For Shobhaa De, who has been a strong supporter of feminism and has penned best selling books with women central characters, the definition of feminism holds no meaning in India.
"We need to understand the loopholes in our system which prompt the 'feminists' to come forward and contribute to this men versus women battle to make the country a better place for women," De told PTI in an interview.
"How can you define feminism in a country where the constitution guarantees equal opportunities, equal freedom and equal security to women as it does to men?, says the writer.
"Our constitution is so progressive and ahead of our times and respectful of gender that we shouldn't be in this position as we are. It's the failed implementation which has lead to this situation today and not the law, the legislation is very well in place, " she says.
According to the author, the apparent movement for the women which is automatically assumed to be against men is not aimed at "making men bow down to everything women have to say or do."
"Any strong woman would like to see a strong confident man but it's not about making men feel demeaned. Demanding and getting respect is not much to ask and I don't think that corrodes any body's identity. It is how it should be. Since men and women have to stay together in the society, let's do it with mutual respect," she says.
De, who has recently come up with her 18th book titled 'Never a Dull De' believes that Bollywood is very significant part of society's transformation.
The book published by Penguin books is a compilation of various columns written by De over the years, a larger segment of which has been written with a reference to Bollywood.
