BKWSU role in empowering/increasing respect for Women

Just as an aside. I was reading a news story;

30 female foetuses found from garbage dump in Orissa

Killed because they would grow up to be girls. On Sunday, the remains of at least 30 female foetuses were pulled out of an abandoned well in Nayagarh in Orissa.

Even in a district where foeticide is shockingly common, people couldn't believe what they saw. “We found skulls and bones in some biological waste. We have seized them and they have been sent for chemical examination,” said Superintendent of Police, Nayagarh, Rajesh Kumar.

The police team that found the foetuses was raiding hospitals in Nayagarh following a similar discovery nine days ago when a schoolboy discovered remains of seven female foetuses a few kilometres off Nayagarh.

"India" has terminated 10 million daughters in the past 20 years causing an imbalance in the sexes as much as 850 females to every 1,000 males in some districts.

"India" has terminated 10 million daughters in the past 20 years causing an imbalance in the sexes as much as 850 females to every 1,000 males in some districts.

Incredible. So much sorrow in quest of what? Is this population engineeering taken to extremes, or has it ever been thus? Is it only due to modern advances in methods of communication that we are learning about the scale of this phenomena?

These things Do also happen in other parts of the world.

China also. It hits me so hard!

Have you received the answer yet? Or is he confused too?

Sorry, I forgot to convey this question to Baba. I will do so and intimate the answer as soon as possible.

Incredible. So much sorrow in quest of what? Is this population engineeering taken to extremes or has it ever been thus? Is it only due to modern advances in methods of communication that we are learning about the scale of this phenomena?

The preference for male child and the ill treatment female population from their birth to death has been the norm since many centuries. But the modern scientific techniques have preponed the pains of the female population. Earlier the girl child used to be killed after birth, now she is killed before birth, thanks to the ultrasound/sonography techniques. And this is not just the case in poor families, but also in rich families.

Yesterday, India TV news channel was showing the story of a lady from a millionaire Jain family of Ahmedabad, who filed a police complaint after tolerating atrocities from many members of her in-law's house for the last 11 years. She was physically and mentally harrassed for having given birth to twins (both daughters) and not bringing enough dowry.

In the next two pregnancies also when it was discovered through sonography that the foetus was female. She was forced to have abortions. When she could not tolerate anymore she came out in public. The channel showed a live interview with the lady and her daughters. She has complained against 18 relatives of whom about 10 have been arrested. The female members of her family against whom she lodged a complaint have gone underground.

When this is the condition of millionaires, who can afford to have not one but five daughters, then one can imagine the displeasure that a girl child brings to her family upon her birth in most parts of India.

I don't know if others would agree with me or not, but BKWSU has played a good role in empowering women and increasing respect for the womenfolk in India to the extent it has reached out to the population, but its presence is very limited when compared to other religions/religious groups.

Regards,
OGS,
Arjun

I don't know if others would agree with me or not, but BKWSU has played a good role in empowering women and increasing respect for the womenfolk in India to the extent it has reached out to the population, but its presence is very limited when compared to other religions/religious groups.

I would like to know if this is true and if it extends to widows, the abortion issues and girls. Does it go further than lip service and making the right noises?

I wonder how the BKWSU squares its total celibacy line with general "good practice" in such a manner? I would imagine it is very difficult for them. Is it genuinely "women's empowerment" or is it just "fear of Brahma Kumaris" - which I have heard is also quite real in some communities.

To be honest, I think the Sisters of the BK could have done a lot more on women's issues generally but could not because of their primary intent to push and make BKs. In fact, there was even a survey of BKs which only a small minority said that they thought the organization has said enough about female atrocities, e.g. 18%.

Some good individual BKs do their own good on a personal level. But I tend to see what they do is to use any such issue but only as far as it benefits them. I would need to know more about what is going on in India to properly say. In general I would guess that status and influence are more important and they would not risk rocking the boat socially and politically if it endangered that - as it is not their man issue.

I mean, with the millions and millions of poor widows, why has the BKWSU not helped or converted them??? May be because they do not have any money? Likewise, I cannot remember them tacking the issue of child prostitution.

Like some others, I too wonder about any talk of the BKWSU's "good role" in as you put it: ... empowering women and increasing respect for the womenfolk in India to the extent it has reached out to the population.

While I grant that the BKWSU can lay claim to some accomplishments in this area, my opinion is that those have been - and will continue to be - more on the scale of personal revolution/empowerment rather than social change on a broader scale. And what slogan do we use to increase the girth of and decorate those personal triumphs: When we change the World changes. Pah! Stuff and nonsense. The BKWSU modus operandi always leaves room to include elements of "hero-worship" of its Seniors and other influential members. Elevating those individuals in the public-eye rather than take "Shiva" into the ghettos, highways and layby's of real human need. So what do we see as evidence of increased respect of women-folk in India? That the woman is indoctrinated against seeing her husband as her Lord and Master?

I tell you a silly story: Travelling back from Madhuban one time in the coach i would see these figures at work; and I mean heavy, menial balls-breaking labour. On closer look I saw that the workers were in fact all thin brown-skinned women. Whether they be walking distances with pans of rocks piled 3 and 4 high balanced atop their heads. Or carrying pails of water around building sites for mixing cement. Or pounding rocks by the roadside; to a man they were female (including girls). Is this typical? Were the husbands off working equally hard out of sight at some other nation building tasks?

Being Abek, the irony of the situation struck on 2 levels. Firstly in the form of a roadside or building site sign that one may see cautioning care because there are: "Men at Work". Hah! not in India i thought. Which then led to a recollection of an Australian pop group called Men at Work who had a hit record called Down Under. But what do I know maybe the girls are killed-off so as to keep competition for those sorts of jobs at a premium.

Apologies for going off topic: So just how has the BKWSU empowered women and increased respect for the womenfolk in India?

Whilst the following is somewhat related to another thread, I would like to point out that whilst the new President of India is a woman, which seemingly a good thing for women in India and worldwide in general, the circumstances of how the elections came about rather shows that the only way so far for women to reach the top is by corruption (in India) since everyone else is corrupt. This has rather tarnished the chance for the first female President in India to start from a clean slate. As it seems that for women to be equal to men, they also have to be equally corrupt, rahter than equally viceless.

I am not sure what the BKWSU think about this though it seems acceptable for them as long as it is equal fairplay then having a woman at the top is still better than having a man at the top, as far as concerned, even if it has to be done backhanded. Now that is a shame.

China also. It hits me so hard!

The issues are different. I am not sure what are the socio-economic-political reasons why women terminate children in India, maybe someone can analyse this better. Also Africa.

In China, it simply is because of the years of communist regime that the labour output from a male outweighs that from a female child, and it can only be one child. So in some ways, having a son is simply for survival. There is not this dowry thing you get in India. As the country is now prospering, the key role of the mother as the centre part of the family is returning. So now women are being placed in high positions in society. You also even get to see many famous Chinese women in Hollywood.

The role of Chinese women has also in some ways kept in touch with Western countries through the various Chinatowns worldwide, and through metropolitan cities like Singapore and Hong Kong. I am not sure if Indian women have such a higher status even though the presence of Indian communities worldwide.

I do agree that in rural areas, having boys are still favoured than girls, but now most families are sending their children to the cities, where both men and women fight for the same positions. Men use their brains, whilst women can now use their brains and bodies.

I am not sure what the BKWSU think about this though it seems acceptable for them.

IMHO, as long as she is famous and influential, she is good enough for them ...

Hi folks, the following correspondence was received via the BKWSU grapevine. It seemed appropriate for what we are discussing on this topic. I wonder what you all make of it?

BK News: Dallas Texas – 3rd International Women's Peace Conference

The 3rd International Women's Peace Conference took place in downtown Dallas, Texas, USA, July 10-15, 2007 at the Adam's Mark Hotel. About 2000 delegates including elected officials, Nobel Peace Laureates and grassroots peacemakers from 43 countries and 32 states of the U.S. met to confer and formulate an action plan for peace making throughout the world. This was the 3rd gathering since the 1995 Beijing Conference. The aim and objective of this conference was to uplift the role of women in peacemaking and to empower peacemakers through the sharing of experiences and teaching the peace skills of mediation, negotiation and communication. Daily keynote addresses by world-renowned peacemakers (see http://www.womenspeaceconference.org) seeded the conversations which took place.

It was a wonder of Baba's help that we, Brahma Kumaris had an excellent opportunity to serve unlimitedly and be in contact with many international women who are peace laureates and activists. The Brahma Kumaris were given a very high profile throughout the conference due to the number of connections that have been made over the years with the Dallas community leaders by Sister Ranjan (Dallas Center Coordinator) with Dina. Senator Leticia Shahani from Manila, Philippines, was part of the planning committee and suggested Brahma Kumaris. We were given use of a very large Press Room where the Dallas Center created a beautiful spiritual art gallery, classroom and meditation room. Delegates were continually reminded throughout the conference by the organizers that they should visit the Brahma Kumaris Meditation space where foundation course classes in meditation were being offered 5 times a day and where collective meditations were being held in the mornings(6:30 am) and evenings (for half hour). Sr. Cathy (Chicago, Illinois) and Sr. Mary (Kenya) especially came to teach the course to these delegates. An exhibit booth was also given in the heart of the conference for us to display banners, and sell literature throughout the conference. Many took interest in our booth and our literature.

A Ribbon cutting ceremony was held where Vivian Castleberry( Founder of Peacemakers Inc and served as Chairwoman of the First International Women’s Peace Conference) along with Margaret Culgan (Conference Administrator) were invited to cut the ribbon, after which they were given a tour and experience of a one minute meditation in the meditation space and were given gifts, by Sr. Ranjan and Sr. Cathy. Several VIP visitors visited our Meditation space, like Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (Democratic Representative from Dallas), Mariel Hemingway (American Actress and Granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway (famous writer). Ambassador Swanee Hunt also stopped by at our exhibit booth, where we presented a gift book "The Gift of Peace". Many of the delegates came to visit, learn and experience peace, multiple times throughout the conference.

They also took contact information of centers near them in their countries. The Brahma Kumaris also offered Peacemakers Inc. an 18feet by 18 feet gift of "The Snakes and Ladders of Life" to the President, Carol Donovan, after which she asked for hands of how many benefited from our services and many raised their hands. She also announced our invitation to all to join us for "World Meditation Hour" in our meditation space on Sunday morning from 9am to 10am which was very powerful. We also offered a conversation/workshop on "Celebrating Human Greatness." This gathering was facilitated by Sister Shireen (Tampa, Florida) and Sister Rita( Boston, Massachusetts). About 50 people attended. Questions were used to stimulate the conversation focused on witnessing acts of greatness and reflecting on one's own moments of greatness in daily life.

The conversation was followed with an experience of meditation and a commentary spoken by Sister Cathy ( Chicago, IL.). Everyone then came to the front to take toil and blessings from Sister Ranjan. Many of the delegates commented that the conversation and meditation experience were very powerful and enjoyable for them. Blessings and toli were also given to the conference facilitators who greatly appreciated the gesture. A few facilitators were inspired to visit us at our meditation space as a result and collected
contact info of the closest center. The "Celebrating Human Greatness" conversation-starter handout cards that were distributed during the conversation, were also handed out to almost all the conference delegates after the workshop, for them to initiate a conversation of their own on greatness in their own hometowns!

Our dear friend and Sister, Honorable Leticia Ramos Shahani from Manila, Philippines, served as the Honorary Co- Chair of the conference. She gave a very powerful opening address on Peace Within and Peace Without. You can read the entire address on the website http://www.womenspeaceconference.org. The closing address was given by Jean Shinoda Bolen (USA), a professor of psychiatry at the University of California Medical Center and author of Urgent Message from Mother: Gather the Women Save the World. This was followed by a very festive ceremony with African drumming, singing and dancing. A Commitment Statement (also on website) was drafted (by Leticia Shahani) and accepted by the delegates. The next conference, 5th Womens World Conference is being planned to be held in Sophia, Bulgaria in 2010 (http://www.5wwc.org).

Ah, remember the days of your childhood ... for a moment I almost became nostalgic for the faith re-charging rush of a big service programme. What does "serve unlimitedly" mean again? Also, what is; "an 18 feet by 18 feet gift of 'The Snakes and Ladders of Life'"? A floor game? Gifts to VIPs again. Its sounds like real star .. *ahem* ... serving.

Is this Sister Shireen the same one that sweet sajani is having fun with in Tampa? I never liked the self-congratulatory, self-wonderment of those service news bulleting, but they are to intended to encourage others and confirm faith on the basis of all the famous and important people they name.

How far they have gone with the "toli giving" and "spiritual art gallery" ideas. Albeit they dropped a Freudian and said, "Everyone then came to the front to take toil and blessings from Sister Ranjan". We ought decipher all these words they use for outsiders to understand.

My vision is overcast by the thought of all the stormy weather ahead for anyone that bites the apple of knowledge ... enjoy the innocence for when it last. One ought pay respect for the women out there doing the real stuff throughout the history of the women's movement rather than riding on the back of it? I think the question remains, genuinely, open?

What and how much does the BKWSU rather than just looking to cream new BKs out of such events with the same old service approaches?

I feel that BKs were never so much interested in women's empowerment. They've just latched onto Western type fashionable phrases and ideas.

Originally Lekhraj was wise enough to know women would make a bigger impact for his ashram in India than yet another male guru, so in a way it was exploitation. Depends how you look at it.

Even in the West, women's empowerment is a farce. People like The Spice Girls and Madonna are paraded as "empowering women" but are they really? Or are they just allowing their sexuality to be exploited so they get a share of the wedge.

But now the BKs have become sexist themselves.