Poet Syeda Rashida Bari: Her thoughts on rights of women

Poet Syeda Rashida Bari

--Md. Sazedul Islam

In Bangladesh, women are facing many problems in their daily lives. Though a lot of progress has been made regarding the empowerment of women, much more still needs to be done. The women, who comprise about half of our total population, are lagging behind men in our society.

There are many, including women, people who are working hard to establish the rights of women in the country. Author Syeda Rashida Bari is one of them. She, through her literary activities, is trying to raise awareness among people on empowering women and improving their condition.

In her Bangla novel ‘Protibad (protest)’, author Syeda Rashida Bari tried to depict the condition of our women and also suggested measures on how to improve their condition by achieving the objective of gender parity.

Published in 1999, the book (paged 80) mentioned about the condition of our women and protested injustices perpetrated on them.

The novelist said she, through her writing, is struggling hard to ameliorate the condition of women. She believes that the country’s development would not be sustainable without

ensuring the rights of all the women, because SDGs’ main stress is to ‘leave none behind’.  

She started advocating for the rights of women through writing, which she had started in her early life. She hoped that her initiative would help raise awareness about the necessity of a society with gender equality, paving the way for a better life for women in the country.

She appreciates the women who have already established themselves in the society defying various types of hindrance.

In her personal life, she has engaged herself in different platforms apparently in a bid to set an example for other women that a woman can play role in different forums and can raise the issues of women. She thinks that hard work and determination are needed in this regard. Without the two things, it is difficult for women to go ahead.               

In her opinion, girls at first face injustice by parents from their own families where boys are given more importance than girls. She attributed various problems faced by women outside homes to the negligence at their own homes.

Girls and boys are not treated equally in families, which is the root cause of discrimination faced by women in our society.

Through her writing, she opined for establishing the equal rights of both boys and girls in their parents’ families.

So far, she has written about 101 books, which mainly dealt with the issue of rights of women.

She thinks that our society is mainly male-dominated where women face maltreatment from their families.

Women have become victims of injustice outside homes, because the maltreatment emanating from families has been spread in our society. If the culture of maltreatment can be eradicated from their parents’ families, then it would be easier to establish equal rights of women in the society, she observed.          

The rights of women would be easier to be established if they start protesting whenever

injustices are perpetrated on them, observed Syeda Rashida Bari. 

Every woman deserves honour and rights regardless of their caste, creed and religion.

There cannot be any compromise regarding their rights anywhere in the world. Women around the world want equality in all the matters such as education, property and job.     

There cannot be any discrimination between men and women. Any rule which discriminate between men and women is not acceptable on any excuse.

Whenever she gets any scope of placing the demand, she thinks that she is doing it on

behalf of all the women.  

If there is arrangement of proper education, training, employment and equal right to parents’ properties for girls, women can improve their condition. She hoped that congenial atmosphere would be created in this regard. 

Daughter of language veteran Syed Rafiqul Islam, Syeda Rashida Bari is a multi-dimensional writer. She is also editor-cum publisher of monthly Swapner Desh and a lyricist of Bangladesh Television, Betar and Film.

Born at a village of Kumarkhali upazila in Kushtia district, known as the cultural capital

of Bangladesh, Rashida Bari is founder chief and former general secretary of Kushtia-based Bangladesh Lekhika Sangha.

She is the founder president of Bangladesh Bhasa Sainik Projonmo League Sahitya and Sanskritik Parishad; founder president of Bangladesh Adhunik Sahitya and Sanskritik Parishad; Ex-assistant secretary of Bangladesh Jatiyo Lekhok Forum; Divisional secretary of Jatiyo Giti Kabi Parishad.

So far, she has written 101 books, including story, novel, drama and poetry and as a lyricist composed 4000 songs. Till now, she got 87 awards and 21 titles by different organizations in recognition of her contribution to literature and social activities. Recently, she got ‘Bharat Ratno’ title. 

(The author is a freelance journalist)