By Vijay:
Why this kolaveri kolaveri kolaveriiii…What an awesome song. Isn’t it? Even I sing and hum the song just for fun. What Kolaveri means literally is a ‘craze to kill’. It is basically a song about women-bashing by the men who get dumped and rejected. But personally I feel this kind of songs creates a negative impact on women and unfortunately inducing the gender discrimination. Although we say society is changing, it is not entirely true. The conservative view about women has not changed. Isn’t it a disastrous on this democratic nation?
Of course, there might be some songs that were targeting men, but do you remember any such songs? Obviously not! It is because the impact of music composition and lyrics in these kinds of songs on women stereotyped as life-suckers and vamps. Apart from entertainment this creates a poor tempo that damages the women’s space which is not easily understood by the society. Audiences are also responsible for this kind of back-end impacts causing in the society because of the ignorance. Though we have democracy the Indian societies always follow what’s so attractive and the intellectual analysis is lacking which is even not so clear with the academicians, industrialists and other top-level people.
Everyday women in this society face more problems than a man. The fear of violence and harassment restricts a woman’s autonomy, curtails her mobility and her ability to work and participate in social activities. Can she move out at night in secluded places? Ok, can she move out in daytime in crowded places without being pinched here and there? Hundreds and thousands of examples can be given for both the cases. Hundreds and thousands of incidents of sexual abuse and culturally justified violence happens every day to women in this country. It’s really a shame for a great democratic nation like India even in the 21st century women cannot step out of the household at any given time, assured of her physical and sexual safety.
Songs like Kolaveri cause deterioration of women social construction. Do you think that gender based violence is all just about physical and sexual abuses? No! The impact of societal constraints and so-called entertaining songs cause mental, verbal, emotional and intellectual abuses too which is a serious problem in our society because it is deep-rooted in the cultural and social relations.
The ‘ideology of rape’ and ‘abuses in public’ creates a fear of violence which reduces women’s self-confidence and makes her physically and psychologically dependent on the protection of others. Why this kolaveri? Shameful! The usual argument in cases of sexual harassment and rape rape is that the female must have provoked the assaulting male by either being out of her home so late at night or by her clothes or manner. I want to ask the men folk, why do you always look at women as a commodity? Aren’t woman part of society? Don’t you feel the warmth of love of your mother, sister or friend? If an eve teasing occurs, it’s she is who is being blamed for the way she addresses and not he for the affront.
How easily men folk pass comments on women in the society? Outrageous! Don’t you think of the women in your own family? Your mother, sister and your wife? The prejudice that women face is still present. Only, it has learnt to hide itself better. Even in families, women are trained to work and restricted to involve in any family discussions or any societal participations. Discrimination starts here. Only when you follow equality at home you can empower women at all stages of life. Unless such an effort is made by every individual, women will continue to face such difficulty. Continuation and deterioration of the problem indicate that everything is not alright with Indian women. Women are not allowed to be born (foeticide) and if born not allowed to live (infanticide). When they manage to survive, they are made to live without dignity due to various types of crimes against them. It is important to respect her talents, capabilities and, above all, her individuality. Give her a chance of choosing what she wants to be. Every time we liberate a woman, we liberate a man. Think of your women in your family whom you associated with before commenting other women in the society. Meanwhile songs like Kolaveri, no matter how catchy they might be, are nothing but a sham in the garb of music.