Images

Updated 02 Jul, 2016

Last year Parineeti Chopra, who was named the brand ambassador of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign, said that she'd like to be a role model for girls but not be called a feminist. In the same vein, Priyanka Chopra said in an interview, "That word (feminist) has been bastardized; there’s no respect to it anymore."

These actresses are just a few of the young, prominent Indian women who have recently expressed discomfort with feminism.

In an interview with HuffPo, 50-year-old Indian author Arundhati Roy couldn't help but express her frustration at these ideas. "I get so annoyed when I hear "cool" young women say 'I'm not a feminist," she said.

Roy didn't name any specific "cool" young women, but continued: "Many people have fought long and remarkable battles to create the freedoms we have. How can we concede those spaces? How can we think that some natural phenomenon has gifted us these freedoms? No! They have been wrested, one by one," added Roy.

Roy explained, "I mean, do they know what battles were fought? Every freedom we have today, we have because of feminists. Many women have fought and paid a huge price for where we are today! It didn't all come to us only because of our own inherent talent or brilliance. Even the simple fact that women have the vote, who fought for that? The suffragettes. No freedom has come without a huge battle. If you're not a feminist, go back to into your veil, sit in the kitchen and take instructions. You don't want to do that? Thank the feminists."

But she feels that all of that that freedom hinges on a thread.

"It's wonderful to see the emerging independence of women in India, but then there's this dark undercurrent of conservatism running parallel to this revolution. Remember the women in Afghanistan? When we were growing up, they were doctors and surgeons, they partied and wore cool clothes. And now? We have to be alert to the dangers. We can be set back by centuries in no time at all," said Roy.

Will young Bollywood heed her words? We can only wait to find out.

Comments

sharath chandra Jul 02, 2016 12:33pm
She is relevant only in Pakistani news media for obvious reasons , no one else gives her any importance
Recommend
vasudevan Jul 02, 2016 12:38pm
She is one hundred percent right about the Afghan women those days when they were teachers, doctors etc. Hard-core Wahabism has ruined Afghanistan with some help from its neighbour
Recommend
patriot Jul 02, 2016 12:45pm
It is very refreshing to read and hear that there people like MS Roy are out there and vocal.
Recommend
Sarmad Jul 02, 2016 01:16pm
@sharath chandra Beautifully summed up the ugly face of world's largest sham democracy. Like the opinions, she makes Indian proud. Don't like the views, she better go to Pakistan.
Recommend
Sri1 Jul 02, 2016 01:53pm
Indians do not give any importance to Roy due to her penchant to join any cause for the sake of popularity, whether justified or not. Her rants against established and imagined injustices did get her some awards and recognition outside India way back, but Indians have had enough of an opportunistic pseudo-intellectual. Almost all genuine social activists and leftists like Medha Patkar steer clear of the likes of Roy because of this. But then such margin writers get more space in some nations.
Recommend
SWAT Jul 02, 2016 02:10pm
Feminists are fighting to liberate women from that Burkha. Its the most severe form of oppression worse than not being able to vote.
Recommend
KARACHI WALA Jul 02, 2016 02:18pm
@sharath chandra Why?
Recommend
WowJustWow Jul 02, 2016 02:22pm
If you care enough to read her work you would know how shallow she is, how biased, how pseudo intellectual she actually is. She is one of the person who would lay emphasis on just one colour of rainbow which suits her myopic eye.
Recommend
Ajay vikram Singh Jul 02, 2016 02:28pm
@sharath chandra - nothing to do with this article. Truth & wisdom can come from anywhere.
Recommend
Fawad Jul 02, 2016 02:31pm
"Remember the women in Afghanistan? When we were growing up, they were doctors and surgeons, they partied and wore cool clothes. And now?" Blame it on Taliban supported by Pakistan, she also referred to veil being sign of oppression .
Recommend
sudhir Jul 02, 2016 02:46pm
Oh my god. This woman is the mascot of the left. She's the last thing anybody ever needs.
Recommend
Zak Jul 02, 2016 03:00pm
She is the most intelligent, articulate and smart lady from India. The rest are minions infront of her. Whatever she says India should listen to it.
Recommend
Ramesh Nakhwa Jul 02, 2016 03:50pm
These female has no respect in India. Earlier she used to make appearances and ask for money now no one bothers her. Very very mediocre writing and tries to get publicity by giving a contrary view
Recommend
Siddharth Jul 02, 2016 03:55pm
Lol, she is just a puppet. Pseudo-liberal. And please it's not because she criticizes Indian establishment, that we Indians don't care about her opinion, our own prime minister criticized our country's lack of toilets in front of american crowd. We encourage criticism. It's because of her pessimistic view and no solution suggestions .
Recommend
Siddharth Jul 02, 2016 03:58pm
@Sarmad so if we give our opinion (no matter how ugly it is) , the democratic system becomes sham. Sir, you need to learn more about democracy. How many unpatriotic people are cherished as heroes in Pakistan?
Recommend
Zak pack Jul 02, 2016 04:38pm
@sharath chandra Completely agree.
Recommend
Putho mamon, karachi Jul 02, 2016 04:42pm
People like Roy destroyed the real feminist movement by getting in to politics.
Recommend
Neutral Indian Jul 02, 2016 06:44pm
Salute you madam, you are a sane voice in an ocean of self-righteous people. Your love for humanity is purer than the other group's love for their country.
Recommend
AdHawk Jul 02, 2016 08:20pm
Exactly right. Those ignorant of history are bound to repeat it.
Recommend
Hrishikesh Jul 03, 2016 12:53am
Arundhati who?
Recommend
schali Jul 03, 2016 02:18am
@Sarmad Arundhati Roy is still an Indian citizen and respected by many, if not all. If nothing else, she was not shot in her face and forced to migrate to another country. Yes, India has democracy. Is it perfect? No, no democracy is. Better than Pakistan? I will leave that question for you to answer.
Recommend