Blogs - innovative media for activism ?  We know blogs can talk - lets hope they will be heard too.  And bring about social change.

There's been plenty of agitation in the Indian blog world about an interview with one of India's leading entrepreneurs - Mr. V.N. Dhoot - who has made some ridiculously archaic statements about women in business.

".... an interview that the Times of India conducted with V.N Dhoot, CEO of Videocon Industries. The interview was titled ìWomen canít do businessî and in it, Dhoot brought out the following points:

1. Women canít/shouldnít do business in India

   ìAnyway, businesses canít be run by women, especially in India. She can do professional managerial work from home if she wants but she will not come to the office,î

2. There are no examples of women who have successfully run a large business

   ìShow me one woman who is running a business successfully,î ìArre, business karna hai to Rs 1,000 crore ka karo, chhota-mota kya karna hai. Women, canít do that. No woman heads such a big empire.
   

3. Our ìtraditionî and ìsystemî donít allow for women to do business. As per this tradition, a womanís rightful place is at home, looking after the family

   ìAs per this (Indian) tradition, women are entrusted with a bigger responsibility to look after the family first, raise children, imbibe them with tradition, culture, customs and heritage of India.î ìI donít want to break traditions from which we seek treasure and pleasure,î
   

Mr. Dhoot has been offered a Rajya Sabha seat by the Congress Party. I am disgusted that a person with such blatantly sexist and repugnant opinions on women is being asked to enter Parliament and legislate laws for India.

[Jivha - the Tongue]

Resulting in the framing of an open letter by Jivha on behalf of Indian bloggers :

" .... Indian blogs/blogging is atleast a couple of years behind western/US ones and hence, our level of influence over public opinion is still minimal. But we have to try and change that. Blogs offer us an amazing medium to become aware, study, discuss and suggest changes to a lot of dated social practices that belong in another century(past century!). We have an opportunity here to show to the rest of India, that we will not tolerate people like Mr. Dhoot in an India where everyone is supposed to be equal.

With that in mind I am drafting an open-letter to Sonia Gandhi, Congress President, editors of all the leading Indian dailies and to all of us condemning V. N Dhootís despicable beliefs and values. Please suggest changes to the letter in the comments area(copy-past the entire letter in case you feel the need for it) and we, Indian bloggers, will successfully make this into a viral campaign against such people, and their substandard opinions on women."

" ...... Once the text is finalized letís all put this message out on our blogs and on our email lists and to our friends and to newspapers/magazines. Let us prove to the world that Indian bloggers have a voice, and an opinion, and will not tolerate such people any longer."

Way to go Jivha - lets all support this campaign !  Bloggers or otherwise.       

10:29:25 AM    comment []  trackback []