Maa Tujhe Salaam
Respecting women was a lesson Joseph Annamkutty Jose learned from his mother.
The debate he was watching on TV in the aftermath of yet another assault on a woman was making Joseph Annamkutty Jose very uncomfortable. The constant speeches made by the participants that society should change or that the judiciary should be stronger or that women should dress decently was against every single belief he held. Unable to take it any longer, Joseph went live on Facebook and vented out his beliefs and thoughts that received an overwhelming response and went viral with women applauding his sane thoughts.
The video stating that change should begin from each person because a single individual collectively makes a society had Joseph sharing his thoughts beginning with what his mother had taught him about respecting women while in Class V. The post was shared by various celebrities, including director Anjali Menon.
Explaining the video, he goes back to the time when he was in class five and had heard from his friends about the nude female form that was on display on an international fashion channel. Curiosity got to him and he clandestinely started watching the channel when his mother was in the kitchen. But like all mothers who have inbuilt sensors, she caught him and unlike other mothers, she was a biology teacher who understood the boy. Instead of scolding him or snatching the remote from him, she sat with him and explained that it was only natural for a boy to be curious about a woman because of his hormones and the basic physiology of a man. “While saying that women are the most beautiful and powerful creation of nature, she staunchly reminded me that it was the way I managed my desires that make a difference between me being a man and a gentleman. I believe the change should begin from home itself and what you teach your sons and daughters mould them and make them the person they are. Education can further add on to make you a better person,” he says.
Joseph says that it is up to the mothers to teach their sons to respect women and adds that sex education is the need of the hour. He frowns upon punishments where the boy is made to sit between girls or where is a public segregation of seating for men and women. “Seeing how we behave towards women is what influences our brothers and sisters and our progeny. Every woman is our responsibility” is how Joseph ends his video.