On Women’s Day!!!
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yatra nāryastu pūjyante ramante tatra devatāḥ|
yatraitāstu na pūjyante sarvāstatrāphalāḥ kriyāḥ ||
The divine resides where women are respected,
Where they are not, actions become naught…
Simon de Beauvoir says, “One is not born, but rather becomes a woman”.
A woman is like the spring symbolizing newness, new beginnings, love, growth, and joy.
A woman is like summer, full of warmth and acceptance.
A woman is like monsoon, creating unprecedented chaos.
A woman is like autumn, abundant with maturity.
A woman is like the winter, filled till the brim with calmness and silence.
It is not only hard to imagine but to even see a world without women. We are so much surrounded in and around them, that we have no reason to deny or neglect their existence in our daily lives.
No matter how hard one tries, it is very difficult to understand or decipher a woman.
Women- they are complex but are one of the finest creations of God because while being present in a single body, she has the capability to dutifully manage and play multiple roles.
Woman as a Mother: The most difficult and blissful role of a woman is that of a mother! She bears within herself a life and nurtures it, bringing happiness to the world. She holds her patience, learns to be stronger, resilient and teaches to love unconditionally. The moment a woman becomes a mother, she just knows how to manage and protect her little one from any approaching danger.
Woman as a Sister: Lucky are those people who have a sister as a sibling because sharing is caring and that is a concept that needs to be learned. A sister stores all the secret escapades participates equally during scolding sessions from parents, fights with and for the brother, thereby giving a wonderful and memorable childhood. When a woman is a sister, she automatically instills a sense of responsibility in the initial baby steps in a man.
Woman as a Friend: And who said that a woman cannot make a good friend? She is rather the best go-to person for all those who search and look for a family apart from their own. When a woman is a friend, she not only shows her supportive and understanding side but as women are created, with a tinge of sentiment and plenty of emotions, have the ability to deal and analyze situations more compassionately, hence playing a very vital role in the lives who befriend them.
Woman as a Lover: The one who hasn’t fathomed the love of a woman, hasn’t tasted love in its true and raw nature. When a woman becomes a lover, she grows herself in the relationship and helps grow her partner for the relationship. A woman makes a home out of a house and that feeling of home-coming, of being loved, of being wanted and needed, of being recognized and accepted gives an experience so personal, so unique, so eternal that it becomes all-consuming.
Woman as a Daughter: Blessed are the couple who give birth to a daughter and raise one because to have a girl child brings about so many changes and even without realizing makes the parents a better person. She is a bundle of joy, happiness, prosperity, and good luck, thus the sense of responsibility that began with having a sister initially, gradually reached the peak with having a daughter because when a woman becomes a daughter, she ends up becoming the strength and the weakest link, both at the same time.
Woman as a Colleague: With the progression of gender equality and wide acceptance of women by the world as competitors and a race who can work and put in dedicated efforts equivalent to that of men, and excel and become better in every field is an achievement in total, definitely not forgetting that there is still a long way to go. To have a woman as a colleague not only builds a healthy workplace but also maintains professionalism around the office.
Woman as a Leader: There have been studies that have shown that women make good leaders since they are better at taking initiative, practicing self-development, inspiring others, motivating, and driving results. Women as leaders are more transformational and act as role models for their subordinates and teach with patience how to maintain modesty and silence about their own achievements.
How Women’s Day came into being?
Women generally are considered to be the softer section of the society, quite often not heard, or addressed, or sometimes even not recognized. But if we really flip through the pages of history, the reason, purpose, and aim for the existence of the International Women’s Day which is widely celebrated on the 8th of March had faced a lot of struggle to come into being.
The first-ever Women’s Day was observed in the early years of 1900 where women demanded their right to vote, better pay, shorter working hours, and hold public offices. But, there was no fixed date until Clara Zetkin, a German feminist in 1910, felt that there should be an annual gathering of women to celebrate the social, political, economic, cultural achievements and press their demands.
Much later in 1975, International Women’s Day was celebrated by the United Nations. It took more than 25years for the world to recognize the importance of women, their existence, and their presence in society. Feminism was not a very popular and rising topic and there was an urgent requirement to raise awareness amongst the masses about gender parity which still had not been achieved.
Since then, the world has witnessed significant changes in women, their thoughts, society’s thoughts about women, and their rights and equality.
Their contribution and participation in all fields- home, workplace, economy, politics, science, bureaucracy, military, fashion, technology and so many more have not only helped in playing a very significant part in shaping the society but time and again proven to be the pillars of resistance and become the best leaders, excelling everywhere possible.
The one who doesn’t look for a knight looks for a sword…
Significant and impactful changes do not happen overnight and takes time and we all dearly believe there will come a day, a bright sunny day where our women wouldn’t be subjected anymore to violence, discrimination, inequality, exploitation, deprivation, and harassment.
With changing times, there will soon be a world, safer than today where parents wouldn’t overthink imagining all negative possibilities that could have happened to their daughters if the clock ticked 11 pm or if their phone went unanswered with two consecutive rings.
With passing days, there will soon be a society, so beautiful for the women where brothers wouldn’t worry after marrying off their sisters of not being victimized to domestic violence and sometimes death because of dowry.
With people growing and widening their thoughts and mentality, there will soon be offices where female employees wouldn’t be discriminated against or judged, and POSH would only be a term learned and eradicated.
With education seeping more into the minds of people, there would soon be schools and institutes flowing with female students and we wouldn’t anymore need banners shouting out loud “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao”.
And with a little more love, compassion, and respect towards the women, the women themselves would look up to the world with a smile because as Lord Byron puts it in his poem,
“She walks in beauty, like the night… Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright… Meet in her aspect and her eyes;
Thus mellowed to that tender light… Which heaven to gaudy day denies.”Here’s wishing A very Happy Women’s Day to each and every glowing woman who are all special in their own way!!!
