They’re, young, they’re savvy, they’re smart... they’re women! Fighting shy of them is this group of men, who will be meeting this evening at Cubbon Park.

Their agenda — (apart from probably observing one minute’s silence for the recent International Women’s Day) — is to discuss what they all have in common, of being harassed by their empowered better halves.

Members of the Save Indian Family Foundation and other groups working for the welfare of harassed husbands meet every Sunday at 6 pm at Cubbon Park to share their woes and find strength in each others’ company.

This Sunday will be no different, only, that every time they get past a Women’s Day, they’re constantly reminded of their plight of being at the receiving end. And, this Sunday, the question being asked will be, “Will there ever be a Men’s Day?” Discussing their problem, over the week, the men are in complete agreement with Justice Manjunath’s recent observation which was reported in the press, that Women's empowerment has spoilt society. “Armed with the law, misguided and egoistic women can spoil the Indian family,” says S Sarkar of SIFF. “The men always end up villains and the judge I believe has noted that,” says another member. Another harassed husband Deepak Kesari says, “Educated urban women, empowered by the law, which is meant to protect the weaker sex, are misusing it to deadly ends. The present law in the hands of clever and conniving women will put paid to justice prevailing. The dismal rate of only 6% to 7% convictions in these cases itself are proof enough that the law is being used to harass men. What a man goes through, once a dowry harassment case has been filed, is hell. By the time he gets his relief, he has lost everything dear to him.” “Santosh Patil, a design engineer and a volunteer with SIFF, echoes the honourable judge’s reported observation. “I agree with Justice Manjunath 100 percent. The whole family is affected.

On Women’s day, the All-India Mothers-in-law Forum held a protest to highlight the suffering at the hands of their daughters-in-law. So the judge is right when he says that society is affected,” he says, adding, “The present-day legal provisions for women are like placing an AK-47 in the hands of an unstable person. Today, harassed men are a minority. We need some provisions too. We need empowerment." But Virag Dhulia, head of gender studies in Confidare Research, the first men’s right community centre in India, feels that it’s more that just that. “It’s a kind of male hatred that beleaguers society. It corners men and thereby harms society. Men too need their rights. We need policies that are gender neutral,” he says.