New Delhi – A young woman from India whose powerful poetry on gender discrimination, sexism and misogyny in the country has drawn acclaim at home and abroad says she is overwhelmed by its success.
Eighteen-year-old Mumbai schoolgirl Aranya Johar’s “A Brown Girl’s Guide to Gender” is a hard-hitting monologue on the harsh realities Indian women face in their daily lives, be they gender disparities at home or in the workplace, or crimes like molestation, rapes and acid attacks.
Video of her performance at a poetry slam on International Women’s Day last month has gone viral on social media and websites, with many Indians, including men, sharing the poetry and reaching out to her on what needs to be done to change the situation.
“I am silenced. For all we boil down to is sexual interaction,” says Johar in her performance, elaborating on how Indian society sexualizes and objectifies women.
Aranya Johar, an 18-year-old schoolgirl who has gained an international following after a clip of her performing a poem about gender bigotry in India went viral. She says she’s trying to figure out how to take advantage of the attention she’s garnered to fight for change. Tanay Kadel/dpa Photo: Tanay Kadel/dpa
The two-minute poem talks about how women are made to feel ashamed for having periods; being asked to cover up or else face sex attacks; and how marital rape is considered “fine” in the country.
“Not just me, my mother, sisters, friends, all quicken their pace post 8:30 in the evening,” she recites, pointing to how women suffer from a lack of security at night, often fearing sexual attack.
In a phone interview, Johar told dpa that she wrote the piece because she believed that there needed to be a strong voice against gender discrimination in India.
“I thought I have to be very blunt to get a reaction. And that’s how poetry works. I was willing to do this to make people uncomfortable to show them how subdued the subject is,” she said, explaining the strong language in the poem.
“In the audience there were older women. I could see them get very stressed with my language. But after the performance, one of them came to me and said it was important to show that these problems still persist in our society.”
India has a rapidly modernizing society, but one which is deeply entrenched with patriarchal and misogynistic attitudes. During the past years, it has struggled with a moral crisis on how it treats its women.
Gender rights and women’s safety have been even more in the spotlight since the brutal gang rape of a 23-year-old student on a moving bus in New Delhi in December 2012.
Despite stricter laws and measures to increase security for women, a high number of crimes against women continue to be reported every year. India is considered among the most unsafe countries in the world for women, with high rates of sexual violence.
Johar said she has been “overwhelmed” by the response to her poetry across the world.
“So many women, even from Germany have written to me. I thought I was talking about an Indian problem. But it is more universal.”
“So many women from so many countries have suddenly shared their stories with me. I’m completely overwhelmed by the kind of response and have women bonding like this over my video.”
Johar’s performance has been covered in the domestic press, even prompting another writer to pen a spoken-word poem about male privileges and misogyny in the country.
A regular at slam poetry events during the past five years, Johar said she was optimistic, given the response of Indian men.
“I do see a change coming … Some have criticized my choice of words and the topics. But many more have asked how they can help. That give me hope,” she said.
-dpa
