Women's Day should not drift towards western-style feminism: Rashtra Sevika Samiti general secretary

New Delhi, Feb 28 (PTI) Rashtra Sevika Samiti general secretary Seetha Gayatri Annadanam on Saturday said International Women’s Day should be channelled in a constructive direction rooted in Indian cultural values.

Asked how the nearly 90-year-old organisation views International Women’s Day on March 8, often described as a Western concept, Gayatri told PTI that social circumstances evolve with time and occasions that gain social significance should be positively guided.

“When a particular day begins to have a strong social impact, instead of ignoring it, we should guide it in a constructive direction,” she said.

Citing January 1 as an example, she said that though it was not traditionally significant, a large number of people now visit temples on that day. “This year, nearly two lakh devotees had darshan of Lord Ram on January 1, the highest number recorded in a single day. This shows that when society gives importance to a particular day, we can connect it with our own cultural and spiritual values,” she said.

On March 8, she said, women across the country gather for various programmes. “If such a platform already exists, we should not abandon it. Our effort should be to ensure that these occasions do not move only in the direction of western-style feminism, but instead reflect our own cultural thinking, social harmony and Indian value system,” she said.

Responding to a question on the implementation gap in women’s safety despite stronger laws, professor Shivani V, secretary of Bharatiya Vidvat Parishat, told PTI that India has enacted several strong legal provisions, but law alone is not enough.

“The real gap lies in social awareness and, most importantly, mindset. We must change not only the system but also the mentality,” she said. Shivani said women’s empowerment requires collective solidarity.

“If women unite, crimes can be reduced significantly. Silence and isolation encourage crime; unity discourages it,” she said. Emphasising the role of family, she highlighted the concept of a “Shikshit Mata” (educated and aware mother), saying that moral education and respect for women must begin at home.

Meanwhile, Gayatri spoke about self-defence training and structured workshops for young girls, including programmes organised annually on Jhansi Lakshmibai Jayanti in colleges, reaching around one lakh students each year.

The two-day convention will be organised by Rashtra Sevika Samiti, Bharatiya Vidvat Parishad and Sharanya at Vigyan Bhavan here on March 7 and 8.

President Droupadi Murmu, Delhi CM Rekha Gupta, Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science and Technology & Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Annapurna Devi, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Vijaya Kishore Rahatkar, National Commission for Women chairperson, are among those expected to attend the convention. PTI KSH KSH MNK MNK