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She is a woman, she is a mother
She is a wife, a sweet daughter
She is strong, ambitious and patient
An earnest listener, wise and confident
Her kindness has melted the world
Her embrace has brought it to life
Above all, she is a beautiful flower
And she has her secret superpower!

Having met some mysteriously incredible doctors of a well-known ‘Blossom Clinic’, I decided to observe them closely. But there was something peculiar about them that instantly drew my attention.

The queen of love and beauty, Dr Rosie was full of love and passion and could express genuine affection and appreciation towards all around her.

Dr Sunflower Tower Bell was optimistic, strong, and resilient. She smiled in the light keeping calm and stood tall when confronted with challenging visitors.

Ms Poppy, the receptionist, empathized with the gloomy families. I overheard the nurse, Mrs Carnation, sincerely encouraging the young ones to express affection and appreciation for their loved ones. And Mrs Statice, full of sympathy and compassion, fostered a sense of understanding and connection among them.

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I am the third child among five siblings. My parents told me that my birth brought them good luck. I have always been happy to be a girl. Boys in those days could not wear colourful clothes, hats, ribbons, jewellery, high-heeled shoes, handbags or boast different hairdos! At puberty, when I matured into a woman, like Anne Frank, I too was excited. Life flowing in me and the potential of bringing into the world a human life! What a great gift women are blessed with!

As a teenager, I was delighted to be vivacious, innovative, enterprising, hardworking and adorable. I was a bundle of energy, who entered into a web of relationships each day. I was also aware that not all of these relationships were cordial and growth producing. I did have my share of difficulties and struggles like every other young daring daughter.

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“Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination… world that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive… a world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women’s equality. Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.” (International Women’s Day website)

Every human, no matter their gender, has the advantage of all human rights, respect, power, and opportunities to form choices about their lives. Many misunderstand gender equality as females and males being equivalent. Gender equality means standing on an equal platform to do anything they want with total respect, comfortably with all biological differences.

Women professionals are standing shoulder to shoulder with men in earning their own bread and butter. They have penetrated many sectors and excel in fields that were once the entire empire of men. Despite progress, company traditions and biased systems towards men, result in women being kept back. Inanimate gender bias remains a significant impediment to a woman’s career advancement.

Sadly, girls are left behind by general norms framed with boys in mind and not girls. So advantage boys and disadvantage girls by policies, programmes, government systems at the grassroots level. It intensifies the adverse effects of all other sorts of discrimination, exclusion and worse for women.

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When Lata Mangeshkar was born, she was hardly known to anyone except to her closest ones. But as time passed, when she, with her mesmerizing voice, rose to dizzy heights on the music firmament, she became the heartthrob of millions of people all across the country and the world. On 6 February, as this Nightingale flew from this world into eternity, she was accorded a State funeral with full state honours by the Government of India, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself.

Lata’s life story clearly confirms that there is no limit to the heights a woman can reach. Today, women are emerging confident, decisively taking in their hands the reins of leadership as Presidents, Prime Ministers, CEOs, Olympic medalists, Nobel Prize winners, great artistes and scientists and so on. Women are proving to their male counterparts that they are strong and creative, and can chart their own path and drive the course of history.

On 8 March, as the world celebrates International Women’s Day 2022, we acknowledge their extraordinary contribution to society for fighting valiantly against all hostile circumstances, their strength to lead, accomplish, empower and inspire in making this planet a happier, harmonious and friendly place. On this day, when we value, appreciate and celebrate both the equality and difference in genders, we resolve to decisively eliminate all gender discrimination and biases against women.

However, as the world unequivocally recognizes the significance of women’s roles in society, in India one million female children are killed in the womb every year. In schools and colleges generally girls are perceived to be doing better than boys. Yet 63% of girl students drop out at the primary level itself. Families are known to keep aside a lot of money for their marriage instead of investing it in their education. Sadly, many of our educated and employed young girls leave their jobs when getting married. They are educated just to get a good husband. How can we progress like the U.S. or China when half of our country’s population is deprived of its right to contribute to its advancement?

India has the largest untapped reservoir of talents in women to transform society. The brightness of a nation’s future depends highly on the education and empowerment opportunities available to women. It is said, ‘Educate a man, you educate an individual. But educate a woman, and you educate a generation’. It is time now to implement such a policy, especially considering that educating a girl-child is tantamount to furthering the country’s progress.

Today, every young girl is challenged to discover her inner strength, hone her ability to change society and step out of her comfort zone to chalk her own path to success in every sphere of life. It is with this motivation that this issue of The Teenager Today presents stories of young women to inspire the young in general and girls in particular to discover their strengths and stand up against all odds with optimism, courage and confidence!

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A peacemaker
A homemaker
A superhero
A warrior
A tornado that leaves a mark.

Yet like hungry hyenas
We are ready to pounce on our own
Break her dreams.

How pitiful
Instead of supporting her race
We destroy her hope
Punish her for standing her ground
Yet she is fighting for all of us.

To be more humane
To love
To care
To allow all women to bloom into the beauty queens they are meant to be.

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The tradition of setting aside a day, every year, keeping in mind the above, began in the United States on 28 February 1909. The World Conference referred to as Socialist International, held next year in Austria gave the day international status.

As a follow-up to this, the first-ever International Women’s Day was celebrated in 1911, in countries like Austria, Denmark, and Switzerland where over a million people — both men and women — participated in different rallies demanding equal rights to women: right to vote, right to work including to hold public offices, all of which were surprisingly denied to women till then. This was followed up by women’s movements in Russia and elsewhere. Finally, the United Nations General Assembly set its seal on the celebration officially declaring March 8 as the U.N. sponsored International Women’s Day.

However, in spite of the worldwide and national-level celebration of International Women’s Day in our country and elsewhere, women continue to be discriminated against, exploited and ill-treated. The number of crimes against women and girls have almost doubled in India over the past decade, the gang rape committed on “Nirbhaya”, being a typical case in perspective. Practically every week, we hear of girls being thrown acid at for refusing to marry the attacker or resisting the sexual advances of the man concerned or similar such incidents.

This must go, and instead let’s learn to respect women everywhere, and treat them with dignity beginning with our own homes, schools/colleges, particularly on streets, showing utmost courtesy they deserve. Let’s also oppose any move whatsoever to portray women in bad light, particularly in films, commercials, street hoardings, fashion shows, etc. We also need to find ways and means to create public opinion against social evils prevalent in our country like infanticide, child marriages, forced dowry, etc, that degrade the god-given dignity of women.

Otherwise, annual celebrations like International Women’s Day, Day of the Girl Child will come and go with no impact on the society. Let’s make International Women’s Day, this year, a day with a big difference!

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Dear sisters,

Between myriad possibilities and multiple universes, the known and the unknown, you were given a choice. A choice to pick your home. You chose this, you chose us. We celebrated your arrival. “Ladki hui hai!” Your father swore it was the happiest he had ever been. And your mother, she breathed her best breath when you breathed your first. “Meri gudiya!”

We vowed, with sincerity, that your life was ours to protect. And this family of yours would unabashedly stand by you, strong like stones of a fortress, the bark of an old banyan, and the unapologetic waves of the sea. But we failed you sister, not once, not twice, but compulsively.

When it happened for the first time, you were little. Too little to verbalize your dissent. But if tears and shivers could give voice, yours would scream, “No!”

This secret of his was buried along with the bloody sheets, and any care for your consent. We apologize sister for not knowing. For being blissfully unaware of the inhumanity you were treated with, and not questioning the obvious circumstances.

When it happened in adulthood, your trauma was treated with negligence, and in the midst of people you rightfully called your own, you felt deserted, and suddenly desolate. We’re sorry for not having the spine to stand up for you, when we promised you that you mattered. We’re sorry that our words were cheap and our actions, inadequate; they could not handle the gravity of your agony. We’re sorry that your suffering was only a subject of media attention and not a wake-up call. We’re sorry that your predator was let off the hook, without a lawful price to pay, while you adjured for justice. We lit candles for you, but we were incapable of pacifying the fire burning inside you; our inattention festered your burns.

You felt threatened in your own home, the home you so effortlessly chose; we’re sorry for not being able to provide you with a better environment.

We’re failing, failing as a community, when our sisters and daughters are treated with such levels of inconsideration and apathy. When our men dare to touch them wrongly without a hint of guilt or self-reproach. When we free them from accountability, and hence convey that their actions will not have calculated repercussions. When we minimize their punishment to the extent of nothingness, and let our fury boil down to helplessness. When we shame our girls for their active and responsible choices over educating our men and battling far-reaching levels of patriarchy and misogyny.

We are sorry, sister, that your brothers were your biggest exploiters, ruthless and lacking all compassion, feeding off your innocence, relishing the outcome. We’re sorry that your family was deficient, and did not ferociously oppose everyone who dared to do you wrong.

Your assault was unpardonable, even a mere thought of hurting you was enough to cause outrage; yet we let all discretion slide, we let their thoughts change to reality, and your reality to a nightmare.

He was a hateful creature, not belonging to this race, to your home, not worthy of breathing your air. He, a beast so detestable, with wavering mental health and an ailing mind.

You, a survivor of combat, a woman most heroic, an inspiration in entirety, we applaud your undying spirit.

We may have failed you, but you were our greatest win.

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(My tribute to a woman’s spirit)
She is ready to claim the skies,
A possession heaven would not share one bit.
She is as gentle as the wind and as fiery as a lioness,
Dare not call her fragile, nor take for granted her kindness.
An enthusiast she is, brimming with love and zest,
Breaking barriers and overcoming stereotypes,
Yet clutching on to her roots, without a second’s rest.
A path breaker she is, but never devoid of imperfection
She falls, weeps and creates blunders.
Sometimes she is wrong and her choices deviate from the right direction.
She becomes selfish and self-centred,
But on realization, she does show repentance.
Nonetheless, her spirit is what she is admired for,
The spirit of a mother, a sister and every other role she plays.
Her sacrifices never come free of cost
And yet without a doubt, for every soul she cares.
Love or hate her, she is never going to stop,
Because her perseverance is such that the whole world does she top.

Published in the February 2017 issue of The Teenager Today.

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