There are many great things that feminist activist and poet Kamla Bhasin had accomplished and given to the world. Her words always left a lasting impact on people. And one instance of this is when she appeared on the show Satyamev Jayate.
In an episode of Satyamev Jayate, Season 3, Kamla Bhasin spoke about toxic masculinity and its relationship with violence against women.
The poet spoke about the deeply flawed perspectives that patriarchy brings with itself. One of which being victim-blaming, holding a rape victim accountable for a crime committed against them.
Ye pitrasattatmak soch hai ki agar mere saath balaatkaar hua toh mere kom ki izzat gayi… Toh main to aaj saare hindustan ko kehti hoon, ki kisi bhi ladki ki yoni mein aapki kom ki izzat aapne rakhi kyun? Humne toh nahi rakhi wahaan par. Agar kisi ladki ki izzat jaati hai, toh balaatkaari ki izzat jaati hai, humaari izzat nahi jaati.
-Kamla Bhasin on Satyamev Jayate
In this episode, Bhasin rightly so points out the injustice in placing the honour and respect of a woman and her entire family/community, quite literally in her vagina.
She also spoke about how much patriarchy harms the emotional development of men. Because the pressure to ‘be a man,’ in a patriarchal society is unhealthy.
Main kaisa mard hoon, ke apne bachche nahi paal skta? Matlab woh purush ke jaise fail hogaya bechara…. Toh unke upar itna zabardast pressure hai.
-Kamla Bhasin on Satyamev Jayate
You can watch the entire video here.
What a role model!
