The
Power of a WomanPast President Rtn. Arvind Mehan
Rotary Club of Chandigarh
In our last meeting we enjoyed
a very elucidating talk by Ms. Gul Panag on Women Empowerment. The main
emphasis was put on Gender inequality and bias. Be that as it may, an important
aspect to know for the woman is to
unleash her inherent strength and power. The more confidently she projects it
in society the more it will be recognized by man and she will earn her rightful
respect and honour. The woman should not consider herself as the weaker sex,
not even the fairer.
On watching the hindi movie “Mardani” recently, in my naiveté, I did
not know but then realized that this attribute was not the private domain of
men. It belongs to them as well. It is all about valour and courage and women
only need to pledge to have it.
Let an inner voice resound in
them that they are great just the way they are in the way they look but to
change the way they become in their physical and mental strength.
Let a day come when the Miss
India contest is held not for beauty or poise but for a track record of bravery
or courage, sports or martial arts and for their leadership skills.
Our daughters, sisters or even
the mothers of young children should be encouraged to go to gyms for physical
fitness or to learn martial arts rather than beauty parlours which may be
patronized only by senior ladies and men who may want to cheat their own age. Not
that looking good in life is not important but only after one is physically fit
and strong.
Basically the mindset has to
be changed right from the age of toddlers so that they learn about gender
equality right from the start. Boys should be sensitized right in kindergarten
about gender respect. Girls should be made to realize from a very young age
that they may very well be but are not supposed to look just pretty but grow up
to be as important bread winners as men. They should not think of marriage as a
position of shelter or support of a man in life but as being an equal if not
stronger partner. It seems like an easy way out but girls have to be hard
working and capable as well. They should pursue professional education
seriously to make good careers and become financially independent if they have
to fight the age-old scourge of dowry and other social evils.
On the same token, men of
course should know that women have an equal right to go out and work and the responsibility
of looking after children and the household as well as cooking is not the
private domain of women. It belongs to them as well. All this conditioning for
the children has to be done seriously as parents and teachers.
On hearing Gul Panag speak, one
could make out that she is a ‘Mardani’ in many ways and was truly great
leadership material and not just pushed into politics because of her celebrity
image. Same is the case with Smriti Irani, whom one thought of similarly, once
you get a chance to listen to her and realize how strong and able she is.
We have umpteen cases of such strong
women leaders, past and present, who could take on the strongest of men leaders
in any arena. But we need a lot more in society – much, much more. Let every
young girl and woman of our country carry a conviction that she is no less in
any field involving physical or mental dexterity than a man.
Let her carry a halo around
her exuding strength, courage and power. Then let us see how men misbehave in
any way with her. Once they know that women are not an ‘underdog’ in any field,
they will cease to behave like ‘dogs’ like some of them are known to do when
you hear of cases of rape and sexual harassment. Let there not be any modesty
in women about their raging power lest the men attempt to outrage it!
