On Fri, 24 Dec 2004, Anthony Barretto wrote:
Hi Albertina
What Minguel says is better said in Konkani "Samki bail mure!" It simply means the man lacks courage of conviction. And what it means certainly does not belittle women I suppose. It's just a traditional phrase. Of course that is not denying that many women are indeed courageous.
Irony of ironies. The film which my good friend Miguel is (rightly) voicing concern over and Miguel himself are both using the same idiom, on this one aspect.
In one of the scene of the by-now famous education department film (everyone should try and see it, to see what happens when a government thinks along communal lines!), a lady hands over bangles to one official.
If this is not male chauvinism, I don't know what is.
You don't need to be a 'man' to be brave. All men are not brave. Some women were freedom-fighters too. From my college days, I've known quite a few women who were committed to an ideal, and they showed much more commitment and consistency than many men I know.
So, what are we talking about? Don't we see through the irony of what this 'wear bangles' idiom means? FN
PS: This is a minor side-debate. Otherwise Miguel has done a good job of highlighting an issue which needs utmost attention.
