Purdah is not a dress code of one''s choice and option at all.

When does purdah become one’s option of volition and choice?

Only when the same purdah wearing woman can go without purdah too, with no fear of her husband’s frown or family members pressing or haunting of her community around.

Only when  she can choose her dress code without religious offer of paradise or threat of hell.

Purdah is/was not a dress code of one choice and option at all:

Until there is a religion of threats and offer behind it. Until there is a society, family and a husband forcing (and frowning at) her to wear such a purdah.

Until she is and was taught from childhood onward (to make it her habit to wear such a purdah), which she finds unable to escape from even afterward.

Until there remains ignorance and stupidity termed as ideology and faith, blind imitation and following religious prescription for fear and social acceptance and security.

Purdah by itself is a negative symbol of incriminating all menfolk on one side. Its basic principle is the principle of suspecting all others. Purdah wants to see the women  as an object and instrument of sex only and nothing else. Purdah wants all the menfolk to look at the women only for sex. Purdah basically denies one’s individuality (especially when they veil their face) and one's right to know and recognize who the other person is. It denies one's right to know whether (veiled) approaching one is a man or woman, or a thief or a criminal or an extremist under the veil.

Ignorance or stupidity or suppression ( fear and helplessness due to the ignorance, stupidity and suppression) with religious offers and threats (paradise and hell) cannot be termed as one’s option and choice at will at all.

The mistake starts from here. No one in India is addressed (even officially) as an Indian, but is addressed as a Muslim of Hindu or Sikh or Christian. As a man or woman of certain religion only.

Why should it happen so? This has to stop. Governance and justice given is to Indians, not to any person of any religion. In India, at least officially, one shouldn't be asked of their religion and community and should be addressed only as an Indian. Religion should not be the way and means to identify the nationals of India. If identified so, and if religions are given such a free hand even in identification, what will happen is, the people of India will easily choose and go with the religion than with the nation of India. They will prefer their religion to their nation if at all they are given with a choice between the nation of India and their religion.

Freedom, democracy and secularism in India was conveniently used (misused) only for teaching of religious extremism and intolerance. Never was it used (even by the so-called secular parties) for teaching the secularism, freedom, democracy and love for one’s own nation.

All Indian political parties in their strife and struggle for power and money willingly and intentionally forgot to teach what the nation is and by what the nation of India is existing as a nation. They never wanted to teach them what democracy and secularism is and how India can sustain itself to be democratic and secular.  Instead, our secular parties got trapped into gimmicks and tricks of religious organization for their fear of loss of vote bank.

Even in Kerala, in the ongoing Panchayath and District Panchayath election ( November, 2015), what embarrasses us is that the women candidates of even communist party are wearing purdah.

Secular parties (even Communist parties) could not teach and change the religious society to be secular and democratic. Rather, the religions and its organizations are teaching, changing and pressing the secular (and communist) parties to be religiously extreme with their religious dogmas.

So, embarrassing is what happens now even in Kerala. People easily choose and go after their religion than the nation, love and dedication for nation, its secularism and democracy.

India as a nation of diversity welcomed all different religions from old days onward. Just because India has/had it already within it. India is the only country which could welcome foreign thoughts and religions like that. But what went wrong is/was that such welcomed religions and thoughts started denying India’s diversity and started extremely claiming its exclusivity to their righteousness and started teaching all others as wrong and only they right and final.

India as a nation (its rulers) has/had to teach its national what the secularism, nationalism and democracy is and was meant to be, which it did not hitherto. Without teaching it nationals what the secularism, nationalism and democracy is, how such nationals be expected to be nationalistic, democratic and secular? Especially when religious educations and teachings are given continuously and consciously.

On one hand India does not teach its nationals the basic tenets of nationhood, nationalism, secularism and democracy and love for the nation. On other hand it is giving free space and hand to religions and its organizations to do their activities, open educational institutions of their own kind and ideologies and teach their extreme and intolerant religious ideas.

It is from this kind of Madrasa and other religious education system purdah and intolerance become the faith and practice that is commonly accepted and rampant. Basically Madrasas or religious educational institutions as a separate education system and institution should be stopped and should not be allowed. The language of Arabic or Sanskrit can be taught from Government schools as well and it should be taught only from government schools and institutions. In the name of teaching Arabic Language, government should not give chance and free hand for the extremists and intolerant people to teach ideas of anti-nationalistic extremism and intolerance into the innocent minds of children.

Purdah is not a dress code of one choice and option at all until there is a religion of threats and offer behind it.  Until there is a society, family and a husband frowning at her and forcing here to wear such a purdah. Until she is/was taught from her childhood onward (to make it her habit to wear such a purdah), which she finds unable later on to escape from. Until there remains ignorance and stupidity termed as ideology and faith.