September 08, 2007

“Ah! I can’t bear this,” I moaned and turned off the television on which a drama based on feudalism was being aired. With my eyes full of tears, I picked up the newspaper to relieve myself of that unpleasant feeling. Groan! “So it has got the same story,” I uttered as I read the news title, “A 13-year-old girl subjected to honour killing.” I felt as though my heart was bleeding, so I threw the newspaper away.

But turning our eyes away from the facts is not the solution to any problem. One of the bitter facts is that a majority of the people of our country live in villages thus under feudal domination. But does feudalism fulfil the rights of the people? Is it the right system to be adopted? I am sure that most of the readers will answer in the negative.

Every area that comes under feudal rule reveals the same scenario. Feudal lords, followers of might-is-right, never hesitate from indulging in evil activities. They never let poor children, particularly girls, receive education. Karo kari (honour killing) which is based on ignorance is followed and every time innocent people are the sufferers. Women, who are the victims most of the times, are compelled to endure their sufferings silently.

Kidnapping, rape and murder become the fate of most of the women and the families of these poor souls are threatened with violence if they attempt to register a report against them. Ignoring all these threats, if they do so, then even the police’s attitude shows reluctance and wishy-washiness to register the report.

Apart from this, feudal lords barely care for the lives and honour of the women of their family. They are often murdered and married to the Quran just for the sake of property. These ignorant people never realise that a shroud has no pockets and never bother to think about hereafter. So, we should ask ourselves ‘Are these feudals and so-called judges of society taking important decisions in the panchayat followers of the same Islam we were taught fourteen hundred years ago? Sigh! The answer is again in the negative.

It is an irony that there is no one to raise their voice against this cruelty. The feudal system has been the same for ages. Shouldn’t this system be abolished? Yes, certainly it should be. It should be abolished to save women’s honour, to put an end to cruelty, to provide people with freedom and to lead our country on to the path of progress and prosperity.