Coz we are born to be awesome- ON INTERNATIONAL WOMANS DAY

Woman’s day is coming, on this Friday a lovely gesture by a very senior personnel in office reminded. Huge work load bugged the entire week. Anyways, he had put a book, a rose and a personal message for every female employee, in Reliance Technology Group on Friday morning. And you can very well guess the number isn't too small. I thought it’s awesome. Besides I particularly liked his choice of book “I am Malala”. Currently my leave is well invested, in going through Malala’s journey, and what a journey! I get goose bumps many times, reading her life.

Suddenly yesterday night, just out of curiosity I had googled the meaning of woman. Out of the many meanings that appeared in front of me, one phrase attracted me, it said “member of the fair/gentle sex.” It disturbed me, because I thought what the phrase said, is also what is felt about woman by the major portion of the society. It is not long back that I and some of my female friends were discussing about distinction in office on the basis of skin colour, looks, sex appeal etc. I cannot and should not generalise, but it’s not very uncommon, to observe a male superior’s extra care towards a pretty female subordinate. In cases the subordinate dislikes the attention but the reverse is also true at times. And that is what that pains me; the urge to win a favour only the grounds of sexuality is detested. Because we woman, who give birth to a child going through the agonizing labour pain, have the ability to build a career and position in society on the basis of our qualities. Anyways the society will always have different people with different thoughts.

What I disdain is commoditisation of womanhood and I have always written about it loud and clear. Our society celebrates woman’s day, but do we keep a tract of the ever increasing toll of crime against women. May be, as we the privileged ones celebrate the awesomeness of womanhood, a woman will be raped, a woman will be sold, a woman will be killed in her mother’s womb. Then what is the celebration about? I know crimes have always been in the society, and should not stop us from being what we are. But still is it acceptable to witness, a raging mob on one side protesting for justice to the deceased Nirbhaya and another rape in some other part of the country. I mean so much lack of humanity? Are we humans or animals? I don’t know.

Anyways, it’s very painful. Just recently I watched the banned documentary “India’s daughter”. It’s strange and unnerving to know, the culprits lack of an iota of remorse. Why the hell, should they get a platform to voice their blather? And more shocking are the remarks the lawyers made. The so called educated stratum of our society, have such gutterish mentality. Women are food to dogs, diamonds to be robbed and we don’t have a place in the Indian society. The way the things are getting worse, it seems a law should be made to punish people for such derogatory statements in public.  Then again what is derogatory is subjective and the law will most definitely be misused. In a country where such elements form a part of not only the illiterate society but also the educated, what’s the meaning of celebrating woman’s day, if respect for women is non existent?

But still I am for celebrating women’s day. Because what a mentally sick lawyer has to think of women, does not reduce our awesomeness. We are not food to anyone. But we can be bread earners. We are not diamonds to be robbed, but we are precious for sure. And most certainly we have place in the society, because we make the society, we are mothers. We love compliments, we love to dress up but we are not accessories. So stop commoditisation of womanhood.  This woman’s day let us raise a toast to the awesomeness of womanhood “COZ WE ARE BORN TO BE AWESOME”.

Aritra Chakrabarty Sengupta