Wake-up call on the plight of women
Reviewed by Seerat Toor Grewal

Religion, Patriarchy and Capitalism
by Jayanti Alam Kalpaz 
Publications.
Pages 300, Rs 865

Woman has been at the receiving end of our world deeply rooted in patriarchal values, notions and practices. Her endless struggle for recognition, expression and liberation has been combated with staunch suppression by the race of men. Author, Jayanti Alam has categorically stated the plight of the fair-sex in an absolute persuasive style to sensitize the readers about the inhuman treatment meted out to them. The book is woven into neat thread of 11 chapters based on intricate research papers of the author. It is an open-hearted account without many strings and has picked up every possible detail of the scenarios described.

During her research the author is trying to decipher the reasons as to why the woman hasn’t been able to overcome the patriarchal diktats of the society. Almost all aspects of our lives have helped to reinforce the racial squelch of the female. She has boldly addressed every possible cause behind these skewed and biased mindsets of men. Touching and unsparingly pointing to all the culprits, like the religious texts, their partisan interpretations by male priests to put women in subjugated roles in household, the judiciary and also the Constitutional construing by largely male parliamentarians, in a clouded way to the advantage of men etc. Citing relevant and real-time situations and examples she has taken a strong and undaunted position on these drastic issues.

Women have been claimed as the most oppressed segment as they are ‘have-nots among the have-nots’ by even being terribly treated and kept by the men-folk who are otherwise seeking benefits from government policies for unequal treatment by the richer sections of society. The plight of the woman is harrowing when faced with a plentitude of social practices against their freedom and existence. Every problem has been keenly studied and included in a most candid way, like no right to her own womb, forced foeticide, surrogacy, polygamy, preference for the mail child, prostitution, trafficking etc. are various practices still openly spread in our society.

The author has also touched the conditions of adivasis with their womenfolk in particular against the backdrop of continuously growing capitalistic aims. The deplorable life takes on a new spiral when the very source of sustenance is taken away from them as they are denied the right to forests. The women draw a good bargain as the new phase of lives set in the backdrop of an urban cityscape where they normally opt to work as domestic helps and taste freedom and adopt a new urban lifestyle. Here again against lack of government responsiveness and policy for unorganized workers they are not included in the ambit of Labour Laws and deprived of essential benefits.

The details of women derailment from the mainstream of society by the male-dominated world and the major issues which a woman faces and has to fight for are mentioned with sufficient depth. Though there is overuse of lucid language with added overtones of everyday countryside jargon, the book sends a loud message to the society to wake up to the harsh realities which women are conflicted to. It puts up tough arguments against many fronts raised by the men to establish the world order skewed in their favor and their inherent tendency to establish a natural hegemony.

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