A cyclone hits Oman. I come to know of this from a colleague who is worried about her family living in Muscat. I am surprised and a little irritated with myself for having missed the news during my five-minute scanning of the newspaper.
In the evening I diligently open the tv to watch the news on the cyclone ...but hey what cyclone. The only calamity that seems to have caught the media attention is Tulsi bowing out of the 'Kyunki ....' serial.
I change channels and valiantly try to convince my hubby that a cyclone has really hit Oman and it is not a prank to prevent him from seeing the umpteenth rerun of some cricket match. Surf...surf ... and finally I find the news on one channel.
So much for the 24-hr news channels ...or are we talking only trp and infotainment!
As an average Indian, it is disappointing to see the quality of news decline so much but as a busy woman I am happy that I manage to cover most of the important things during my five minute scan of the newspaper. The only reason I missed the cyclone news was the my newspaper didn't bother to print the news (not yesterday, not today).
I even have an excuse to start seeing the Kyunki serial once again. After all, it is news!
Disclaimer - The Indian media did cover the news two days after the cyclone alert was declared ...and that too after an Indian had died in the disaster. At least my newspaper carried it on the front page unlike the news channels who had more important news on their hands about Amitabh Bachchan and his farmlands.
Friday, June 8, 2007
Sunday, March 11, 2007
International Women's Day, a hindsight
International Women's Day - is it about receiving roses or standing up for women's rights.
I can't help but feel a little insulted when I am handed a rose and chocolate on Women's Day. I wouldn't have minded if the rose was given by a person who thought I was a special woman in his or her life but the fact that it was given to me by my manager made me feel inferior to my male colleagues.
On an organization level, my company made great shows of celebrating Women's Day but I have not yet received an answer for a proposal I submitted for optimization of the Maternity Leave by including adoption leave in the policy.
This is not a tirade against my company. On the contrary, my company's attitude just reflects the evolution of Women's day as almost a clone of Valentine's day. The only difference is that 8th March is not only for lovers.
At the risk of sounding clichéd, I want to ask the 'dressed dhamaal' women the relevance of all this syrupy patronizing attitude towards women. IWD is an important day that needs to be celebrated to uphold the rights of women. Even in today's so-called modern world, the newspapers are strewn with 'fair-beautiful' girl matrimonial advertisements, employees ask women candidates about marriage plans, a 3 year old girl gets raped, the sex ratio of the country is severely skewed, mothers of daughters are still being asked to complete the family by producing a heir, the government forms have only Miss or Mrs as the title ... and we feel so happy about receiving roses and free drinks in restaurants.
I am not against a little pampering but I can't help but view these as ploys to keep us from thinking about real issues that still plague us.
I tell myself, as I accept the rose and preen when someone tells me i am the most important woman in their life, I shouldn't forget that little girl who is begging on the streets to support her brother who goes to school, or the time when I had to hear that it is an insult to my husband that I choose to retain my maiden name.
I am all for celebrating women power, having 'me-time' but let us all remember that the catchword here is emancipation and empowerment, not appreciation and flowers.
I can't help but feel a little insulted when I am handed a rose and chocolate on Women's Day. I wouldn't have minded if the rose was given by a person who thought I was a special woman in his or her life but the fact that it was given to me by my manager made me feel inferior to my male colleagues.
On an organization level, my company made great shows of celebrating Women's Day but I have not yet received an answer for a proposal I submitted for optimization of the Maternity Leave by including adoption leave in the policy.
This is not a tirade against my company. On the contrary, my company's attitude just reflects the evolution of Women's day as almost a clone of Valentine's day. The only difference is that 8th March is not only for lovers.
At the risk of sounding clichéd, I want to ask the 'dressed dhamaal' women the relevance of all this syrupy patronizing attitude towards women. IWD is an important day that needs to be celebrated to uphold the rights of women. Even in today's so-called modern world, the newspapers are strewn with 'fair-beautiful' girl matrimonial advertisements, employees ask women candidates about marriage plans, a 3 year old girl gets raped, the sex ratio of the country is severely skewed, mothers of daughters are still being asked to complete the family by producing a heir, the government forms have only Miss or Mrs as the title ... and we feel so happy about receiving roses and free drinks in restaurants.
I am not against a little pampering but I can't help but view these as ploys to keep us from thinking about real issues that still plague us.
I tell myself, as I accept the rose and preen when someone tells me i am the most important woman in their life, I shouldn't forget that little girl who is begging on the streets to support her brother who goes to school, or the time when I had to hear that it is an insult to my husband that I choose to retain my maiden name.
I am all for celebrating women power, having 'me-time' but let us all remember that the catchword here is emancipation and empowerment, not appreciation and flowers.
Friday, March 9, 2007
Rambling on International Women's Day
Today is International Women's Day!
Personally, when I think of women's day ... I think of the entire generation of women who fought for the privileges that we take so much for granted today.
We don't have to look far...do you remember sitting on your mother's knee listening to her dreams and her stoic but shaky assurance that you will not have to face all that... you will be your own person.
The ladies who didn't let us help in the kitchen because we had to study, the same women who instilled enough confidence in us so that we could venture out of our hometowns but cried their hearts out when it was time to leave the nest.
We have all had at least one person in our lives, be it our mom, an aunt, a schoolteacher, an elder sister, a role model... someone who made us believe we could be whatever we wanted to be.
As we remember them I can't help but wonder that it is payback time. Time to inspire the next generation...
When we talk of taking stock of where women stand, I remember the people I see around me ever day more than one Sania Mirza or Sunita Williams. I think of the lady conductor who handed me my bus ticket today morning, the lady who sew my torn chappals last week, the lady in front of Leela who sells cigarettes on the pavement as she makes her son drink milk from a plastic cup. When I feel tired and am tempted to quit working and sit at home just because I am tired, I think of these women and find the strength to go on. I know there are many women who are being still killed for dowry but there are a handful who are refusing to get married by paying dowry. Women are still getting abused but many of them are fighting back. As a generation, across rural and urban India, we are slowly evolving as our own person.
Being a woman is wonderful, being a mother is a joy, and being able to make the choices we want is the greatest perk of being a woman in today's world! These choices are no longer dictated only by the society. We are the ones who are making a choice about how we live and that is what empowerment is about.
We no longer want to compete with the men; we are competing only with ourselves as we reach for new vistas. The ripple that was created by the earlier generations has become a wave and I hope our daughters and daughter-in-laws will bring in the sea change.
Personally, when I think of women's day ... I think of the entire generation of women who fought for the privileges that we take so much for granted today.
We don't have to look far...do you remember sitting on your mother's knee listening to her dreams and her stoic but shaky assurance that you will not have to face all that... you will be your own person.
The ladies who didn't let us help in the kitchen because we had to study, the same women who instilled enough confidence in us so that we could venture out of our hometowns but cried their hearts out when it was time to leave the nest.
We have all had at least one person in our lives, be it our mom, an aunt, a schoolteacher, an elder sister, a role model... someone who made us believe we could be whatever we wanted to be.
As we remember them I can't help but wonder that it is payback time. Time to inspire the next generation...
When we talk of taking stock of where women stand, I remember the people I see around me ever day more than one Sania Mirza or Sunita Williams. I think of the lady conductor who handed me my bus ticket today morning, the lady who sew my torn chappals last week, the lady in front of Leela who sells cigarettes on the pavement as she makes her son drink milk from a plastic cup. When I feel tired and am tempted to quit working and sit at home just because I am tired, I think of these women and find the strength to go on. I know there are many women who are being still killed for dowry but there are a handful who are refusing to get married by paying dowry. Women are still getting abused but many of them are fighting back. As a generation, across rural and urban India, we are slowly evolving as our own person.
Being a woman is wonderful, being a mother is a joy, and being able to make the choices we want is the greatest perk of being a woman in today's world! These choices are no longer dictated only by the society. We are the ones who are making a choice about how we live and that is what empowerment is about.
We no longer want to compete with the men; we are competing only with ourselves as we reach for new vistas. The ripple that was created by the earlier generations has become a wave and I hope our daughters and daughter-in-laws will bring in the sea change.
Friday, February 16, 2007
My Love Is Not Like a Rose
I do not like roses …
Don’t give me any
Instead, bring me a bunch of peonies.
A rose, you can buy from any flower seller
Don’t. Just pluck me a wild flower.
Don’t order a bouquet for me in the break between meetings
As you bustle through the day…
Give me a call, even if it is fleeting.
Your calls make my day
Even if “I love you”...the words, you cannot say.
My love for you is not like a rose …
It will never wilt
I love you for better or worse
As you make my heart sing a lilt.
This was an entry for the writing competition at the office. The topic was 'My love is like a red rose' but I develop an allergy for anything red or pink during the valentine season.
Don’t give me any
Instead, bring me a bunch of peonies.
A rose, you can buy from any flower seller
Don’t. Just pluck me a wild flower.
Don’t order a bouquet for me in the break between meetings
As you bustle through the day…
Give me a call, even if it is fleeting.
Your calls make my day
Even if “I love you”...the words, you cannot say.
My love for you is not like a rose …
It will never wilt
I love you for better or worse
As you make my heart sing a lilt.
This was an entry for the writing competition at the office. The topic was 'My love is like a red rose' but I develop an allergy for anything red or pink during the valentine season.
V Day
Valentine’s day - a day for love or a commercial concept popularized by the greeting card companies …the debate goes on.
Personally, I like the day. It gives me an impetus to call up old friends and all the people I have loved through the years.
I agree that such things should not be restricted to a single day but in this busy busy world, it is nice to have a day when we cannot say to ourselves "some other day".
The oft repeated question asked on Feb 15 - So, what did you do yesterday.
This year I had a special Valentine’s day with a houseful of people … a friend from my hometown with her daughter, my brother, my son and my ‘not-so-cute’ man who walked in very late and was promptly forgiven because of the flowers he clutched.
Any occasion is a time to gorge in our family and my people obliged by washing down cheesy pizza (diet, what's that?) with lots of soft drinks. Saxophone in the background with shrills of two pint sized people fighting over identical gifts added to the magic of a lovely evening at home.
As I looked at tired, happy faces, my heart filled with a warm glow and I somehow couldn't bring myself to agree with people who call V day an imperialistic hand me down concept.
Personally, I like the day. It gives me an impetus to call up old friends and all the people I have loved through the years.
I agree that such things should not be restricted to a single day but in this busy busy world, it is nice to have a day when we cannot say to ourselves "some other day".
The oft repeated question asked on Feb 15 - So, what did you do yesterday.
This year I had a special Valentine’s day with a houseful of people … a friend from my hometown with her daughter, my brother, my son and my ‘not-so-cute’ man who walked in very late and was promptly forgiven because of the flowers he clutched.
Any occasion is a time to gorge in our family and my people obliged by washing down cheesy pizza (diet, what's that?) with lots of soft drinks. Saxophone in the background with shrills of two pint sized people fighting over identical gifts added to the magic of a lovely evening at home.
As I looked at tired, happy faces, my heart filled with a warm glow and I somehow couldn't bring myself to agree with people who call V day an imperialistic hand me down concept.
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