We always talk about empowering youth. We talk about globalization.
We talk about equality. We talk about our changing mindsets.
I have grown-up in a small town, where talking to a boy was
a crime. People would talk ill about you, and even the most educated upper
middle class women would gossip about how bad the 10-12 years old girls were
when they used to talk to boys. Fortunately my parents were brought-up in a
very urban family, and never really restricted me on interacting with boys. I
always thought it’s just a small town thing, and people in Mumbai must be
open-minded (Mumbai was a fascination back then for me). Well, my opinion
changed in just a year after I shifted to Mumbai.
Now let’s get to the point. Recently I attended a college
festival of a quite well-known college in Mumbai. One of my friends was
performing there. I was in the audience when I saw that there was a barricade
put in the middle on the sitting area, one side was for girls and the other for
the boys, that was the first shock. There were NSS volunteers standing around
the barricade. Now what these volunteers were told to do is, not to let any guy
and girl talk to each other from above the barricade. That was another shock. There
is already a barricade put, there are a lot of volunteers to make sure that
people don’t jump over the barricade, there are also teachers standing around,
keeping a look on all the audiences, then why are these volunteers asked not to
allow girls and boys talk to each other? And look at the irony, there is dance
& fashion show competition going on, with all kinds of romantic tracks, girls
and guys dancing together, hand in hand. Backstage I see girls and guys sitting
on each other, chatting having fun and here they are trying to prove that they
are much disciplined?
Well, whatever was the reason, Educational Institutes should
be concentrating on educating students, I never believed that colleges should
inculcate moral teachings, it should in-fact talk about how prejudiced is the
society and talk about equality between girls and boys. I don’t know how right
I am but this, don’t talk to each other, stand apart, and watch your friends
performing is just not right. It is a very sick attitude.
