Is She A Boon or Bane?

When a girl is born in an orthodox Indian family,

the first reaction of the family members would not be, "WOW! It's a Girl." It will rather been a Taunt, to the parents of the girl.

"Be careful, she may be a

Brat!"

"Now you're burdened with her marriage."

"Maybe, next time it'll be a boy."

See I told you, it would not be a warm welcome, having a girl born in your family, means you have a burden to carry for the rest of the days until she gets married.

India is what you can say is a male dominating Country. If a Boy is born, then it's a boon to that family. Relatives and friend will start fusing over the baby, and the new mother, advising her how to take care of her own health and the child. The father of the child would be proud, because he has a son, who can continue the family's name and legacy, whereas girls are just liable to the household work. All the love, affection, gifts, is for the boys.

Social evils like child marriage, Female Infanticide, Sati, Purdah system etc. were widely followed in the medieval period of India. Women became untouchables, when she turned into a widow; she would be out casted, were to do the daily household chores, whereas the boys would go to schools for their education and for other curricular activities. Discrimination between a girl and a boy will always remain in a country like India.

Ironically in ancient India, women enjoyed equal status with men in all aspects of life. However, some have contrary views. Works by ancient Indian grammarians such as Patanjali and Katyayana suggest that women were educated in the early Vedic period. Rigvedic verses suggest that women married at a mature age and were probably free to select their own husbands.

Sadly, the status of women started deteriorating with the Islamic invasion of Babur and the Mughal Empire and Christianity later curtailing women's freedom and rights.

However, today, in the 21st Century, the Indian thinking has changed. People have overcome that period of ignorance, they are orthodox minds have perished, and the western education has taken a major part in the progress of the Indian society, socially and Education wise too.

Today every girl is entitled to education; every girl has a dream to become something like an Engineer, a Doctor, an Architect, a Charted Accountant and so on.

In fact, in the state of Kerala, the literacy rate is approx 90 percent, out of which highest are of the female population. This shows how much our society has changed. However, sadly there are still some parts of India like Bihar, the rates of Female Infanticide seem to be always high. There are some parts of India, who still practice these social evils. Moreover, the respect, which every girl should get, is still lacking.

Today the economy of India is the tenth largest in the world by nominal GDP and the third largest by purchasing power parity (PPP).

This is not just because of the men in the Indian society, but the females have equally given their contribution.

Today Women in India are not only progressing education wise but also politically. In modern India, women have held high stature as the President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the Lok Sabha and Leader of the Opposition. As of 2011, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha (Lower House of the parliament) were women.

Even after, the civilization of the Indian Orthodox minds, Women is still facing evils. Women in India continue to face atrocities such as rape, acid throwing, and dowry killings while young girls forced into prostitution.

RAPE. That one word which sends shivers down any girls’ spine. The reason why parents are so hesitant to send their girls out after six. One of the most crucial cases was the 'Delhi Gang Rape' or also known as the Nirbhaya Case. We still mourn for that young woman who lost the struggle of survival after being gang raped on a moving bus and respect that brave young man who tried to save her. It still infuriates us how crucially that young woman was treated. This one case, which brought many Voices together, even the Mindset of the Indian men has changed. Men, Women, children, old age people, all came together and became one voice for that Victim. We became one!

I'm an Indian teenage girl, and I can say that I'm lucky that I belong to this modern India, A Democratic India , having a loving family where girls are showered with love, and last but not the least a Free India.

I'm happy to be a part of this society, but that doesn't mean I'm not cautious. We always will have to vigilant, because there are many evils waiting outside that door.

I do not have sympathy for those girls who had faced this, sympathizing are for the cowards, and they deserve justice. We deserve justice.

This is not my story, this is a story of every Indian Teenage Girl.