A chilled winter morning, cool breeze hitting my face. Hands are almost frozen. Wiping my dirty hands to my sari ‘pallu’, I gaze outside the window.

It’s Durga Puja festival tomorrow! I can see a huge crowd of men carrying a statue of Goddess Durga, decorated in a bright red sari with a green border and lots of jasmine flowers. “She looks so beautiful, such a powerful goddess. The entire nation worships her,” I wonder.

Lost in my thoughts, I suddenly remember about a lot of pending work, heaps of clothes to wash, breakfast to cook, house to be cleaned, kids to get ready for school, lunch boxes to be packed, and be ready for office by 9:30am. Not only this, my mind is also constantly thinking about the work at office, invitations to be sent, meetings to be organised, electricity and telephone bills to be paid.

By 6:30 in the evening, I am at home where I must start with kids’ homework, cook dinner, iron clothes among other daily chores. I sigh and think aloud, ‘’Does this chain of actions ever end?’’

Whereas, somewhere in another corner of the world, a 10-year-old girl is washing utensils and watching her brother get ready for school. Her eyes are filled with dreams of education, of holding books in her hands, of winning a gold medal, or wearing a stethoscope around her neck or adorning herself in a lawyers’ gown. But she quietly crushes her dreams, waves goodbye to her brother and gets back to washing the utensils.

My dear friends, is this our modern woman? Are we talking about empowerment of these women? The one who is bound by relationships - mother, wife, daughter, sister, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law or bound by societal norms. She is a strong, caring, independent, intelligent, elegant corporate woman too! Can she ever escape from her responsibilities? Can she run away from the relationships or rules that society/family binds her in?

No my friends, because she is a “WOMAN”. She manages to play all the roles, so beautifully. She is adept at multitasking, accepts every societal issue that suppresses her inner desires, her wishes. Are we trying to teach her and make her independent?

What exactly does she need to empower herself with?

• Better education

• Encouragement

• Support from the family to achieve her dreams

• Belief in her dreams, her judgment and her ideas from her immediate family & society at large

Friends, it’s the time to LEARN from her and the strength she possesses. Include a woman’s daily routine in Business Schools. No other institution can teach you better than her, because she herself is an institution, institution of great knowledge and strength. Have you ever thought, an ordinary human being, whom you call ‘bechaari naari’ can handle your daily life so perfectly. She was always with you as a mother, sister, wife and a perfect friend.

People worship idols of Goddesses for money for education for strength but forget that their ‘life’ is living in their own homes who doesn’t need to be bejewelled or decorated but just needs your support to value her desires and strengthen her confidence to achieve her goals and fulfill the purpose of her everyday living. We don’t even try to understand her desires, dreams, her beliefs. We laugh at her dreams. We ignore her strength. We take her for granted. 

This Women’s Day, let us learn to understand the importance of women in our lives and stand up for her rights, give wings to her dreams, support her achievements, empower her and walk with her at every step of her successful life.