- A narrative needs to be created
Most expected that on 8th March, Pakistan’s metropoleis would be besieged by angry mobs of women, but this never happened. It was International Women’s Day, and Aurat March was gaining numbers — in solidarity of which were some brave Pakistani men too
“Pidarshahi ka jinaza”, funeral of patriarchy, was a prominent theme running through on 8th March’s Aurat March, marking solidarity with International Women’s Day. This was convened in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad, and women from all over Pakistan shared in the sentiments of the movement.
The plan was simple; to claim a day for themselves so that women could empower themselves, share in their experiences, and above all, to celebrate in their womanhood. We’ve all heard for far too long that this ‘is a man’s world’, rarely ever do we read anything that brings in women. We all celebrate the miracle of life; give little credit to the point of origination for such a miracle.
Here ‘Aurat March’ signified the use of local terms to interpret a rather different side of the same reality – the marginalisation of women. In international relations we read about Glocalistaion; a move in which globalised phenomenon are practiced in terms of their local narratives; this is where Pakistani women won! Our brand of Women’s International Day aka Aurat March has been our greatest win in our quest for building a narrative around an internationally accredited phenomenon. However, we’ve still got long ways to go from here!
At Aurat March, the women came together in a beautiful celebration of their womanhood. They were furious and frustrated; and after protesting, laid patriarchy to rest
In Pakistan, ‘women taking to streets’ has a seriously negative connotation to it, however, Aurat March served its purpose for being the space that the women had reclaimed for themselves. They were furious with the society and glad to be a part of a glocal movement against patriarchy. They were women, and with gajras around their wrists, rouge on their cheeks, and their chants louder than most sermons; they had etched their place in a society’s narrative that was fading in favour of an unequal society.
Women came from villages, outside Karachi’s Frere Hall even nuns were present – it was a spectacle that could be felt through and through. Inclusivity was the thing that mattered the most – the crowds of women was a testament that women can no longer be reduced to a mere stat; their plight against patriarchy and an unacceptable society had to be heard. The need for building women-friendly narratives has never been felt more strongly than now.
Much like our own brand of women empowerment, we have our own brand of problems. From “Khud Khana Garam Karlo” to “Jab Tak Bhook Aur Nang Rahaygi, Jang Rahe gi Jang Rahe gi” a broad spectrum of problems faced mainly by women were brought to focus. Both depict very different realities that co-exist in our society. The plight of the former is labelled as elite feminism, whereas the sacrifices of the latter are applauded – but one thing remains the same for both categories, we do nothing for our women.
In a country that’s been created on the basis of an ideological strife, where the transition of democracy has been led by activism against dictatorial regimes, we’ve done very little to lend support to our women; and even less for those who stand to rectify these problems. We always appreciate a woman who takes ownership of a household and is dutiful towards setting the path right for her family; but we don’t celebrate the Asma Jahangirs who do the same for our society. We want our women to be fierce, for as long as they’re docile; we want them to be educated and hard working as long as they don’t step out of the house, we want them to be opinionated as long as they don’t express these openly – by doing this we’ve tried to box up a huge part of our society.
As a journalist I appreciate avenues of expression, in whatever form they may be. Why is it that as a nation we’re so accustomed to putting things, narratives and people into different boxes? Why can’t we just accept that in this country we have both, the marginalised and the affluent women – both of whom are suffering from different variants of the same problem, patriarchy. Accepting this is our first step towards proposing solutions and being a more if not equal, than a humane society, one where ‘Pidarshahi’ no longer exists.
At Aurat March, the women came together in a beautiful celebration of their womanhood. They were furious and frustrated; and after protesting, laid patriarchy to rest. What ensued then was a mighty celebration in which women from all walks of life took part. On this day they were united for the same cause and in their numbers was an unfamiliar comfort and strength – the elite feminists and the regulars had become one!
While the ‘elite feminists’ have been labelled as the flag bearers of hypocrisy for so long, the fact is that their experiences with harassment, in any form, and limited opportunities available to them, remains. While most women face a million problems from heading out of their homes, to being alone with strangers in elevators and working in a male-dominated work environment; there are many more issues for which no room for expression has been created. The same problems exist throughout the world, in countries like Pakistan these are exacerbated because there’s no dialogue – concerns aren’t even recognised as legitimate for them to be translated into narratives.
We’ve read too much, talked more, but proclaimed a little too less for the rights of women, especially in Pakistan. Our country has seen one of the greatest, and most fierce women, who have shaped our history. But there are still long ways to go from here; and the only way we can do anything for our women is accept that a narrative for this needs to be created.
