Let Navaratri bring Sisterhood Spirit this Year!!

Goddess Durga's Spirit This Time!

This time seems to be a time of revolutionary spirits. Suddenly, we are reading about the hurt sentiments of women echoing in the messages such as

"This Navaratri lets pray that no Durga is aborted, no Saraswati is stopped going from school, no Lakshmi has to beg for money for living, no Parvati is sacrificed for dowry, no Sita has to suffer in silence and no Kali is given a tube of fairness cream". 

This is a strong message, and for a change, the one which is liked and not trolled. It gave me such pleasure to wake up to this message one morning because in an instant my yesterday walk-time musings that left me with the thought "it will take another 100 years for India to change for good still" changed into hopeful smile for "CHANGE is coming". Though the change is still crawling because it is more worded than in action but at least it is being finally talked about. 

Just when you as woman need to convince people about the basics they would need in a working environment, they shun you, insult you! Come on now, washrooms are basics right? for everybody.. but I remember working in a well equipped school once where even this was a luxury out of bond for teachers. What a shame? Shame not in only this that there aren't basic facilities for women but more so, that even reminders don't bring any guilt or remorse to the male bosses. If woman is a boss, she got to prove her every time by being more than what she is. That is because she is made so conscious of the fact that she is every moment judged on the basis "if man was on this chair, things would have been different.." I am fortunate that until I reached my middle age, I fought with less injustices but my heart goes out for all those women who did it from the time of their birth. Their being born into this world was a challenge in itself in most Indian homes. 

Let us bow to women Gods but not respect the women in our lives - what hypocrisy? There is a fine section which thinks that bringing such topics to table is "feminism", and that it is a thing so derogatory to not talk about. It is thought that such women aren't open minded but with a twisted mind. All this because this suits them, and also that they hold no logic against the biased treatment met until now. Who cares? We, women at least must not. First time in Indian history has such a time come when we are able to recognize and speak at the same time about what is right in a straightforward way. Let us not honey coat what is right. Respecting yourself and living the free willed life doesn't mean you are taking away somebody else's. Let at least the women shed this insecurity, and support each other in bringing each other up. Let us behold sisterhood as primary tool to uplift our society from age old trauma of "tumne kaunsa padh likh kar IAS banna hai?" Which job to pick or not isn't a question here. Whether to look after family or compete with men to earn money is certainly not too. These are just individual priorities and can work for some in utmost balanced manner if things fall in place, and might never work for the most capable one due to lack of basic help and infrastructure. Still, let us not crib of "what's not", let us celebrate "what is". 

This navaratri, let us without being eccentric about drifting towards just any one side, learn and know that taking sides is again taking a biased route. Let us just live our will, and support all those women who aren't still able to help themselves up. Let us form enviable bonds of sisterhood to pull each other up. Let us trek uphill from beating orthodox meaningless rituals to meaningful prayers and way of life. 

My poetic musings ....

And she was born!

What celebrations were made.

The oldest man of the house ran

to greet her first in his arms.

The smile wasn't on his face 

as much as in his eyes.

So majestic was this "Pink"

as congratulatory as "Blue" was last year.

Isn't it a big thing to give birth and raise a human?

Today they all stood

folded hands in front of Maa

as she is the one who gifted her own kind to them! 

May Maa Durga instill in all, her own spirit!