Barkha Dutt Takes A Dig At Indian Men For Not Being As Secure As Kamala Harris’s Husband. Erm, There Are Men Like That
The other day I was casually chatting with my mother and the conversation went to marriage, as it usually does these days. She casually asked me about the kind of a guy I would like to spend my life with and even though I am otherwise always ready with a list of qualities that my ideal husband would have, there were only three things that mattered to me in the moment. For the guy to be loving, for him to be woke enough to not demand dowry and for him to be secure enough to tie a knot with a self-sufficient and working woman like me. Yes, admittedly, the standards are low. But Barkha Dutt thinks they are incredibly low.
A thought that I had after journalist Barkha’s tweet stumbled onto my feed, where she was praising recent US Vice President elect Kamala Harris’s husband for being the support he has been to her. Except her praise for Harris’s husband came more as a dig at all the Indian men, whom she swiftly called out for being insecure of their partner’s success. Which may be true for a lot of men but that was painting with broad, broad brush strokes.
Sharing a picture of Kamala Harris hugging her husband, Doug Emhoff had titled the picture saying ‘So proud of you’. Barkha Dutt captioned it by writing “Please show me the Indian Man who’d be secure enough to be this man.” And considering India is full of powerful and successful women making headlines as sound leaders with supportive husbands, we didn’t know where this was coming from..
Please show me the Indian Man who'd be secure enough to be this man. ❤️ https://t.co/46YsknZY6g
— barkha dutt (@BDUTT) November 11, 2020
Also Read : Swaraj Kaushal Is The Man Who Stood Behind Sushma Swaraj As She Shone. India Needs More Secure Men Like Him
I won’t lie, my first thought was to agree with her. Men confident enough to let their partners take the limelight are rarely found, and more so in India where it is seen as an affront to their masculinity. But admittedly, things are changing and men have adjusted themselves well to the thought of their spouses being in the limelight. From Sushma Swaraj to Abhishek Bachchan Indian men have too, been appreciative and respectful of their wives’ successes.
Your opinion regarding Indian men is too coloured….no need to glorify everything foreign
— Dr. Arighna Mukherjee (@ArighnaMukherje) November 11, 2020
https://twitter.com/lurker_equality/status/1326574549089939458
I remember you interviewed Mrs Sushma Swaraj, years ago – I have yet to meet anyone who adores his wife and is so proud of her achievements as he is/was
— kayevee 🇮🇳 (@2kayvee) November 11, 2020
In fact, back in year 2017, BharatMatrimony conducted a survey to find out if Indian men had finally come around to being more accepting towards their wives and their choices, and it was found out that 90% of the audience, including 45% girls, said men are ready to support their spouse pursuing her career seriously. Giving a healthy twist to the ‘behind every successful man there is a woman’ adage, chances are that behind most (if not every) successful woman, there is also a man supporting her choices.
As we see women ascending to greater roles, it is okay to give credit to men where it’s due. After all, feminism must never be mistaken for misandry, and while one fish is enough to dirty an entire pond, we can’t overlook just how progressive and sensitised Indian men have also become, cheering on their spouses to achieve more in their life. Today, fathers, brothers, husbands are all welcoming to this change, enabling women to reach for the stars and for that we need to be appreciative.
