A Walk In The Garden

 

One fine morning, while having a morning walk in the garden, nearby my house, as I was strolling on the grass near the rose shrubs, my dupatta was stuck up in something which I thought someone was drawing me behind when I looked back to see what was the matter, I saw the thorns in the rose shrubs were holding my dupattas. I smiled at it and gently started to remove my dupatta, but to my surprise, the roses smiled back to me and said, “hello there…just smile every day, it will keep you healthy and strong. You have a long way to go.” I, in astonishment, gazed at those flowers and asked how they could talk. 

“Oh we are also a living creature just as you are and moreover, you are a woman, a creature of God as beautiful as we flowers…how could we not talk to you,” said a crimson one with a bow. 

I thanked the flowers and moved further. I stopped a while under a large Banyan tree, for some rest. 

Suddenly I heard a voice,” Welcome my child, you can take rest in my lap”. Amazed again, I asked the banyan tree the same question,” how could you talk?” 

“Well dear child, you are a woman, who also has so many roots coming out from your existence. 

You are a loving wife, a caring mother, a responsible daughter- in- law, a good daughter. You have a place for everybody in your big heart, just like me. I also have so many roots which are holding me upright, no matter, what the weather is and making me strong, so as your roots, how can I not talk to a lovely creation that is similar to me?”

 I thanked the banyan tree for shelter and the praise for womanhood. Moving ahead, I saw a bird trying to feed her Lil ones, but with some difficulty. I just came forward and helped her in feeding the lil ones. Adjusted her nest properly and covered the Lil ones with my scarf.

 “Oh is that you ...a mother? Chirped the Lil bird, with her small beak. Yes, I am there, a mother of two, I replied. “No wonder why I was thinking someone would take care of my children so well…. a mother can do it so well. It’s the mother’s love, that a woman loves any child and can comprehend the language of a child just by looking at him”, said the bird, swaying her wings in respect of motherhood.

 I kissed the Lil bird and moved to carry on my walk.

 I stopped beside a small waterfall, dipping my toes in the shallow water, on the rocks, just enjoying the beauty of the trees, flowing water, flowers…. suddenly a splash of water caught my sight. In the falling water, I could hear a voice. I held my ears close to the water and heard it say, “good morning lady, welcome to your reflection”. Surprised and rather confused, I asked,” reflection?” with a frown on my bows.” Yes indeed, just like me, my lady, you also fall in the love of your relations and then this love of yours, flows in the whole family, just like the water which falls from height and flows down to form a river or maybe ocean sometimes. You are as pure as water flowing here, as soft as a droplet, as deep as a sea, encompassing everything within you……you are a woman”.

 Stunningly listening to the waterfall, I just felt droplets on my face, the alarm banging on my head and my daughters holding a glass of the water beside me, trying to wake me up…..oh was I dreaming?…yes but a no…I got up from the bed smiled and kissed my angels. I was feeling more confident, realizing that yes I am a WOMAN……A WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE and that’s not a dream.

 

Women Empowerment Vs. Being a Woman

 

Richa, a school teacher, earning sufficiently to share the financial load of her husband, managing the household errands and school job proficiently, but does not has a say in the household decisions, what to buy, what not to buy, she does not has participation in it.

Vrinda, a beauty practitioner, self-made women, also earning handsomely, even sometimes double than her software engineer counterpart, but still, have to look up to him for making a simple decision as choosing a dress for herself…..why?

Both the women are financially independent, but not empowered. Not empowered to even take small decisions for their own selves, while having a name in the society, but not even a word of thanks at home.

These days we are hearing about women empowerment, quite a lot, and why not…the issue is of grave concern, but have we really thought about empowering the women?

There are banners, posters, movies, plays, directing, and making people aware of empowering women by educating them, giving them a stand in the corporate, a stand in the parliament, a stand-in armed services, etc. and lot more, but is our society mature enough to grasp the depth of the matter?

Well it doesn’t seem so! Women who are well educated, well paid, having a good status in the society, have to succumb to the atrocities of the society, many times, just to maintain their status quo in the society where they live and why, because of the fear of rejection, fear of being left alone. They are by the definition, empowered enough to take care of themselves but they live in the society……a society not only of men but also of women who are equally responsible for their distress.

Well, why has the issue of women empowerment crept in? We never talk about men's empowerment because they don’t need it! Then why women need it, because society perceives the status of women that way, but fail to understand that no one needs the power infusion but the understanding, that nature has made both the species as equal, complementary to each other and not to dominate one another. Only if women could be treated with due respect and given the credit of what she is, the question of empowering her will vanish itself.

Power doesn’t come only from these superimposed personalities…it comes from within…and I believe all the women are empowered enough to take care of themselves provided they are well accepted with whatever status they have. If someone is divorced, then eyebrows are raised, if someone is left by the family then brows are raised, if someone is in a living relationship then brows are raised, if the woman herself leaves their family then there is a big question mark on the character…why?

Women relent to such situations, not because they are not empowered, but because they are not accepted in this society. If we go back to our Mythology, then we can see, that even Sita was empowered enough to reject Ram after going through the character test and then chose not to live with him after being humiliated. The same is the case in present times also.

If women choose to be a homemaker or a breadwinner, it's her choice. A homemaker though educated is equally empowered when respected and a breadwinner is equally not empowered when not respected. Education brings a difference to the fact that it makes women aware of their powers within but if challenged the uneducated women can also create havoc for her rights. All the forms of ‘DEVI ‘, as described in our mythology are actually the forms of the unleashed powers when challenged.

Their power lies within, and not given. The society needs to be educated for unleashing the power within and it has to be taught from childhood to both men and women that there is nothing like bestowed powers … it's the encouragement, respect, acceptance, and love that reinforces the power of women.

Let women be women, as natural and loving as made by GOD and just not only literate them and people around us, but educate all of them to respect and accept in all their forms and support in troubled times…..that is the real empowerment and a manifestation of their existence.

 

An Encounter with Life

I have been staying away from my home town, for some 10 years due to my job requirements and so have always been staying in apartments, for want of privacy.

Due to the daily busy schedule, I have never noticed or been involved in the society’s activities and so have never thought about what entails in our lives. Our houses are closed behind the doors of our apartments, confined behind the doors, within the four walls, lies our activity arena, unable to hear and see what people are doing nearby you, your family is the only spectator of what you do.

Then comes this COVID -19 which has granted us the most unwanted holidays and more isolation. Deep silence and deafening peace all around, comes as a trespasser in our lives.

Born and brought up in a joint family, surrounded by many people and having a house in the heart of the city, with growing years, my need of being in the crowd has been on an upsurge.

Being at home in the current times of lockdown, one day I realized where is Life! It happened so, that last year, during winters, I had to stay in my hometown for about a month due to some urgent work. We have the usual independent house in a colony with common walls with neighbors. It was my daily routine, to get the milk from the milkman, paper from the hawker, bread, and butter from the seller on the bicycle. While carrying out all these chores, I also happened to meet and greet the uncle and aunties of the neighborhood, everybody involved in their morning activities, still chattering all over with each other. A faint smile came across my face and made me realize the true LIFE.

This is what LIFE is……. in the sunlight coming in my verandah, in the neighbor’s kids playing on the terrace, in the gossips with the ‘bajuwali aunty’ across the common wall, in the rounds of tea with the uncle across the road, in the sound of bells of someone’s puja, in the hawker’s noise of throwing the paper, in someone calling out the next door bunty, pinku, etc on the top of his voice, in the various vendors passing by throughout the day, in the galika cricket and sitoliya, badminton without a court, a lot of noises coming from here and there and everyone peeping in your activities…all these made me feel so alive and  I  actually had an encounter with LIFE.

 

 

 

 

Purani Jeans or New Guitar

 

Just as this unsolicited guest, COVID 19, creeps in our lives, capsizing our daily routines, be it professional or domestic or even now the education, I am being reminded of the famous Bollywood movie,”Atithi Tum KabJaoge”, a guest who has changed our lifestyles.

Something with the cyclonic powers is taking a ride on our lives and we are finding ways and means to overcome it, because life can’t stop…we have to keep moving. In this endeavor of the human species, to survive and keep going, we have devised ways to work from home and also to study from home.

Even if this guest leaves our lives, then also we will be having a fear of it and try to continue with the study from home norm. Imagine, if this continues to be the new normal, then will the kids be able to enjoy the usual school days? What if the online classes take the place of the physical schools and this technological advancement of the homo-sapiens brings with them the virtual schools?

Will they be able to recall the school days which I can recall?That coming late and running for the morning assembly, completing the homework in the lunch time, attending the school functions, standing in the balcony. How can I forget, making drawings in the notebook while the class is on, flying paper planes before the teacher comes, standing outside the classroom in punishment but laughing and the countless memories of wandering in the corridors across the various classes, throughout the school tenure, having explored every nook and corner of the premise.

Recollecting the stories told in the class, and yes the crave for a new bag and accessories in everynew year, that rotation of the seat and waiting to sit at the back.How the kids will know the fun to play with the ball made out of the silver foil, those make -believe games played in the vans and free classes, and many more notorious acts …

I wonder whether the kids of new era, will be able to wear the “Purani Jeans” or will sing to the tune of the “New Guitar”.

Will the shine of Purani Jeans , fade away in the glitter of the New Guitar?