What Indians can learn from New Zealand and her PM, Jacinda Ardern

If you are a fan of the Lord of the Rings franchise, know that it was filmed at New Zealand's verdure and majestic locations, Mount Mordor and all.

What got me loving New Zealanders though is that although they have been feminist and gender equal for ages, they are very low profile about it. We, on the other hand, blow our trumpet because not one woman was harassed during Marina beach jallikattu protests. I mean, are we out of our minds? Safety for women should be a neutral status quo, not a feat to be proud of. Then you go back to telling women not to wear modern dresses to avoid being raped.

Now for New Zealand's prime minister, a heavily pregnant 37 year old unmarried woman, Jacinda Ardern. Ooo.. let that sink into your heads lentils.

Okay, for starters, we Indians should learn to look at an Indian woman's skills and aptitudes, not how many relationships she had had, whether or not she's a virgin, her dressing, her activities and shit. Why? It's because only her erudition helps better the society and adds value, not what she does in her bedroom and wardrobe. Learn the distinction between what is none of your business and what is your business. You can tolerate rampant corruption and littering that fucks up the money we earn and the environment we live in but you can't tolerate women making choices that in no way affect you.

Men can be homemakers too. Before you jump at me that I am stereotyping men as never doing housework, compare the average Indian man doing housework with Slovenian and Danish men. Or an Indian man being ok with his wife leading a country while he leads the household. Normalise housework and homemaking for Indian men - Ardern's partner can be used as an example.

I have a New Zealander friend - we met and lived together for a month. She has muscular dystrophy and she leads a normal life thanks to New Zealand's system. She can move anywhere freely there and I remember her lamenting how wanting the facilities in my country are.

Jacinda Ardern is the face of a liberated woman. It will take ages for us to learn from New Zealand and let women be. Letting women be isn't bad. Check Iceland, Norway and Sweden besides New Zealand on what happens if women are let to be - happiest and one of the healthiest people on earth.