On International Women's Day (March 8th)

March 8th is marked as International Women's Day (IWD) every year and marks the occasion of women all over the world coming together to look at a tradition that marks the struggle for equality, justice and development. Books mention that this IWD is the story of ordinary women as makers of history and the idea of celebrating such a day first arose at the turn of the century, in which the expansion and booming population growth brought about radical changes in women's lives. I've been reading some articles on the Indian front on the subject of women's development and IWD and thought it would be interesting to share some of the readings and my thoughts on this topic.

India can boast of having created some legendary women, in terms of their remarkable personalities -such as Mother Teresa, Indira Gandhi, MS Subbulakshmi, Asha Bhonsle to begin with. Saluting these women on the event of IWD, its time now to recognize the achievements of modern women. The impact of thinking about women on IWD is hardly popular, when compared to Valentine's day or Friendshp day.

The underlying commitment that all these members of the fairer sex have is to uplift themselves and to reach out to someone in need. Indian women have travelled a long way from being just good wives, mothers and career women to break barriers and carve a niche for themselves in almost every field possible.

Here are some Indian women that i feel have made a difference to this society-

• Writer Sivasankari- A well known socialist who brings to light some of the important social themes such as alcoholism, adultery, women's abuse etc.
• Actress Shabana Azmi- Acting in rare roles on films that have a poignant social touch such as Arth, Ankur, Water, Fire etc, this woman is still passionate about her roles post- 50 years of age.
• Queen of Indian Cuisine Tarla Dalal- Recognized all over for her excellent recipes and especially popular for her North Indian and Vegetarian dishes.
• Sudha Narayanamurthy- wife of Infosys chairman Narayanamurthy and a writer cum chairwoman of philanthropic organizations and charity work to the villages in India
• Dancer Padma Subramaniam- still performing for the love of art and tradition at an age when most women have lost their interest in life or are too sick to walk around
  
  
  So, if you have a favorite woman whom you would like to acknowledge or add to the list on behalf of IWD, drop in your comments.