep or the classic glass shoe fits. What we don’t know is what happens after. Yes, they have a grand wedding with a grand reception and a classic happy ending. But what happens after that??

Do they make that perfect couple? Because I’ve heard that nobody is perfect and no, destiny doesn’t always work. Do they fight? Because I know that at some point every couple has arguments if not fights, some of which are because of petty reasons and some even lead to separation (ugh! Humans I tell you!). What if in the future they realise that they’re not the “one” for each other? What do they do then? Well, this raises the bigger question, “Is ‘Love’ enough for any relationship to work?”

You know it's funny how as kids we used to believe everything that Disney showed us. But have you ever wondered why our parents didn’t? Because it was pure fantasy. We had no idea about the harsh realities of life, they did. We didn’t know that it was scientifically impossible for a frog to turn into a human, they did. They knew it all along that all of it was fiction. It was for us to find out that it was all a fantasy man! I always believed that my prince would come and take me with him. (I know! So dumb!)

Well, years passed, I grew up and now I know, not everything is true after all. Either that or it's too good to be true. And now that we all know the truth, I want to ask if what we’re shown that love is all you need, is that even sensible. I mean yes, maybe, but on the bigger picture, love is not enough. Nobody talks about what happened in that “after”. Were they able to adjust, given that the female protagonist of the story was usually from a lower class? What about compromises? And what about the understanding? In the case of Jasmine and Aladdin, did the “male ego” play any role? And what about the emotional, and mental support?

That’s why I really appreciate the new and improved “Cinderella” starring Camila Cabello. Yes, there was a slight change in the original storyline in this movie, but I called it “new and improved” because they took up the topic of Women's Empowerment and projected it in the movie. The movie taught me that it's a good thing to dream and take chances to be that ‘One in a Million'. How the Prince of the story compromises for her, how they decide to give the Throne to the Princess, and how they decide to travel. I think that’s how it should be sometimes. (I'm not being paid to promote the movie here!)

I feel that deep down we all know that love along with understanding, trust, compromises and several other things make a relationship work. Yes, it may not always be 50–50. It can sometimes be 70–30 or 40–60, but you don’t complain. You shut up and make it work! And don’t you fantasize about your lives the way these stories are! Sometimes you don’t get that ‘happy ending’, and I think that’s alright. Maybe they weren’t the one for you. That’s when the world becomes your Oyster honey!! All you need to do is take Life as it Comes and enjoy every bit of it!!!

Ps. I find Romeo and Juliet to be dumb on various levels due to various reasons (no hard feelings). So, try not to depend on it okay?

Gender Equality — Sustainable Development Goals

Sustainable living is something that all organizations, industrial or non-industrial, are focused on promoting. I was introduced to sustainable living recently by the institution I study at, and I can say that I have learned a lot.

From the point of view of this article and the subject we’re addressing, sustainability refers to the avoidance of the natural resources getting depleted to maintain an ecological balance. In other words, it refers to the process of meeting our own needs without compromising the ability of our future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainability is a way of life that not only protects our natural resources but also protects the environment without having to compromise our lifestyle and be innovative in ways that are beneficial not only for us but for the planet as well. And as for contributing to living a sustainable lifestyle, there are a lot of things we can do on an individual level, like carpooling perhaps, going plastic-free, or being water-wise.

The United Nations has adopted Sustainable Development Goals known as the Global Goals as a universal action toward addressing and working for important agendas that need the people's attention as it can be considered a disaster waiting to happen. Starting from 2015, the aim is to achieve these 17 goals by 2030.

Out of the 17 goals established by the UN, the one that I resonate with the most is Goal 5: Gender Equality. I have always been a strong proponent of the fact that there should be equal opportunities for females as there are for males. I feel that it gives females the opportunity to try out new things and helps them grow and be empowered. My mom is a working woman, and the way she handles both her job and her family inspires me to be just like her, because if she can do it, then anyone can.

Goal 5: Gender Equality

Goal 5 addresses Gender Equality and targets 9 issues that take place in society today. It focuses on ending all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere (Goal 5: Gender Equality). Women are faced with many sorts of discrimination based on different grounds. Discrimination against women has not changed despite all the rallies and awareness programmes conducted. I feel that we need to stand united as women, speak up when an event like this occurs and raise our voice in unity, after all, we girls need to look out for each other.

The goal also focuses on eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation (Goal 5: Gender Equality). Now, this is something we should be talking about! Just the other day I came across a video, wherein, a man who called himself the ‘husband’ of the victim, stabbed her multiple times until she died in the middle of the road just because she refused to quit her job to be a housewife and all the people on the road dared to stand and witness and record the incident, but couldn’t call the police or at least the ambulance for her because it was their “personal matter”. Is this what they call humanity? How do we trust anybody? One or more cases of violence against women are reported in the newspaper every day. It breaks my heart to come across such cases daily. Is this the progressive world they talk about, which is nothing but threatened by the upliftment and empowerment of women and can do anything to pull them down as crabs do to each other?

Another goal they focus on is eliminating all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation (Goal 5: Gender Equality). Even today, in Indian rural areas, teenage girls are forced into marriages with older men, or sometimes boys of the same age and practices like forced female genital mutilation are practised in some parts of India even today. It is alarming to a point where despite awareness people commit such horrendous acts and not face consequences. Every time I think that the world might be changing into a better place to live in, such cases occur and I lose hope in humanity and the world that it is capable of not changing. At this point, I would like to question people at higher political positions that why aren’t they concerned about such things and why aren’t they doing anything to stop such malpractices.

Another focus of this goal is to recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate (Goal 5: Gender Equality). Women these days are taking up jobs everywhere, be it at a professional workplace or in their houses. It is considered these days (according to orthodox Indian households) that a woman’s job is to take care of the house and family. And have you ever noticed any woman getting credit for keeping the house in such good condition? NO!! Well, I can proudly say that after all the work my mom does at her job, and at home, she deserves a lot, and my dad makes sure of it. Families should respect and take care of the women in their households. Women should be provided with the benefits for every work they do and should help them feel empowered and deserving in the role they perform.

The goal also focuses on ensuring women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life (Goal 5: Gender Equality). I read somewhere that women are born leaders. I say that being authoritative but caring about your peers is what makes a good leader and we as women are capable of doing much more than that. And when we take up such responsibilities, whether it be a political responsibility, an economic or a public one, it makes us independent and nothing in the world can then stop us from becoming what we want to become. So, if you’re thinking about taking up such a position, go ahead with it, because you may not know it but there are going to be many people who would love to see you grow and who will always be there to support you.

Something which is very important and needs attention today is to ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and knowledge about reproductive rights (Goal 5: Gender Equality). Even though technology has developed so much today, certain backward areas in India do not have access to sexual and reproductive health products. Some women still use unsafe cloth pieces instead of safe sanitary products. This is something that the government should be paying attention to and should be implementing and executing plans, drives, campaigns and awareness programmes that somehow cater to these needs, therefore, ensuring that no woman in any rural area is deprived of necessities.

Another issue that the goal focuses on is undertaking reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, under national laws (Goal 5: Gender Equality). Changing laws have helped women to inherit their rightful ownership over land and other properties.

Enhancing the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women (Goal 5: Gender Equality) is another focus of the goal. As I have already cleared the fact that I am a strong proponent of all things related to women empowerment, therefore, I think that this is a very important and wonderful step taken by the United Nations to give women a chance to grow and be independent. More opportunities should be made available for women other than information and communication technologies to make them feel empowered. We need to be role models to each other to inspire and be inspired by women. That’s what would be called women empowerment. We need to start by empowering each other.

Last but not least focus of this goal is adopting and strengthening sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls at all levels (Goal 5: Gender Equality). The more we promote gender equality and women empowerment, the more awareness it creates among the masses and the more will this notion be practised. Awareness campaigns play a vital role in educating people about such issues. The only contributing factor is that we have to be comfortable with talking about it and we have to take initiative and start the conversation regarding promoting gender equality and women empowerment.

As said earlier, we women need to start supporting each other, inspiring each other, empowering each other and looking out for each other in every way possible. I feel blessed to be surrounded by so many supportive, inspiring and empowered women because it makes me feel empowered and makes me feel that if I want to achieve something, and work hard for it, there’s nothing that can stop me from getting it. Period. And lastly, I would like to thank all the strong women in my life. It’s because of their constant support and motivation that I have been able to transform into my best, headstrong, and confident self. I owe all of it to them. And if we stand united and take small steps, even that will help. Go one mile at a time and we will be able to achieve this goal of gender equality.