Women

The women I have been surrounded with have been strong, efficient & hard working. My grandmas & mother have steel in their bodies. They have stood the test of time. Any hurdles or calamities they faced they were never the weeping types.

Being a woman is being feeble or weak.. No way! They have cared for their families, children & their careers without compromising on their values. With the next generation comes more inputs & changes that these ‘Iron Ladies’ never shied from. Today they are familiar with the Android phones & What’s up. They scan through the pics sent regularly.

Now I turn to the women on screen. “Ekati” or ‘Shyamchi Aai’ are the old Marathi movies which had the mothers having a tough time. In ‘Ekati’ Sulochana, the sweet, loving mother loses her husband & cares for her child all her life. He then forgets all & is smitten by his wife… In ‘Shyamchi Aai’ the mother is firm & disciplines her child with lots of love & affection.

I always thought of why the mother-in-law had only harsh words for her daughter-in-law. Today I can’t stand watching shows where the ‘Laxmi’ of the house is belittled or given the last place in the hierarchy of the house. There are examples where the daughter-in -laws have an iron hand & everything happens as they wish. But I am aspiring for the perfect balance in the family where each member is cherished & free to express himself.

Saying that ‘Women are their own enemies’ isn’t it time that women thought of the others more sympathetically ! They have been through all & know better. The misery & the helplessness need not be felt again. If the world is set to talk tough, isn’t it time to brace ourselves & be tough.

What I had thought to be normal, was not. I have been fortunate to have ladies with exceptional abilities & strength. In the society, so much talent goes waste. Lack of opportunity, space, scope, basic education are denied to the worthy. The glass ceiling is one more hurdle.

Let the jealousies be directed towards achieving a higher goal & next year let me write glowing praises for those who have been successful! I wouldn’t shy away from those who have really tried hard. Well begun is half done!