Article written in English language as part of the different contents for the Association Amigos de India, regrading culture and gender. A comparative glimpse of female gender challenges for indian women in Colombia.

1. Mere BharatiyaAurate…
This last decade we have had the experience of living, sharing, working and dealing with indian
culture in Colombia. Assuming too our common contradictions and particularly our strong
differences. The expectations of colombian society are now based on a secular education,
rationality over devotion, self-realization over a traditional life with spouse and kids. We are
expected to achieve all this. Be professional, independent, self-sustained by our work and skills. It
is something good to feel proud about, in terms of western values, even females own their bodies,
and are expected to live their own sexuality with freedom. But most of the times, we only can
appreciate such things or revaluate those when we’re submitted into other culture’s eyes.
Globalization took us by surprise to some, and by chance to others. Moral values have the trend to
be equalized into global societies; you have to be prepared for the unexpected. And I say it
because we might be quite liberal for Indian culture and all its religions. Some time ago I saw
“English Vinglish” movie. Although the story is a cool idea about how a woman can even in secrecy
overcome her own role straits, I had just met someone who had a kind of that same experience
here. Ms. Poonam. But she wasn’t the only one. I have to admit, that being Indian in a country
where women can rule, can dominate and even achieve as much power as men and be
beneficiaries of the state’s funding and protection, is not much easy. This country, Colombia, has
also contradictions like India, in spite of the law and the Constitution with a trend to be women-
friendly, we also spread the news about collective sex abuse and other harms against us. We have
achieved legal recognition but we are still in the learning process of respect both genders, to
respect each other, because also males can be victims of this inequity. The point to discuss here is
not about the contradictions present in both societies. I must be fair I know my own country and
its society better so I can even criticize better. In my position as an educated woman and scholar,
is more convenient by now. That’s why my decision to write in English language.
I met Poonam, and alsoSupriya,Neha, Rochelle, and all those Indian women I’ve have had the
chance to meet andthey had taught me a lot. Coming to a foreign country, or meeting me as
foreigner in their own soil. Some have taught me to cook, to speak Hindi, and certain values and
costumes. Someare married some are single. And these relationships have made me confront my
own culture, my achievements and the uncertainty of our own conditions, as well as the
uncertainty for male gender. This wasn’t an easy country for these women in the beginning, but
they end up appreciating the advantages that a woman can have, the same human rights, civil and
social conditions. And of course, the openness to experiencing the working life, the enormous
responsibility of being wives, housewives, and mothers at the same time!!! They might have felt
like Shashi, the character portrayed in the film, but they demonstrated to be strong and
courageous to deal with our society without forgetting who they are and their own roles in their
families. That means being brave.
But through them, there can be seen what freedom has brought to our men;nowadays malesfeel
afraid of this change; they express mostly to be agreed with the equity, because it has also
releasedthem the full responsibilityto sustain a home by themselves. But at the same time it’s

2. becoming difficult for men to perform their role as males, because our western world had taught
us women to be a new construction of ourselves, but it hasn’t taught men this new construction of
themselves, and now they’re becoming the “weak gender” of our time. Now, we are making a 180
degrees turn. A woman is more reliable in Colombia when she’s going to get a job, ask for a bank
loan, be trusted at the police authorities, and also to receive more state funding’s. All this is also
supported by a gender policy which benefits women over men due to our late and current history
of social violence and armed conflict; women have survived as orphans or widows, and had to
assume the role of sustaining alone a family. So, all that above, have pulled our society to change
and turn its policy towards us females, and now ithas becomevery common facts, and strengthens
by our laws, to be single moms, single professionals, and this change has been extended to
divorces increase, and short-term marriages. In 2012 around thirteen thousand couples asked for
a separation or divorce request. If some bad marriages or relationships still remain might be
because of fear of stay economically uncovered. We could say just a few remain stable due to
love.
Also an aspect of this society we live in is the immense power other genders and non-straight
orientations are getting by their own legal empowerment. Like a dictatorship by minorities. Being
lesbian, guy, transgender or bisexual is cool, is also fashionable, and we encourage our new
generations to admit it in their daily life. Old generations and most Indian citizens would consider
this as outrageous, but it’s normal here. These people also bearvery good positions in the country,
social and political, in the public and private sectors.
Individualism is becoming asthe rule, and if a couple gets married the common said is not
“congratulations” but “good luck”. And now, this globalization that brought us individualism is
making usto discover India too, and binational love relationships are also on the move. Spanish
language can become an issue, but in certain areas locals are bilingual. I’m not in the condition to
say if we’re in the right course, but certainly I can say, everything is so uncertain, and I’m
pessimistic. Economically we’re growing and we’re giving opportunities to immigrants, but they
must be aware of our own conditions, and by now, it seems to be a nice country for women, but
we might not be the best influence for their kids and husbands if they want to keep traditions.
Why?, well, read back above again. Would you accept the challenge call of continue your life with
us? And would we accept your traditions and costumes with our western new values? Answer is
up to you.