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Published: July 25th 2014
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Our Indian comerades
Giri (our lovely cook), Sister Veronica, Pratima and Sandaya (the Masters students). "Life, often literally, hangs upon these moments." - Florence Nightingale
The day is warm and humid. Small droplets of rain dance around as they hint at a storm that is to come. I sit on the steps in front of the three-bed guest room I have been sharing with two other new graduate nurses from Canada. As I look out into the courtyard I see young, quiet girls walking past in groups of two and three. Some pause to wave, say the Hindu greeting "Namaste" or just smile in my general direction; others say nothing at all but continue on their way to keep up with the strict daily schedule.
There are many requirements of an Indian nurse. During her studies, she (or he - we saw a very few male students) has a schedule from breakfast at 7:00 until studying is finished between 22:00 and 23:00. The nurse is expected to be participant, practitioner, collaborator, advisor, consultant, advocate, preventer of illness, promoter of health, care provider, observer, team leader, and manager. Performing visits in uniform saris of blue and gold (or orange if they are first and foremost a nun) the nurses carry the elegancy of
a lady while performing strenuous and exhausting tasks...all without a word of complaint. The girls looks at us foreign nurses with awe, curiosity and confusion. I could sense the stares as they considered these strange, outspoken women and their strange ways. They seemed shocked by our apparent freedom of speech as we continue conversations in the hallways (the Indian nurses do not speak as they walk between classes), by our very different appearance as we walk around in pants, and by our lack of knowledge in some areas that are so elementary to them. And these stares don't stop at the nursing school. Men and women often stop to gawk, take pictures, or give us the full head to toe glance as we walk around the city.
India is obviously a patriarchal society. Although there are government incentives in place to help educate women and stop the female infant genocide, it is apparent that much more is needed to change the frame of mind that so many have regarding the importance of a female. The millennium development goal to promote gender equality and empower women is clearly still one that needs to be worked on in India. This was
Photo Campaign
http://www.buzzfeed.com/regajha/india-needs-feminism made most apparent by the verbalized concerns of the sisters at the convent and nurses regarding our safety in the city. They ask that we always have an Indian chaperone so that we are not "snatched up" by local men. They also whispered stories of friends that have been taken advantage of, raped and gropped in the city. As a foreign woman in India, I feel that I have experienced small pieces of the fear that these women must live through.
Buzzfeed recently posted a photo campaign titled "India Needs #Feminism" showing both male and female Indians holding a piece of paper that described why, in their words, India needs feminism. For instance, one young girl explains that "India needs feminism so that I don't need to PAY HIM to MARRY ME." A woman declared that "India needs feminism because I shouldn't have to constantly look over my shoulder every time I find myself walking alone on a street." A youthful male added that "India needs feminism because a lot of people still think women exercising their free will is against "Indian culture". Women are not property, they are equals; Girls should not be murdered at birth because they
are deemed less useful and more expensive than boys; Women should not have to fear for their lives when they are out at night; Women should not blame themselves or others when they are victims of assault; Women (not just the poor ones) should feel empowered to work in any profession they want, including nursing.
One girl said it really well. Feminism... "It is not a dirty word. It is not anti-men. It is a fight for equality."
If you are interested, take a look at the whole campaign at http://www.buzzfeed.com/regajha/india-needs-feminism.
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