Tuesday 18 December 2012

Sex and Power: Defining History, Shaping Societies in India


I always wonder WHY girls and women are very much devotee towards religious ritual activities in a daily basis worshiping image gods and goddesses. Out of too many gods and goddesses in our society in Nepal being dominated by Hindu religion mainly people worship Lord Shiva, who is considered god of destroyer. Generally, in Hindu temples we see statue of man-made gods and goddesses but it was so interesting to see in the temples and also watch in
television and movie people worshiping black standing image in the name of Lord Shiva, which is known as Shiva Linga. I was always wondering to learn what's this image called Shiva Linga symbolized and Why people are not worshiping Lord Shiva statue instead worship Shiva Linga. 
Then at the age of around 30 when I went to Pashupatinath Temple, famous Hindu temple in Kathmandu I decided to look upon what is exactly remain inside the temple that people worship. Surprisingly I noticed that the same Linga image people are worshiping crazily. Besides, in the premises of the temple as well there are 180 small black stone Shiva Linga. Then analyzing and rationalizing thinking deeply and critically I got to understand that "Okay, Shiva means "Lord Shiva" and Linga means his Penis standing upon Parvati, Lord Shiva's wife "Yoni" (Vulva).
Gosh! I could not even imagine how ignorant and innocent people are blindly to worship the Penis image thinking that it is a GOD.
I started to question to myself, if general innocent and ignorance mass and women being blind in mind devotees for an archaic Indian sage sitting in the forest cave conceived image of GOD compelling everyone to worship the "PENIS" in the name of "Shiva Linga" then what we can anticipate in male mind wondering, except the SEX. I couldn't even imagine this can be done in the name of god and religion by an ancient India sages promoting sex, sex trade and prostitution in India and Nepal in the name of God and religion.
Indeed! is so-interesting to read a book titled "Sex and Power Defining History, Shaping Societies" published in 2008 written by an Indian author, environmentalist, writer and scientist Rita Banerji, It is interesting to learn from the book that since the ancient time Indian priests and sages had promoted sexual attitude and behavior in the society, writing so-called holy scripture called "Kama Sutra". Kama Sutra is an ancient Indian Hindu text widely considered to be the standard work on human sexual behavior in Sanskrit literature written by Vātsyāyana. A portion of the work consists of practical advice on sexual intercourse. It is largely in prose, with many inserted anustubh poetry verses. "Kāma" which is one of the three goals of Hindu life, means sensual gratification or sexual desire, pleasure, sexual fulfillment, or eros, but can more broadly mean desire, wish, passion, longing, pleasure of the senses, the aesthetic enjoyment of life, affection, or love, without sexual connotations, and "sūtra" literally means a thread or line that holds things together, and more metaphorically refers to an aphorism (or line, rule, formula), or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. http://intersections.anu.edu.au/issue22/isozaki_review.htm ; without knowing the root cause of the problems only if we are barking to STOP prostitution, girls trafficking for prostitution/sex trade, Gendercide, Female Genocide, Female Feticide, Rape, Sexual Violence, etc it is make any sense.
After learning detail about an ancient Indian as well as modern Indian societies i.e. from Vedic society to current Democratic society from Rita Banerji book that has been divided in the following IV chapters that have critically analyse the situation why, when, where and how sexual life and its related politics have been shaped in Hindu society to Genocide women in controlling over there freedom.
Part I-The Vedic Period: Sex as a Sacred Duty;
Part II-The Buddhist Period: Sex as a Prison;
Part III-The Golden Period: Sex as Salvation;
Part IV-The Colonial Period: Sex as Shame; and
Part V-The Democratic Period: A Sexual Paradox.
Everyone who wish to establish just society should go through this book to explore the hidden factors that is defining our society and societal mindset.
The author, Rita Benerji herself has started her campaign known as The 50 Million Missing in 2006 to fight and control any mishap to girls and women in India and globally in relation to sexual bad conduct promoted in the name of god and religion.

Reference
1. The 50 Million Missing Campaign accessed from http://50millionmissing.in http://www.causes.com/causes/74219-the-50-million-missing-a-campaign-against-india-s-female-genocide/actions/1658138?ctm=more_from_cause
2. Female Genocide in India and the 50 Million Missing Campaign by Rita Banerji published on Intersections: Gender and Sexuality in Asia and the Pacific 
Issue 22, October 2009 http://intersections.anu.edu.au/issue22/banerji.htm

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