It needs gruesome incidents and loss of precious lives, for people to acknowledge, that even the most literate State in India, is capable of living in dark ages when it comes to familial dealings.
What does this show? Literacy, validated through certificates is no guarantee to enlightenment of society.
An individual is a by-product of nature and nurture, with latter playing a major role in the holistic development. Literacy is just a small part of that nurture program. What the individual decides to benefit out of their ability to read and comprehend, is dependent on what environment they are eventually exposed to.
We educated and modernized our society. We empowered our women. We encouraged them to speak their mind. Unfortunately, we forgot to teach educated and opinionated men and women to co-exist peacefully and prosper organically.
Often opinionated women are caricatured as aggressive, man-bashing and obnoxious, who is not capable of reasoning rationally. This negative presumption coupled with tendency of well-meaning men to mansplain ignorantly, has necessitated women to be volubly vocal in order to be heard. The result – aggressive exchanges that escalate to arguments in no time.
To reason rationally, whether it is a man or woman, requires a certain amount of patience to listen without prejudice, comprehend with an open mind and think beyond the conventional gender roles. Does our high literacy rate enable such a temperament?
The current barrage of incidents in a highly literate and socially developed society like Kerala should be a warning sign. These unfortunate events are not only about the Manasas, Vismayas and Uttaras whose life was horrifically cut short. It is equally about the Rakhils, Kirans and Soorajs whose mental growth was stunted in a literate society.
It is high time we take stock of what literacy has given us.
Certificates, Statistic or mere negotiation chip in dowry market? Until literacy pave way to create a society of enlightened individuals young and old, irrespective of gender, the ROI of literacy shall hover around zero.
