Zee Media Bureau/Shwetlana Tripathi

Bharat Bhagya Vidhata’s show - Ek Nari Aisi Bhi - this week discusses the decay in society and the plight of women. The panel on Wednesday's show had Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) member and MP from Bhatinda, Harsimrat Kaur Badal who has worked towards women's cause at the grass-root level; journalist Kshama Sharma, a staunch advocate of women's empowerment; and Sanjoy Sachdev, chairman of NGO ‘Love Commandos’.

Anchor Divya Jaitly probed into the causes as to why the moral fibre of our society was decaying at a rate faster than the advancements in science and technology. The empowerment of religious groups, and forced practices of worship are the reason behind it, felt Kshama Sharma. They hamper the development of a spiritually independent individual and convey no practical knowledge, she said.

Badal discussed at length the improved female sex ratio and better environmental conditions in Punjab - owing to the initiatives taken up by her “Nanhi Chaann” project. The Nanhi Chhaan Foundation is a registered non-profit organization that works to empower the girl child and protects trees. As parts of the endeavour, 100 tailoring hubs have been setup to employ women in the area. Badal stressed on the basic rights of a girl that can help her live a life of dignity.

Materialism has eroded the society, felt Kshama Sharma. The more a person runs after money the farther he is from his ethics and morals, she said. The sidelining of moral sciences in school curriculum has further worsened the state of the current generation, she opined, saying that greed and equality don’t go hand-in-hand.

Harsimrat Kaur believes that parents today are more like friends for their wards - hence there’s no one to check and restrict an errant youngster. A nuclear family set up calls for stricter guardianship and youth hate politicians and the political system because the study material and media are highlighting the adverse side of political leaders and ignoring the good ones, she felt. In a democracy like ours, good deeds of our leaders must also be highlighted as this would help strengthen the democratic fabric of our country, she said.

Sharma was of the view that the poor rate of conviction of criminals has further fuelled dissatisfaction amongst youth. A poor rate of conviction and a seemingly slow judiciary are the characteristics of the law enforcing agencies of our nation, she said. Badal seconded this, and said that she felt it was necessary to include sex education in school syllabus after a certain age to provide the right information to youngsters. Internet is also responsible for corrupting the minds of people, she added. Badal informed the panel that she had been consistently pressurizing the government for development of police stations in her area and as a result of her persuasion, various women police stations have now been setup where only women constable hear complaints of female victims.

The other guest for the show, Sanjoy Sachdev said the ‘love commandos’ of his NGO help those in love settle down together and work to eradicate casteism, dowry, honour killing and preserve the tradition of ‘gandharva vivaah’. He said that if an 18-year-old can choose the leaders of the country then she can also choose her own life partner. In spite of the Supreme Court rulings, corruption, narrow mindedness and commercialization plagues young responsible lovers in India, he felt.

Kaur summed up by saying, “India is a democratic country which is renowned for its cultural attributes. Children as well as parents both have the right to choose their marital partners, rather than any one of them alone.”