While people know that International Men’s Day (November 19) exists, not many want to honour it, said actor-turned-chef Kapil Verma to the Free Press Journal. He is currently seen in Instant Grub on Zee Zest and has worked on shows like Sanjeev Kapoor Khazana, Saanjha Chulha and Swad Anusar. He also does not like to celebrate one particular day for any gender.

"What is the purpose behind celebrating a particular day?"

“There is more awareness about it; acceptance I'm not sure about. And I don't believe in commemorating a single day in the name of gender or any other thing. I mean, the purpose has to be very clear. What is the purpose behind celebrating a particular day? If that purpose is being served, I have no objection. But if it's just about exchanging WhatsApp messages or putting up related posts, forwarded posts and messages on Instagram and Twitter, then I think somewhere it loses the core purpose of commemorating or celebrating it. So, it should not happen. And as long as the higher purpose is served for celebrating a particular day in the name of gender, it's completely fine. But otherwise, it's a waste of time, according to me,” he explained.

"Women's Day is celebrated more than Men's Day."

Talking about International Women’s Day and the hype that surrounds it, he stated, "I wouldn't call it an overhyped day, because this is social media time; come on, everything gets hyped. But we should not lose the basic essence of why we did it, why we started celebrating Women's Day. We shouldn't lose the essence of it, to get the women empowerment campaign going to get equality for women in terms of the job vacancies and other aspects of lives and to celebrate the achievements, the successes of so many women globally, which are an inspiration to many people. So it is a good thing. Let's look at the positive side of it. And of course, it grabs more eyeballs than International Men's Day. And I would say, rightfully so.”

"Women's Day is celebrated more than Men's Day," Chef Kapil continued. "And I would say that it’s okay! It's not a rat race. Having said that, I disagree with all those people who claim that men and women are equal. I don't think that they are equal. A day when a man can give birth to a child, then we can call it equal. But till then, hello, we can't. We can't call them equal. Women's bodies change, as do the kinds of challenges they have in their lives. Men don't go through those challenges. So they are not equal. When it comes to equality, it means that there should be equal opportunities in the workplace. There should be equality in the laws. There should be equality in the inheritance of wealth. So there we can make it equal. But men and women, logically, are not equal."

The actor-turned-chef, known for his versatility, continues to inspire by speaking out on issues close to his heart, encouraging meaningful conversations and advocating for fairness and understanding. This Men's Day, let's take step's to not only make them feel special but also acknowledge their efforts in society.