NEW DELHI: Pankaj Tripathi – Feminism should be taught to all young boys in school

NEW DELHI: The actor feels that teaching
feminism and its importance to young boys is very important and boys need to
learn right from the beginning that no gender is ever superior or inferior. If
this is done, we won’t have to “save” our daughters anymore.

Pankaj
Tripathi is an established and celebrated actor today but that was not the case
in his career initially when he had struggled to make a place in the industry.
“There was a time when I survived solely on my wife’s salary and I see
absolutely no harm in doing so. My wife and daughter have impacted my life in
the best way possible,” says the actor, known for his sensitive and subtle
performances in films such as Nil Battey Sannata (2016), Bareilly Ki Barfi
(2017) and Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl.

Tripathi
has in the past often talked about his wife and daughter, both being his
pillars of strength for him in their own ways. His wife, too, has gone on to
talk about how he’s a great father that everyone should have as well as an
equally caring and encouraging husband. Coming from a simple background, the
Ludo (2020) actor has often shed light upon several important aspects of our
society and this time, being a feminist himself, he has expressed his views on
the importance of teaching feminism to boys from a young age.

“I feel
that parents put all their energies into grooming and teaching their daughters
how to behave themselves but when it comes to boys, it’s not given the same
importance as it needs. In today’s education, I think the inclusion of feminism
is a must for all young boys. If this is done, we won’t have to “save” our
daughters anymore,” he says.

In a
country where gender-based crimes have been rampant for a very long time, this
deep-rooted problem is said to be a result of social conditioning. Tripathi
feels that “feminism, which talks of equal rights and opportunities for men and
women, is a study that should be instilled in boys just as strongly as girls
who are often taught to behave themselves in society. Boys need to learn right
from the beginning that no gender is ever superior or inferior. Respecting the
other genders as well as empowering each other should be taught early on, not
just to girls but to young boys as well. To see the existence of such a large
gender disparity in our country needs immediate attention and change.”