Satyagraha for men

Satyagraha is a sanskrit word created from satya “truth” and agraha “insistence”.

Satyagraha is “insistence on truth” a policy of passive political resistance, especially that advocated by Mahatma Gandhi against Colonial rule in India.

Satyagraha is a Peaceful method of Conflict Resolution. The essence of Satyagraha is that it seeks to eliminate antagonisms without harming the antagonists themselves, as opposed to violent resistance, which is meant to cause harm to the antagonist. It was used till 1947 for freeing India from colonist.

Now in the year 2017 we find so many men talking of Satyagraha in India, 70 years after India achieved independence. The question is why do we need satyagrah again?  The reason is Indian men fought for independence of the nation and achieved it by facing hardships and sacrificing whatever they had. Their struggles bore fruits and India became independent in 1947 but Indian men are still not free from slavery and tyranny. Slavery was refurbished, repackaged and reinforced by the new people in power. Hence, Indian men are still considered as disposable gender. The policies conceived/ promoted /implemented by the political parties, bureaucrats, judiciary continue to neglect men and many a times they are blatantly anti men. With every passing year, more and more men are sidelined in education & jobs through feminist reservation or pushed into lifetime slavery through marital laws that allow maintenance even to healthy, educated unscrupulous woman who wants to leech on the hard earned money of an innocent man. Ill conceived interpretation of rape laws have given a free hand to greedy women for terming failed relations as rape and destroy life of innocent men. In fact the barrage of fake cases using the skewed interpretation of rape law has deflated rape statistics of India beyond imagination and even led to conviction of too many innocent men. Apartheid is openly practiced and incidents like that occurred with Mahatma Gandhi(He was kicked out of the 1st class train, as he was not white) occur regularly with men and can occur to any man who enters a coach reserved for females irrespective of the fact that he has valid tickets.

 

Problems and pain of men, in India, goes most unheard. India as a country has government bodies, Ministries, Departments, Commissions for Women, for Animals, for Trees but 50% of the Indian Population (i.e. Men) don’t find any say through any government body. Men, who are the biggest contributors to the Nation not just from their taxes, but also as the builders of the society and the modern world, have always been on the receiving end of the society. Currently there is no research on Men and their issues. There is no data collection on Crime Against Men. There is no body which caters to Violence Against Men. And all this will continue to remain absent till there is a Government will to be Gender Neutral and to be not partial against men. It is dire need of the time for establishing ‘National Commission For Men’. Men, who are easily termed as Rapists in False Rape Cases, termed as Molesters in False Molestation Cases, termed Perverts in False Workplace Harassment Cases are today living their lives under constant threat of getting trapped by such biased laws & policies. Any man can be termed as Rapist, Molester, Pervert, Dowry Seeker, Wife Beater instantly, without getting into reality. Society, Media, Authorities, his own circles outcast him and leave him at the mercy of extortionist or die a fast Legally abetted Suicides. If a man wants to have the basic right to live and survive, National Commission for Men is the ONLY solution.

It was 1983, when a draconian provision of the Law, IPC 498A was enacted and today it has become the biggest reason of just not fake litigation but also huge list of pending of cases in the Indian courts. IPC 498A,  is already termed as ‘Legal Terrorism’ by the Hon’ble Supreme Court has been the biggest reason for ever increasing Male Suicide in India. Male Suicide in India has given India the most defamatory status of being the Suicide Capital of the World. 1 male commits suicide in India every 5.7 minutes. IPC 498A has not just stopped there, it is also the sole reason of the arrest of over 2 Lakh Indians every year. And with such harsh and detrimental effects, IPC 498A is definitely the most family breaking and draconian provision till date. With a majority of cases found false.

So Save Family Foundation (SFF – Registered NGO), part of Save Indian Family (SIF), the Men’s Rights Movement of India organised Satyagrah for men – A Peaceful Protest on 29th April, 9AM at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi to Push demand to establish a National Commission for Men and repeal the Draconian Laws like IPC 498A etc. It was supported by people across India and may traveled to Delhi specially to mark their presence in this peaceful protest. This protest was supported by many NGO’s affiliated to Save Indian Family movement working for real gender equality across India.

 

Ninety-year-old Birma Devi made sure to marke her presence in ‘satyagraha for men’ demanding gender-neutral laws and ministry for men.

 

Many people who could not reach Delhi for protest, organized it locally in their own state & city.

 

The Kolkata men’s rights group Hridaya staged satyagrah for men demanding abolishing biased laws, separate ministry for men. They also demanded extending no fault divorce provision of triple talaq to all communities. They support triple talaq because India does not have any no fault divorce provisions like many developed nations and triple talaq is a way to quickly end agonizing relations. In the absence of simplistic separation law in India, the warring couples have to run from pillar to post in court rooms for separation and thus the most productive life of women and men are wasted. A quick end to the agony by triple talaq would help both husband and wife to start a new life.

 

 

 

 

With such kind of protest happening regularly across India. The government will have to take note of male voters that it had been neglecting conveniently under influence of anti men lobbying .