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Isn’t It A Woman’s Day Everyday?
It often makes me wonder what makes a woman the way she is. We have all come across the million-dollar question asking – “What do woman actually want”? And the responses are generally caricature versions of a woman’s personality analysis. Don’t women actually find peace with anything at all? Why do they seem confused, complicated and undecided? What is it that they actually want to express? On International Women’s Day, here is an ode to womanhood, for a woman, by a woman and from a woman’s heart ~ Don’t just celebrate me today. Celebrate me everyday. Just the way I selflessly celebrate you, as a daughter, sister, wife, daughter-in-law and…
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Is My Love Not Enough If I Do Not Fast for My Husband?
Says my Satyavan – “I will anyway live a 100 years just for you. For that, neither do you have to fast, nor do I.” And I fell in love yet again. Today, I am going to tread into an “unpopular opinion” territory. So, read with caution and without any judgement please. Recently, we just celebrated a festival, exclusively for married women – called Sabitri Brata in my home state and Vat Savitri at my in-laws. The essence is the same for both – it is based on the popular folklore of Savitri and Satyavan. Basically, the wife keeps a fast for the husband’s longer life on this day. Even…
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Making ‘Roti’ in Indian Households : Whose Job Is It Actually?
Recently, I read a very interesting take on roti making in India. It defined the whole process of making ‘roti’ (read : Indian flatbread made from wheat flour) and how it weaves magic in Indian households. Apparently, no meal seems to be complete without the quintessential ‘roti’ or ‘chapati’ after all. And yes, we even have variations in the form of parathas, kulchas, pooris etc. as part of the Indian cuisine. But nothing has ever been as regular a feature in Indian meals as the good-old ‘roti’. I had just wrapped up work and blissfully reading away random blogs in the late evening. And this particular post immediately made me…
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WOMEN OF TOMORROW – Are we grooming kids the right way?
Gender inequality has existed across the world since ages. Men and women have never been considered as two equally contributing wheels in the cycle of life. So, let’s just face it, without sounding preachy. Well, we don’t have any control over whatever has happened and there’s absolutely no point brooding and fighting over who did what and the so-called distorted facts from history. But what we have a solid control on now, is the opportunity to inculcate the most basic value of equality within our kids. An EQUALITY which simply means ‘being equal’, with no discrimination based on caste, social status, region, nation and most importantly gender! Kids have the…
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Cruising For A Bruising In My Rocking 30s
As I sit to pen down my thoughts today, I realise that it is 10th August 2019. Tomorrow, I will officially turn 31. Yes, that’s my age for the records! I’m not too sure if mentioning one’s biological age openly, is within the brackets of ‘etiquettes’ or not. Honestly, I don’t even care. I have never shied away from telling my age, by giving a blatant excuse stating ‘you should never ask a woman her age’. I mean – duh uh! It is not a big deal. Anyway, all that matters is your mental age – what and how you feel from inside. It has been a strangely hot and…
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How I Turned My Life Around Even On A Depressing Dependent Visa (H4) in USA
Taking that decision to shift base to USA, without going to office at all – on an H4 visa, was not an easy call. And heading straight into a sudden break from a hectic corporate work schedule made that role transition in life, even more difficult. Backdrop of My Travel on an H4 Visa I travelled to USA on Nov 1, 2017 with an H4 visa. Back then, I was not quite a believer of long distance marriages (well, I still have my reservations there!) and was a flag-bearer of ‘no-matter-what-couples-live-together’ policy. Prior to this, I was working in Singapore, in a well-salaried and full-fledged role of a software developer-cum-analyst,…
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Mom, I celebrate you everyday, not just today – #HappyMothersDay
It was a regular sign off from a working day and I was on my way back home. My bus was filled with people from various walks of life and bustling with endless chatter. Luckily, the AC was a huge relief on a typical humid Bhubaneswar evening in the month of March. Just then, a friend messaged me about this beautiful campaign – “From Ma, With Love” by One Future Collective. It was celebrating recollections of feminist tales and lessons, passed down to us, by our mother and a beautiful tribute to moms on Mother’s Day. This reminded me of Ma’s glass of lemonade which must be ready by the…
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A Narrow Escape from Perverts Around Me – #MeToo
Born and brought up in a country like ours, sexual harassment in various forms is considered to be pretty usual in our daily lives. This marks the first impression about the sorry state of affairs in our nation. Sexual exploitation in any form, leaves an indelible mark on the soul of the concerned person – be it male/female. And a casual approach towards the frequency of such incidents, is alarming indeed. Somewhere, something is definitely going wrong! I clearly remember a vivid incident from my childhood, when I was hardly 11-12 years old. I was sent by my mother to the nearest grocery store to grab a packet of bread, when…
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“An Unplanned Pregnancy Changed My Life Forever” – An Honest Confession of a Young Working Woman
In the cacophony of a busy day, my phone blinked with a message – “I have some news for you.” And before I could even think of guessing, there was another message in my inbox. It stated – “I am expecting.” I was thrilled. I was actually feeling ecstatic, rather even that would be an understatement. The message was from an old colleague from work, with whom I had not even chatted for more than a year maybe. Even if we are not the closest of friends, she was always like a constant travel-buddy in all my trips. She would always be my travel roommate and secretly, I was quite…
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Why Did Dowry Ever Come Into Existence in India – High Time for a Reality Check?
The dowry system in India has been blindly followed since ages and I have always found it extremely absurd. Detesting this evil practice to the core, I decided to dig deep into the actual history of the dowry system in India. How did such an evil-practice ever come into existence? Did our ancestors actually have such a backward thinking? The answer is – NO. Earlier, dowry was nowhere described as a mandate for the groom to make demands on the girl’s family. Inspite of this practice being so obsolete, regressive and a significant reason for a higher crime rate in today’s times, people in many parts of India are still following…
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Women’s Day Special – A Thank You Note to the Amazing “MEN” in our Lives!
I grew up wondering why there is a specific day assigned to celebrate womanhood – March 8 (International Women’s Day). Researching through the annals of history, I realised that International Women’s Day first emerged as a result of labour movements at the onset of 20th century, across the world. Witnessing a couple of turning points in the world then (which included women gaining suffrage, movements prophesying equal rights for men and women, protests against employment gender discrimination etc.), United Nations (UN) established March 8 as a global day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women across the globe. Additionally, it serves as the UN day for…
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Hypocrisy Of The Great Indian Society : Do We Actually Respect Women? #TruthAboutSociety
Just when we ushered in the new year brimming with optimism, new hopes and resolutions, we got to witness the “Padmavati” (now called “Padmaavat”) row in all the leading newspapers, tabloids and TV shows. Berserk and visibly irritated with the irrational vandalisation by the so-called guardians of our history, I decided to browse elsewhere just for a whiff of fresh air. Then, my eyes suddenly caught a glimpse of an online news website notification. It read – “Woman, 22, Pulled Out Of Car In Gurgaon, Raped In Front Of Husband”. I was deeply appalled. Here I was, hoping for brand new beginnings and our nation was still struggling to wriggle out of…
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An Open Letter From A Newly-wed Indian Bride To Her Father
Disclaimer: Before people start reading this article with a preconceived notion, let me clarify that this article is not about baseless allegations or any form of reprimand on the ‘in-laws’ in our country. I have been lucky enough to have considerate and kind in-laws and the views expressed in this letter is a generic summary of first-time experiences of a newly-wed Indian bride post marriage, based on both personal experience and the observations of others. Since daughters are dearest to their fathers, my letter is addressed to all the fathers, who I believe are the best confidants and the biggest support system for all their daughters. Their actions always speak…
