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Culture July 7, 2017
The male feminist we need.
Sujatro Ghosh is making headlines from New Dehli, India as he draws attention to the value of women in his country, and you should know his name.
His photographs are going viral, but the man and message that lies behind the photos are what you really need to learn about.
Here is what you need to know about Sujatro Ghosh:
Sujato Ghosh has created a photo campaign depicting women in cow masks in various locations. The women are found in front of government buildings, in their homes and various places in society; the locations vary to show that “women are vulnerable everywhere.”
Instagram is making it easy to share messages across the world. Miles of ground no longer keep people apart, and ideas spread faster than wildfire.
Even if it’s not in our country, Ghosh’s impactful images made waves on Instagram and his message has spread. Not only was he drawing attention to how the value of cow’s lives are placed above the value of women’s lives, but he is doing it in a way people can understand and identify with – through pictures.
Ghosh says, “I am perturbed by the fact that in my country, cows are considered more important than a woman, that it takes much longer for a woman who is raped or assaulted to get justice than for a cow which many Hindus consider a sacred animal.”
In a country that has so little value for women, it couldn’t be more important for men to do their part in speaking up for the value of women, and Ghosh is doing his part. So many men are afraid of the stigma of the word “feminist” that even if they believe in what feminism stands for, they never choose to label themselves a feminist. Ghosh is taking huge steps for feminism, especially among males.
So many millennials are so absorbed in their own lives, but even at only 24 years old, Ghosh has turned his profession and passion into something influential and meaningful. He considers it “his way of protesting” against the radical group of people protecting cows from slaughter.
Since the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (the hindu nationalist party) in 2014, the rights and protection of cows have superseded the rights and protection of women.
In India, a woman reports a rape every 15 minutes. The treatment of women in this predominantly Hindu country has been the center of much commentary. Ghosh’s link between the value of women’s lives and the value of cow’s lives makes the issue real and tangible.
It sounds naïve for someone to say they value a cow’s life more than a woman’s life, but that is the underlying premise of the government in their treatment of the two beings.
“[Sexual assault] cases go on for years in the courts before the guilty are punished, whereas when a cow is slaughtered, Hindu extremist groups immediately go and kill or beat up whoever they suspect of slaughter,” says Ghosh.
So, thank you, Sujatro, for taking something seemingly small and turning it into something impactful. Thank you for using your photography skills to highlight such an important issue.
And thank you for using your societal status as a male to bring attention to the value of women.
