SHE means 'Superior to He': Recalling a father's lesson to his daughter

Mar 8, 2022, 2:29 PM IST

Today, the world is celebrating International Women's Day. The day symbolises not just what being a woman means but is also a recognition of all that a woman is and could be.

Asianet Newsable came across this video from August 2019 of Poonam Mahajan, BJP's Member of Parliament from Maharashtra's Mumbai North Central constituency.

Poonam, while participating in the debate on the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2019, recalled an interaction she had with her late father and senior BJP leader Pramod Mahajan.

She said, "I studied in Marathi medium. I learnt English after I completed 10-12 years. I was trying to learn the difference between he or she. I approached my father and asked him, 'He or she, how is it placed'? I was small, can ask any kind of question at that age. He replied, 'He is meant for male and she for female'. I further probed, 'but why is it he and she?' He said, 'He means a man, but the letter 'S' that has been added before he because it stands for superior to he. Hence the woman is identified as she'. This is what my father has taught me."

Amid thunderous applause from MPs in the ruling bench, Poonam said that this was the ideology that her party, the BJP, follows as well.

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