Every once in a while I have this bizarre
hallucination that the prejudices against women have entirely dissolved to
nothingness. Every once in a while I trick myself into thinking that the word
is free of bigotries. Every once in a while I also dare believe that nothing
more said and done against women can any longer surprise me. But alas every
time I goad the impossible, the universe throws another curve ball towards me.
And I am left gaping in astonishment at my tomfoolery!
There is an online bulletin board, where
I shall rather not say. But it does exist. And unfortunately I end up reading
it every once in a while. It is infact a space full of blinkered, opinionated
educated illiterates that even glancing through it is a blunder. But I am human
after all and as much as we like to believe otherwise, we as human beings are
forever fallible! And so I too committed a faux pas when I peeked into that
pothole of babble for just a fraction of a second one fine day. A slip-up! But
that’s not what I want to bore you with, now do I?
‘Cook
Wanted’ was the title of a post that seemed to have caught the fancy of
everyone online that day. I wondered what it could be about despite the fact
that the subject was self-explanatory. Ofcourse, it could not be that each
reply would have the contact details of a different cook. That would just be
too good to be true, now wouldn’t it? I somehow knew though that it had to be due
to a sudden onslaught of ‘ethics’ centric replies by ‘the high and mighty’ in
our society. And I was right! That poor woman was being chastised for the
simple fact that she wanted a cook!
‘What’s wrong with women these days that
they don’t like to cook?’
‘Why do they want cooks for breakfast, lunch
and dinner? Can’t they cook even once a day?’
‘Poor husband!’
‘This is what our society has come to!’
Believe it or not, these were
comments in reply to that woman’s post.
So she asked for a cook, what’s wrong in that? I wanted to reply and
give befitting answers to these jingoists but then I realized there is no use
really. They would never understand. These are sexists; people with eyes, ears
and hearts closed to any reason! All they know is to harp on the tradition or culture
tone. Yes, even for something like cooking, which according to them is a
woman’s responsibility, even if she is awfully short of time? All they know is
to yap at the long list of “should or
shouldn’ts” for women. If you think education has something to do with this
outlook then think again. Some of them do hold fancy degrees but truth is they
are just ignorant fools.
I know how hard it is for women to
balance home and work. It’s not easy and when women have children to take care
of as well, there’s just so much to do and so less time. Judging by the responses
that I read everyone wants women to be some kind of a super human. Wake up
early in the morning, cook and clean for the family, toil hard in the office
and then come back to the kitchen again. But why? Doesn't a woman deserve rest?
Doesn’t she deserve to go home from office and just relax with a cup of tea and
a good book? Are these only exclusive privileges for men?
It ironic that even our own kind,
women, raised eyebrows at the lady wanting to keep a cook. It’s sad that women
themselves cause their fraternity to crash and burn repeatedly in this never
ending battle to win a respectable way to live in society.
For the umpteenth time women are
not born to be unpaid maids. We cook out of love for our family but that does not,
and I repeat does not; mean that’s a job only for us. It’s simple really. It’s
an individual’s choice.
If you like to cook then cook else
don’t, women and even men alike. But coming out guns blazing at a woman who
wants a cook, to say that she is detached from her family, is wrong.
