On the Eve before International Women's Day, I reflect on my own identity of being a woman. I salute to all mothers, grandmothers and great great grandmothers who planted tiny seeds of rebellions that culminated into a movement that is still ongoing. My respects to them that I could live in the time when educating daughters was no more unusual. I came of age in time when working outside home was more "normal" than staying back home. Not to forget though the double burden of juggling home and professional world. Women of my generation's biggest challenge has been to balance two contrasting roles with little structural change and shift in gender ideology. I hope that things will improve for better as men of new generation will adjust to these new changes in marriage, family and childcare patterns.
Reflecting on my own personal journey, I cannot help but feel proud of the journey I made. But this was not accidental. My parents were major influence. They knew the importance of good education in today's world. My father injected a strong sense of "ambition" and importance of financial independence. He also emphasized on doing more and importance of hard work and of course self discipline. He would tell me, "life is not going to be easy, it will get more complex", I understood it early somehow that the domesticity was not for me. Even my mother who was uneducated herself despite being born as daughter of respected Sanskrit Scholar and priest of his time. She feared, I would end up like her. She would furiously urge me to study, do better, be best even. After several decades, writing this note, in the computer of Australia's one of the best Universities, I cannot help but pay homage to their love and persistence which I often found irritating and problematic in my younger days. I pay respects to my teachers, good ones and bad ones. They all had a role to play. I am thankful to my two friends specially Laxmi and Hajuri who somehow felt "I will go a long way". And part of me that continues to keep going is also because I wish to be worthy of the dreams that they saw for me. And not to forget my beautiful family of my husband and two sons. Somehow they have been keeping up with these roller coaster rides that I have gotten myself into. Hopefully, in few years or so, our family lives will be less unsettling and more normal. That's a hope. In between these hopes is a tiny dream also to raise my son as feminists. Through small self experiments and coaching of other fellow mothers, I am trying gradually to make my sons understand the challenges of this world. I hope they will grow up to be feminist men who would lead by setting themselves as an example.
However World is still far from equal, as recently released World Economic Forum Report, it will take another 118 years before women could be treated equally at the rate of progress. Does this mean that only our great granddaughters will be able to live in the just and equal world. Do we just wait for this to happen or we try our best to make it happen. This necessitates that we work harder. I want to see the world as a equal place to live in, in my own life time.
