The slogan- Each One Teach One is a motivation for the educated class to understand their moral and

social responsibility of teaching at least one illiterate person, marks a big difference in the society.
Our society is quite influential in deciding our satisfaction for life. The way we perceive it makes us feel low
or high. Not every individual in our society is equally privileged.
The government policies and laws may promise many rights to the underprivileged children and make
attempts to eliminate or reduce disparity, but it is a fact that many children are devoid of the right to
education
If we want to see the children of all classes, even from poor households to be literate and aware of their
basic health, hygiene and grow up as educated citizens, we must come forward to teach them. It is our social
responsibility to share our wealth of knowledge and learning with the less privileged section of the society.
We might argue that there are NGOs, semi-government bodies and many Non profit organizations dedicated
for this purpose.
However it is true that the educated mass of the society which includes the students, the educated housewives, working professionals and college going students can play a vital role in educating the
underprivileged children. Every individuals contribution can bring about a significant positive change in the
current state of illiteracy.
The collective power of each contribution from each individuals insignificant acts is immense and can help
fill the gaps in education provided by formal schools. Most underprivileged children either miss school
education or attend schools where teachers are under trained. They are mostly constrained by finances in
low income households which can hardly manage to earn them bread and shelter. Children of rickshawalas,
labourers, maids and other groups on society who do not have access to quality education can be benefited
if we are ready to educate them.
If the privileged sections of the society voluntarily come forward to contribute to this noble cause, an
enormous change could be brought in quality of life of underprivileged children.
At least providing functional education to the children so that they have the reading and writing skills to help
them cope up with everyday needs can make a positive difference in their lives.
Not only children, but also adults who remained illiterate due to poverty and are earning their livelihood by
doing meager jobs can be taught or educated. This can help them become more aware of their rights and not
be cheated or befooled by upper sections of the society. Also educated or literate mothers can bring a
positive difference in the lives of the children they bring up.
The major drawback with the operating NGOs and social organizations is that their services do not often
reach the common man. As a result, not much difference is brought about in the state of illiteracy and related
problems of the country. People with will and intention to contribute to a noble cause in the society can go a
long way with their little contribution.
Intention must be accompanied by action or initiative in this direction. You can choose a convenient place
like your house/office or neighborhood to teach one child which is reachable for the child. While dynamic
and hyper-active individuals make it to NGOs through contacts and networks to give their services, an
educated individual who does not have a network or is not outgoing cannot reach NGOs. Such individuals
can provide their teaching services through informal channels to make a contribution to this cause.
The potential of educated individuals who are not associated with NGOs but have skills to, need to come out
with a systematic coordinated effort to create an influence. Small informal organizations or groups can reach
all sections of society while not being closely tied like members of formal groups. The impact, reach and the
popularity of such groups should not be undermined as it can match the actions of NGOs operating at a
large scale.
Each One Teach One representatives can have some kind of coordination through meetings to keep a track
of the activities going on and having some prominent members like leaders, coordinators and facilitators to

enable this. The best thing about such informal systems of education is that they have no legal norms to
abide by and can contribute more freely and reach the masses easily.
All that is needed is a will to teach combined with initiative taken by the society. Even the underprivileged
children or adults to be taught should be taken in confidence and benefits of education understood by them
to make them receptive for the purpose. If the educated class devotedly comes out to work for this social
cause, we can easily reach our aim of freeing the nation from shackles of illiteracy.

Essay on Gender Discrimination in India (750

Words)
Females of our country have faced the discrimination for ages now and still continue to exist in various
forms. Any denial of equality, gender and opportunity on the basis of gender is gender discrimination.
Nature doesnt discriminate men from women. But women worldwide have been the victim of inequality not
only in terms of social and political rights but also on grounds of employment opportunities.
The male dominant society of India makes its women habitual of this discrimination. As a result, most
women fail to understand their own rights and freedom.
There are many spheres of life where women are denied opportunities. Discrimination against females starts
with their birth and continues through their lives. An unborn girl child is aborted with the help of sex
determination techniques. A girl child who is born is seen as a burden on her parents or family and not given
equal treatment as boys of the same family ever since birth.
She is not given proper nutritious food in some cases. As she grows, she is either denied of right to
education and in some cases it is limited to elementary level. Her health and well being is not given due
attention and concern. She is married at an early age and this puts an end to any possibilities of growth and
a good life in most cases.
The discrimination doesnt end here but continues with the expectations of giving birth to a boy. The vicious
cycle of female discrimination starts here. Almost all women face some incidents of eve teasing, some are
unfortunate to be assaulted sexually and raped.
Marriage of a woman becomes more perplexed if she faces dowry threats, which sometimes cause deaths
also. With such a deprived living, how can we expect the standard of living of women to rise and their
presence be felt at international level?
Women, both illiterate and partially literate have limited access to health care and job opportunities and
remain confined to the bounds of their household chores, raising children and looking after families. A good
education or qualification does not bring women at par with the men. They are still deprived of many work
opportunities as men are believed to be more capable than their female counterparts with similar
qualifications.
The notion that women do not have caliber and intelligence to take up managerial positions or high profile
jobs is another proof of the discrimination against women in our society.
According to 2011 census, the female literacy rate was 65.46% compared to 82.14% for males. The underlying
thought that educating women is of no value as they will only serve their husbands and family in future
makes the parents unwilling to spend on girls education.
Women are not able to enjoy equal status in society as men and have very little say or authority. The grant of
equal rights by the Constitution does not bring any significant change in their position and respect in the
society.
Law and property rights are also enforced inefficiently and inheritance is usually the sole right of sons and
not the daughters. Even though laws are now enforced for the rights of women on parental property, not

many people are aware of it and the social structure is such that daughters do not usually insist on their
property rights.
Society favors men and gives them higher authority and this makes women vulnerable to crimes like rapes,
eve teasing, sexual abuse etc. Though the number of women officers is growing, yet the number is not
comparable with men holding higher ranks.
The discrimination against women is not only hampering the growth of women at social, economic and
personal level but also significantly lower female-to-male ratios impact the growth in both agriculture and
industrial sectors. Thus, gender discrimination also impedes the countrys growth.
While women are the most common sufferers and remain suppressed due to social pressure, there are some
disadvantages that men have over women as laws favor women in certain cases. For instance, in case of
adultery husband can be jailed for his unfaithfulness towards wife.
However, there is no law which jails and no court that punishes women for adultery. Sexual molestation of
men is rarely taken into procedure or FIR filed in the regard. It is men who are blamed for this crime even if
the woman is the culprit. Some women also misuse the anti-dowry law to get their husbands jailed for dowry
demand. The law does not favor men until there is solid evidence provided against the allegations.

women empowerment

"When women are the advisor, the Lords of creation don't take the advice till they have persuaded themselves that it
is just what they intended to do; then they act upon it and if it succeeds, they give the weaker vessel half the credit of
it; if fails, they generously give herself the whole".- Louisa May Alcott
India today is at the cusp of a paradigm change in its growth and its position in the world. We (both men and women)
must act decisively to capture this opportunity. We need to think big and scale up rapidly in each and every area, be it
education, infrastructure, industry, financial services or equality of both genders. For around two centuries, social
reformers and missionaries in India have endeavored to bring women out of confines in which centuries of traditions
had kept them. According to the 2001 Census, the percentage of female literacy in the country is 54% up from 9%
1951.
But we should not forget that history in a witness to the women who have in the past demonstrated unique leadership
capabilities. Razia Sultana, Rani of Jhansi, Sarojini Naidu and Indira Gandhi are motivation examples of women
empowerment. Earlier, most women were able to demonstrate the leadership qualities only on their home fronts, as
in Indian society man has always acted as the master of the scene and the decision regarding the issue of empowering
women has always been taken by him. God has gifted women with compassion, tender-heartedness, caring nature,
concern for others. These are very positive signs which imply that women can be leaders. Though some women have
shown their mettle yet a large number of them have to sharpen their leadership qualities in various ways. In order to
help women to be in limelight, they need to be empowered. Therefore, empowerment of women is the prerequisite to
transform a developing country into a developed country.
I would like to peep into the past when the stature of women as destroyed. They were treated as chattel in the early
Roman society. In France, they were termed as half-soul creatures responsible for the destruction of society. The
Chinese considered them as devil's soul. Japanese men preferred to live unmarried lives. Before the advent of Islam,
Arabs buried their daughters alive considering them as a sign of disgrace. In this way, they deprived women of their
due place. Most men view themselves as being the superior life-form in society. They justify this belief by saying that
they are stronger and more capable; thus, making them more qualified for the more important roles in society. they
place themselves on pedestals and force women to believe in their own inferiority to men and their incapability to
excel educationally, politically, economically and domestically. But the truth is that women have advanced in all those
areas.
In Shakespeare's works, many female characters are portrayed as being manipulated, if not controlled outright by the
men in their lives as fathers, uncles, suitors, husbands. Therefore, Shakespeare's works appear to send mixed singles
regarding the notion of female empowerment. empowerment has multiple, interrelated and interdependent
dimensions economic, social, cultural and political. It can be understood in relation to resources, perceptions.
relationship and power. But what does women empowerment mean? Women empowerment generally has five
components : firstly, women's sense of self worth; secondly, their right to have the power of control their own lives,

both within and outside home; and lastly, their ability to influence the direction of social change to create a just social
and economic order nationally, internationally and universally.
Educational attainment and economic participation are they key constituents in ensuring the empowerment of
women. Educational attainment is essential for empowering women in all spheres of society, for without education of
comparable quality and content given to boys and men, updated with existing knowledge and relevant to current
needs, women will be able to have access to well-paid formal sector jobs and advance with men. The economic
empowerment of women is a vital element of strong economic growth in any country. Empowering women enhances
their ability to influence changes and to create a better society.
Other than educational and economic empowerment, changes in women's mobility and social interaction and changes
in intra-household decision-making are necessary. Slight improvement in women's involvement in household
decision-making in male-headed household, on such issues as credit, the disposal of household assets, children's
education and family healthcare can work wonders. Traditionally, gender based divisions persisted in intra-household
decision-making. Women basically decide on food preparation and men make the financial decision. Women are one
of the greatest assets in our society. They equal to men in all aspects. Women are more perfectionist in the power to
create, nurture and transform.' Today, women are emerging as leaders in growing range of fields. be it aeronautics,
medicine, space, engineering, law, politics, education, business...you just name the profession and they are there, all
that needed in today's world in their empowerment.
In India, the empowerment process has already begun. We are now witnessing a steady improvement in the
enrollment of women in schools, colleges and even in profession institutes. Their health is better as compared to
earlier decades. In this decade, women are entering into the job market in increasing numbers. They are showing
their skills even in non-traditional sectors like police, defence, administration, media and research fields. Twenty-six
laws have been enacted so far to protect women from various crimes. The recent law on the 'protection of women
against domestic violence' satisfies the long pending demand of the women activities. In the political field, the
reservation for women is a significant step forward towards their political empowerment. When thirty-three percent
reservation for women in Parliament becomes a reality, women's voice will be heard in the highest forum of
democracy. The day, women of India will reach zenith in their empowerment. But a lot of work has to be done as there
is a category of women (who consider themselves highly educated) that proudly accepts that they don't have digital
literacy even though they own a computer, they cannot even operate bank accounts or make travel arrangements for
family or handle hospital admissions even during emergencies. Even for a simple task like social visits or shopping
generally they need the company of their husbands.
Women in India feel proud to display that they are well protected and pampered by their husbands without realizing
that they are making themselves helpless. Such women's economic literacy is so low that they cannot play any role in
family's decision regarding family's budget, savings and investments. To such women, the national budget discussion
is for men only and soap operas are for them. Such women suffer a lot if something untoward happens to their
husbands. This type of extreme dependency is not good for the development of women. Women should remember
that they are also rational, intelligent and thinking human beings. Dependent women are not empowered women. If
modern women think that they are empowered, it's a myth for them. Empowerment means to inspire women with he
courage to break free from the chains of limiting beliefs, patterns and societal or religious conditions that have
traditionally kept women suppressed and unable to realize their true beauty and power.
Some qualities to be acquired by women to become truly empowered are awareness about risk prevailing at home, in
work place, in traveling and staying outside home. They should have political, legal, economic and health awareness.
They should have knowledge about support groups and positive attitudes towards life. They should get goals for
future and strive to achieve them with courage. The best gift parents today can give to their daughters is education. If
women choose to be ignorant then all the efforts taken by the Government and women activists will go in vain. Even
in twenty-fifth century, they will remain backward and will be paying a heavy price for their dependence, So, it is a
wake-up call for women to awake from their deep slumber and understand the true meaning of their empowerment.
In the end I would like to conclude with the following words, "Women as the motherhood of the nation should be
strong, aware and alert".