THE HINDUS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS BLOG IS A SPACE FOR A HEALTHY EXPLORATION OF IDEAS PERTINENT TO OUR MISSION. THE VIEWS AND OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS BLOG ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE OFFICIAL POLICY OR POSITION OF HINDUS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS.

In the epic tale of Ramayana, Rama is banished to the forest for fourteen years. Sita, his wife chooses to follow him, while everyone cautions that a forest is no place for a woman. As Rama followed his father’s instructions, Sita made the choice to follow Rama to the treacherous forest. Perhaps, it was her love and devotion to Rama that made her follow him, but the choice was hers. *

One of the largest Rama temples under construction in Ayodhya finds no place for Sita, his wife who chose to follow him to the forest to be with him. Sadly, it’s poetic (in)justice, a reminder to women that in the land of Hindutva where every 15 minutes a rape occurs and marital rape is not even recognized, women do not get to make choices.

“May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.” — Nelson Mandela

Recently in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh three Dalit teenage girls aged 13–17 were found tied with a dupatta in an unconscious state by their brother. This is the same place where a few years ago, a rape survivor was burnt alive on way to give her testimony. In this latest case, two girls were declared dead, while one gritty survivor is fighting for her life, but the prognosis seems grim. Doctors speculate she has suffered brain damage. 

The two people apprehended for the crime, including a minor, have confessed that they had laced water with pesticide to exact revenge for one of the girls rebuffing the advances of one of the boys. An exorbitant price paid by three cousins because one exercised her right to consent.

Recently, a woman suffered a miscarriage when her family was harassed by the police because their daughter chose to marry a Muslim. The Uttar Pradesh government has come up with a controversial law named “Love Jihad” that makes interfaith weddings difficult. These laws are based on the conspiracy theory that Muslim men are seducing Hindu women in order to make them convert to Islam, and the misogynistic assumption that Hindu women consenting to marry Muslim men have been duped.

On one hand, the government is denying women their constitutional and human right to choose their husband, and on the other hand, men punish women with impunity if they decide to reject men's advances. 

Sita made her choices, and so did Ravana’s sister Soorpanakha when she asked Rama to marry her. Hindu texts are replete with strong women with minds of their own, mentions of Gandharva Vivaah (marriages where men and women meet directly without the families arranging it), and grand swayamvaras (where a woman, often a princess, gets to choose her husband from the most impressive men from surrounding cities and countries). If only the current Hindutva regime knew more about Hinduism they would perhaps imagine a world where women make their own choices.

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*Reference: Sita’s choice (https://devdutt.com/books/sita-an-illustrated-retelling-of-the-ramayana/)