Coproliths in progressive Kerala's backyard

All is not well with the seemingly progressive and outwardly enlightened Kerala, especially when it comes to matters relating to 'morality'. The latest episode of Rehna Fathima, a social activist who allowed her minor children to draw pictures on her naked body, in her effort to tell people to begin sexual education at home itself, outraging the so-called liberal-thinking people of Kerala, cutting across political and religious affiliations, has once again brought to light the regressive mindset of a sexually frustrated society.

It is quite ironical that a community that is highly charged on socio-economic-political issues suffers from an obnoxious psychological disorder when it comes to 'women and sex'. In fact, Rehna Fathima posted the video of her children painting on her body with the caption 'body art and politics' on social media to tell the society that if a boy grows up seeing his mother's body, he will never disrespect a woman.

The moment she posted the video on her YouTube page, it opened up a can of worms. The so-called guardians of morality sprang into action, lodged a police complaint, and the Kerala police who are known for their action-packed discharge of duty raided her house to arrest her under POCSO and IT Act, all these while social media and TV channels were celebrating this bit they got out of the blue.

While the culturally enlightened lots showered worst forms of abuses on her from all quarters, social and child right activists and political leaders expressed contempt over such an iniquitous act. In a society where no woman comes out of home alone once darkness descends for reasons whatsoever, moral fascism is in its ugliest form in the highly literate State of Kerala.

At the same time, a female body has been perceived as 'a 55-kg flesh', as Fathima herself put it to take on sexually frustrated men who regard woman as just an object of desire. With cases of sexual harassment on the rise, Fathima wanted to tell mothers to give sex education to children at home itself so that they will grow up as descent human beings who respect a female body and understand that a woman is not just a sex object – actually she is much more than that.

The discrimination and objectification of women is what exactly Fathima wanted to fight against.

This is not a singular event in Kerala where a woman who talks openly about sex and Malayali men's perception of female body turning victims of mindless attacks by cyber bullies and moral policing. Unlike in other southern States, if a boy and a girl are found together in public place doing just a customary hug or kiss, the moral eagles start swarming around threatening and assaulting them – all in the name of social ethics.

It may be remembered that the police had to baton charge several thousands of frenzied fans who chocked Kochi city by thronging on the busy public roads, just to have a glimpse of Sunny Leone who came to inaugurate a mobile store early last year. Hundreds of men - young and old were seen clambering over barricades and metro pillars in a precarious way – just to have the darshan of the queen of porn films! They are the watchdog of morality in this God's own country that once practiced matrilineal inheritance system and worship female deities in many of their temples!

There were several incidents of students being rusticated from schools and colleges for hanging out together, beaten up for celebrating Valentine's Day on a beach and even waylaid and assaulted for travelling on a bike!

The sexual assault on a popular film actress allegedly perpetrated by a matinee idol in recent times threw light into the dark and sleezy world of tinsel town down south, which incongruously produced some of the best films that portrayed the trials and tribulations of women in a male dominated society!

Appalling reports of rapes and torments emanate aplenty from Christian nunneries and Muslim madrasas, girls from Dalit and minority communities have been raped and killed, women in public place become targets of roving eyes and are subjected to lewd comments by corrupt youth – all in a State that is known as socially, politically, culturally and economically far ahead of other States in the country.

In most of the cases, the perps and perverts behind these crimes often go scot free thanks to the incorrigible criminal justice system prevailing in the country.

When it comes to the protection of women's rights, the State has always shied away as even those who are at the helm of affairs, tend to see the farer sex as an instrument to gratify their carnal desires.

Kerala, which had the first elected Communist government in the world, and where people are regarded as free-thinking and highly educated, apparently seems to hide a crooked and contaminated perception on its own women. It miserably failed to implement the Supreme Court rule that allowed women of all ages to visit Sabarimala – the famous hill shrine of the tiny State that hitherto prohibited menstruating women from having the darshan of Lord Ayyappa. Incidentally, Fathima was one among the few women who tried to visit the temple, but in vain.

Some two years ago, when a 21-year-old college going girl Hanan Hamid sold fish in a busy market junction in Kochi to make her both ends meet and take care of her sick mother, she attracted trolls of the worst sorts from the so-called male members of 'decent' background. They cried foul and indulged in smear campaign whenever a woman questioned the male chauvinistic Malayali community.

Fathima has all the right to educate her children on the need to respect female body. She is not just giving sex education to her own children, but also sending a strong message to all parents to take care of their sons' character formation right from the childhood.

A study published in the August 2011 edition of Child Development says that unconditional love and acceptance of the mother reassures the son that he is lovable and capable of being a good friend and lover. The study also reveals that the more loving a mother is the fewer are the chances of the boy being distant and cold.

No one can deny the fact that mother is the primary caretaker of a child and she plays a vital role in shaping up her children's moral fibre. More Rahna Fathimas can only forge a society where men respect woman as their own mothers.

(This article was first published on thecitizen.in)