Reflections on Women's Day

 Reflections on Women’s day

Yesterday was women’s day and I was swamped with loads of good wishes and messages .Last evening, while trying to keep myself afloat through the swampy marshes of work, work and more work, I managed to take out a moment to think about the day. While I don’t want my musings to be a dampener on the overall mood of gaiety and festivity that Women’s day invoke in all of us, this still needs to be said.

I am all for celebration and the feel good factor, however as usual my inquiring soul is searching for answers to a number of questions, some not so easy to answer… simply because we so not wish to acknowledge anything unpleasant and would rather  hide behind a façade of All is Well !

So I ask myself this question every year- why do we celebrate women’s day? The most discerning reader will probably be rolling up her eyes and shaking her head – what a rhetorical question!!! Women have come so far, we are celebrating our achievements, our empowerment and emancipation, why else??

 We seem to have this morbid fascination with these 2 words- Empowerment and Emancipation. But are we women really empowered as women or we feel empowered because someone else is allowing us that privilege. How many of us are truly in the position to live life on our own terms? Correct me if I am wrong, however our sense of well being is mostly dependent on a supportive spouse and family. And in a conducive environment , we can afford to talk about these 2 terms. But can we truly align our way of life , what and how we wish to live without compromising on the ethos of our identity? Can we chart our own journey and do what makes us happy within the confines of the expectations of balancing family and our aspirations? Easier said than done, barring a few examples , most women I know, including myself have not even achieved any satisfying level of self- empowerment. And those who dare to forge ahead are ruthlessly branded by the society. More respect and power to those women who have transcended the confining norms that hold all of us back at some or the other level. True celebration of women’s day is to seek inspiration from them and transform our mindsets. Real emancipation comes when we don’t need someone else’s approval to live the way we wish to. When we don’t have to give in, when we don’t have to appease and manage things in the name of being women. Amen to such a change !!