Bollywood's multi-talented star Farhan Akhtar is one of those prominent actors in tinsel town, who not only condemned the Delhi Gang Rape case publicly, but he is one of the few personalities, who has actually taken steps towards the betterment of the society.
After extensively expressing his views on crime against women in the Indian society, Farhan initiated his awareness campaign 'MARD' (Men Against Rape and Discrimination). And now, he is ready to take it up a notch by actually extending his philanthropy to the field of education.
Farhan feels that in order to bring a change it is necessary to educate the masses. So he along with his 'MARD' team have approached several schools in Mumbai and Delhi to incorporate his ideas as part of the syllabus.
People working for the campaign will design and present content in the form of articles, poems and some stories penned by Farhan himself to the education boards requesting them to include the same as part of textbooks. He feels that education and awareness are the only two means through which a change in the behavioral pattern can be brought into practice in our society.
Nothing is finalized as yet, as the actor is still in conversation with the school authorities.
Farhan's poem for MARD:
What is this country that I live in?
With no equality
And the quality of life
Differs from husband to wife
Boy to girl, brother to sister
Hey Mister, are you the same?
Contributing to the national shame
Replacing your mothers
With the bent ideology of another's
perception that women have a particular role in society
Fills my heart with anxiety
Where is all of this going?
What will emerge from these seeds that we're sowing?
It makes my head spin
But I'm not giving in
Will keep asking the question
What is this country that I live in?
What is this country that I live in?
That takes away her right to love
Brutalises her with an iron glove
Rapes her without fear
of there being justice for her tear
We've demeaned our goddesses
Gone back on all our promises
Become a gender distorted nation
Given our conscience a permanent vacation
what do I tell my daughter?
That she's growing up to be lamb for the slaughter
we've got to make a change
Reboot, reformat, rearrange,
and never give in
no matter how much our head may spin
Just keep asking the question
What is this country that I live in?