Women debate modernity

CHANDIGARH: Two men and four women. The men are sure to be cornered. And they were! The debate on Women and the Paradox of Modernity began quite innocuously with the charming women holding forth on what makes them modern, and whether there is a paradox to their modernity. All the women gave due credit to their families and the menfolk in them for their "modernity".But they were more than peeved by societal attitudes to women, especially those who give birth to girls.
Actor-producer Gul Panag began by saying: "Being modern is being ahead of the times. But women still have to carry the baggage of tradition with them. They have to straddle different worlds within their homes, outside their homes, and everything in between." Author and columnist Kishwar Desai felt the term modernity is not properly understood. She said in the prosperous states of Punjab and Haryana, ultrasound scans and sex determination tests were most frequent, leading to the abortion of girls.
Social hypocrisies come to the fore as the ingrained patriarchy of the social system pervades people's mindsets, and even apparently modern men regress to a feudal state. The case of Tarun Tejpal then came under focus and ran through the debate intermittently.