THE MENAISSANCE

It8217;s fashionable to beTarzan again. According to sociologist Radhika Chopra, the description of manliness as ascribed by Mansfield, is not appro- priate.8220;Manliness is many things.The wholepointabout manlinessisthatit8217;s simultaneously an idea, a role, a pat- tern of socialisation, a way of growing up, something that comes through in your relationships with men, women, at your workplace, and so on.8221; So is Mansfield8217;s description of manliness just a stereotype? Affirms anthropolo- gist Shiv Vishwanathan: 8220;Manliness is a stereotype. It is not what you possess genetically, but what you acquire cul- turally.8221; Buthedoesnot seeitasneces- sarily a bad thing. 8220;Stereotypes make you comfortable, as long as they8217;re happy stereotypes. When manliness deteriorates to machismo or patri- archy, it becomes dangerous.8221;

It is precisely this8212;manliness in small doses8212;that Mansfield is trying to reiterate. He differentiates between vulgar aggression and assertive and heroic manliness, for which, he feels, there is enough room8212;even need8212;in society. 8220;Liberal democracies are em- barked on the experiment of a gender- neutral society, a society where your sex matters as little as possible,8221; he says, in an exclusive interview to eye. 8220;This is the first such experiment in human history and manliness stands in the way of it.8221; He explains how: 8220;There8217;sroomfor manlinessinthemil- itary and also in politics, in business and even in sports. Our modern soci- ety, commercial and peace-loving, is not built for manliness, but manliness is always on the lookout for opportu- nity.8221; But he also admits: 8220;It is out of manliness that men do not like to ask for directions when lost.8221;

8220;Manliness consists not in bluff, bravado or lordliness. It consists in daring to do the right thing and facing consequences whether it is in matters social, political or other. It consists in deeds, not in words.8221; So said Mahatma Gandhi. Simply put, manliness is as manliness does. For Shiv Vish- wanathan, Gandhiji is the perfect ex- ample of a manly man. 8220;He created a model of manliness that is not that of the soldier or the athlete, but his couragewas neverindoubt.8221;Differen- tiating between style and substance, a manly man need not appear manly on the oustide.8220;It is a quality that8217;s inside a manandnoton theoutside.Brawnis not an indicator of manliness. I do think, though, that manliness is inher- ent in men, but some men have more of it and some less,8221; concedes actor and famous hunk Milind Soman.

Yet manliness can also claim its vic- tims. In a society where 8220;be a man8221; is the ultimate admonition for a man to veil all signs of weakness, the male of the species have it tough too. 8220;The ex- pectations are intense for a man to perform the role of provisioner, who takes care of the family and does manly things,8221; says Radhika Chopra.

8220;Howdoesone reconcilethiswithmen who work as domestic help in house- holds, traditionally a woman8217;s domain and in so doing, provide for their fam- ily?8221; Where does one draw the line? This is a question that playwright Ma- hesh Dattani has explored in his play, Dance Like a Man. 8220;The protagonist of my play is expected to be the provider, while the woman is forced to be the nurturer.8221; But Dattani is not opposed to manliness. 8220;The redundance of manliness is not healthy. These are roles that we play. One cannot seek one8217;s entire identity in these roles, or you negate your individuality. The quality of manliness per se is not bad and why should it be restricted to men alone?It isinterchangeable and can be found in women as well.8221;

So even women can be manly?

Mansfield has asserted that manliness is a quality mostly exclusive to the masculine gender. But writer Shobhaa De disagrees. 8220;Manliness is not just found in men,8221; she argues. 8220;So many women in the public domain from Maggie Thatcher to Condoleezza Rice and Mayawati in India have exhibited stereotypical manly qualities.8221;Yet, the very word manliness has become dis- tinctly outmodedandpoliticallyincor- rect in a post-feminist society.

Mansfield8217;s endeavour is to con- vincescepticalmenandmostlywomen to understand manliness and give it a chance. Thefeministsarebashinghim, which is hardly surprising, given that Manliness revels in statements like 8220;Women still rather like housework, changing diapers, and manly men8221;; and8220;Womenshunriskmorethanmen and they perceive risk more readily; they fear spiders8230;8221; But the good pro- fessorisundeterred.8220;Thefeministssee danger,8221; heasserts.8220;Theirstrategyisto ignoreanydefenceofmanliness.8221;

In India8217;s gender-unequal, testos- terone-ridden society, a contention like this may prove to be tricky. As Shobhaa De puts it: 8220;In India, the ur- ban elite is suspended between the two extremes of the sensitive caring type and the aggressive protective type. But, in rural India, man is where he has been for centuries and could probably do with less of manliness.8221; Agrees theatre director Alyque Padamsee, who created the play Penis Dialogues in response to the feminist Vagina Monologues. 8220;Real manliness is almost absent in India. What we have here is male domination and an over- dose of machismo. For an Indian man, manliness becomes a show of vulgar aggression.The brave and courageous qualities of manliness are missing.8221; No news seems to be good news for the Indian man.