By definition, the word ‘modern’ in Indian society is often misconstrued, more so, if it’s about women. Indeed, women have come a long way but there’ still a million mile to go before the world sleeps. There’s so much more yet there’s so less that is applauded. This festive season of Navratri, let’s delve into this feminine energy and look at the avatars of modern Indian women:
- Courage to speak our mind: Thy shall speak with no fear! To speak without holding back is often the hardest to practice for many women, especially when they are taught to be mindful of their tongue from a very young age. Forget wars, but it is important to speak up about your emotions, your true feelings in a world where mental health is deteriorating every day. In my latest book titled Do I not marry? one of the women protagonists (Neeti) couldn’t muster courage to speak about her relationship to her father. The silence she went through over the years was unimaginable.
- Adapt, not adjust: A woman’s ability to fit into diverse roles so effortlessly is often taken for granted in today’s patriarchal society. If she can, it doesn’t mean she has to every single time. A married woman has to adapt to suit the needs of her husband’s family. The other protagonist of my book, a newly married woman (Kiara) was expected to do all this and if she failed at any one of the instances, she was reminded of her incompetence. It’s about time we admire women for who they are.
- Wisdom to know what’s not worth it: While patriarchy often ridicules the smartness of a woman, her deep understanding of various subjects and their innate capability of decision making are often undervalued. Today’s women aren’t crippled and can judge what’s right or wrong for them. Whether it’s the choice of career or the kind of relationship they choose in life – marriage or live-in , they know what’s worth placing their bets on.
- Multi-tasker of our emotions: Agree there’s no one who can do this with such a panache but we need some break, right? Women no longer want to be tagged as superwoman, supermom, etc. Over the years, it has become a norm for a woman to manage everything from start to finish – whether it is her married life, her job, household chores, family, etc. This Navratri, let’s take a back seat and breathe in to set our emotional quotient on track.
- Resilience, not for granted: The ability to bounce back after setbacks is one of the most underrated quality when it comes to mental strength of a woman. Imagine when you are going through a lot of hardships and are expected to show a smiling face every morning. Our mothers can probably vouch for this, that it has almost become their second nature. However, this no longer needs an applause. It’s time to break that routine and start a new one.
- Power to do it all by ourselves: In a land where we worship deities like Maa Durga and Maa Kali, we rob our own women of their strengths, the moment they take ownership and exert power. We no longer need a knight in shining armor to feel protective, we can don that knightly armor and protect our own selves.
- Beauty is not always fairness: It’s no longer a fair world but it can be, if only we stop teaching everyone that being fair is the only way to shine for a woman. Beauty is an innate quality that comes from kindness, the way you treat each other and definitely not from the beauty products.
- Collaborating for inclusivity: When women come together, they lift each other up like no one’s watching. Empathizing with each other’s emotions and understanding the different journeys several women embark on eventually leads to building an inclusive atmosphere of trust and hope.
- Respect thy self: After having been taught to respect generations over generations, it’s time that women respect their own self and pay attention to their bodies, feelings and of course, relationships that matter to them. There’s no one but you who can take the best care of you.
I hope you enjoy reading this. Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below. Stay tuned and follow this blog series, until then grab your copy of Do I Not Marry? now available on Amazon.
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