“We want to say that men do cry and they too suffer,” added Jahgirdar.

AIMWA is an initiative of Bangalore based NGO Save Indian Family Foundation (SIFF), working for protection of the Indian family system and values.

Main grouses of men’s rights activists are lack of legal protection for men and non-existence of any commissions for men or ministry dedicated for males’ rights, akin to women.

“If we look back, in the last 62 years of Indian Independence not a single rupee has ever been allocated for men’s welfare from the union budget. Not a single constitutional or quasi-constitutional body has ever been formed to study men’s issues, not a single study ever conducted to study men’s issues, and not a single scheme ever been envisaged for men’s welfare,” said Virag Dhulia, a senior member of AIMWA.

“Hence, in the backdrop of this emptiness, the government and the society have absolutely no locus-standi to deny accepting men’s issues or avoid addressing them. And it is this emptiness which has led to the formation of AIMWA, to study men’s issues and demand for a national commission for men and men’s welfare ministry,” added Dhulia.

International Men’s Day is an international event celebrated Nov 19, every year. It was started in 1999 in Trinidad and Tobago and supported by the United Nations.

The objectives of celebrating an International Men’s Day include focusing on the health of men and boys, improving gender relations, promoting gender equality, and highlighting positive male role models.

It is an occasion for men to highlight discrimination against them and to celebrate their achievements and contributions, in particular their contributions to community, family, marriage, and child care.

Members of AIMWA also stressed that expectations from men have skyrocketed and that is causing a lot of harm to the entire Indian family system.

“Today men are expected to take care of extended families of parents, siblings, wife, in-laws and provide for them, undertake the primary financial responsibility of the house even if the wife is well-qualified, well-earning and capable of sharing the financial load. Moreover, lots of men have of late become victims of misuse of Section 498A and Domestic Violence Act,” said Dhulia.

“However, men have no forum to address these issues. As a result, men find emotional confrontations extremely painful and most men contemplate suicide during emotional turmoil in their relationship and a reasonable percentage of them actually commit suicide,” added Dhulia.

According to statistics available with National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 52,583 married men committed suicide compared to 28,188 married women in 2005, 55,452 married men committed suicide compared to 29,869 married women in 2006, and 57,593 married men committed suicide vis-à-vis 30,064 married women in 2007.

“Statistics say that married men are a harassed lot and are forced to commit suicide more than married women. But, still nobody talks about men’s rights and we want a change in the attitude,” said Dipankar Dutta, a Bangalore based bank executive.

“Hope sooner or later government and the society realizes the problems of men and bring justice to them,” added Jahgirdar.

November 19 is the International Men’s Day and Allen Solly is bringing it to prominence. This is the best chance to prove how much you love and care for him on his special day. For the first time, an apparel brand is taking an initiative to celebrate International Men’s Day in an exceptional way.

Through this promotion, Allen Solly targets women and urges them to gift their men things which are extremely important to them, which however are met with disapproval from their partners. Things like TV time, time to hang out with Friends, the freedom to have a few drinks and time to play sports / games!!

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The theme for the worldwide observance of International Men’s Day 2009 is ‘Positive Male Role Models’. Men make sacrifices everyday in their place of work, in their role as husbands and fathers, for their families, for their friends, for their communities and for their nation. International Men’s Day is an opportunity for people everywhere of goodwill to appreciate and celebrate the men in their lives and the contribution they make to society for the greater good of all. Men bring humour into our lives and make us laugh. It may be our fathers, brothers, partners, sons, male friends, neighbours and colleagues. Let him celebrate his day, the Allen Solly Way!!

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International Men’s Day is an international event celebrated on 19 November every year. It was inaugurated in 1999 in Trinidad and Tobago and was supported by the United Nations. The objectives of celebrating an International Men’s Day include focusing on men’s and boy’s health, improving gender relations, promoting gender equality, and highlighting positive male role models. It is an occasion for men to highlight discrimination against them and to celebrate their achievements and contributions, in particular for their contributions to community, family, marriage, and child care.

Allen Solly