Very good topic, Saajha..I have wondered about this for a while now and I think asking for rights is a good way to start pointing out the flaws in our society.. you brought up the issue that if women rallies in the streets really do bring the awareness in our society.. well, in a lot of cases it does..for instance, women wanted the rights to their parents property and they came out in the streets because they wanted the gorvernment to hear their voice and they finally succeeded in achieving their goal.. this might not a be a very good example but what I am trying to say here is that the discriminated group can only their gain rights by being "activists" instead of passively residing in that society and being discriminated against.. another major issue in our society currently is the caste discrimination, mainly for Dalits.. they have started to come out to make people realize how this discrimination has been hurting them and how there needs to be a change in the society..I know just gaining rights is not going to change these deep-rooted ideas.. but if people start implementing these rights into their life as if they have really understood the major reasons behind these rights, then things would change much faster. let's see, how many of bahuns/chhetris or people from any other caste are ready to marry a Dalit man/woman if he/she happens to be just the kind of person you've been looking for all your life? I can tell for sure that it will be only a handful. There you go.. so you need to actively participate against such discriminations in order make use of those rights.. Discrimination is a very sensitive issue and those who are being baised will only understand the gravity of this issue completely.. so your opinion that these rights do nothing to improve the conditions can be refuted.. Later..later..