Monday, March 06, 2006

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.

12 comments:

Viji said...

Hmm, it's too long a list. My mother tops it, I finish with a close second! [talk about being egotistic ;)]
Nice post, Mitr. Advance wishes for a Happy Women's day!

mitr_bayarea said...

naan:

Jayalalitha definite-a not in my category of women achievers, perhaps can do a separate category for folks like her...

Viji:

Moms are sure to be there on everybody's list, forgot to mention about it though.

Wow.....if you are a close second, then maybe you have achieved what you had wanted in your life......Happy Women's Day!

Balaji said...

Mrs.YGP deserves a place on the list i think :)

mitr_bayarea said...

Balaji-

yeah, guess you are a PSBB product.

Priya-

good additions-thanks.

மு.கார்த்திகேயன் said...

We should not include JJ in the list of top womens..She can be added in the list of politicians..not in this..

Raju said...

Happy Women's Day!!

Unknown said...

Nice post, Viji. I can only think of adding the mothers, wives, sisters and daughters of the men who give their lives up for the protection of the nation. The poise and sheer guts they exhibit when they calmly talk about him becoming a 'shaheed' has indeed to be admired. Makes one wish one was atleast a fraction as tough!
Check out my recent update on Sruti Laya.

mitr_bayarea said...

karthikeyan-

JJ Amma definite-a ennoda intha listle illa.

raju: Thanks!

sp: will check out your post ,......

Me too said...

Wonderful post! My addition would be Kiran Bedi, Arundhathi Roy.

Blabber-blogger said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Blabber-blogger said...

My addition :) M.S Subbalakshmi and Mother Teresa. My mom , my grandma.. and many many unsung heroines of our day to day lives. :)

mitr_bayarea said...

nyneishia: MS for sure should have been on that list....yes to all the other women achievers in daily life.