Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 531
! ! 531 Harmful Effects of Failing to Fulfil l Women’s Rights It is highly r egrettable that for so lon g, women have been deprived of their natural rights. This is true not only in India, but also in Europe and America. Therefore, every so often women r ise up against men over this state. For i t is human nature which most certainly forces them to rise and compels them to rebel after suffering such prolonged suppression and torture. The daily protests by the Achooths [the Untouchables : a working class disparaged by other Hindu sects] and the laborers are a result of the same cruelty they have faced. However, as far as basic human needs are con cerned, one can even live without Achooths and worldly business affairs can continue w ithout laborers. As such, we see neither untouchables nor many laborers in Europe. People still manage to do their own work. Yet , if women decide to rebel, not only will the business of the world stop, but the entire world will come to an end. Just imagine such a rebellion. H ow fearful it would be if women decided to rebel against men! If women refuse to bear children, how would the world survive? Indeed , this would lead to the end of the human race and to moral corruption. Thus, to persist in that injustice [of suppressing women] which could lead to such highly dangerous consequences is utter stupidity. It i s Imperative for Women to Participate i n Righteous Deeds Y ou should pay special attention in fulfil ling women’s rights. Just as it is essential for men to participate in virtuous deeds , it is just as essential that women be given the opportunity to participate. I received a letter from a woman , in which she wrote that her husband would not allow her to pay her own chanda. He says that his chanda cover s her dues as well, although this is incorrect. Just as man’s nature requires that he perform good deeds with his own hands, so does a woman’s nature compel her to earn her own rewards by doing good deeds. Righteous ness purifies the heart. Un less one perform s one’s own deeds, how can their self be cleansed? Just as one cannot perform Salāt on another person ’s behalf , similarly one cannot pay chanda on