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I want to use International Women’s Day as a platform and take a moment to thank all the amazing men in our lives, whose unconditional support has helped us grow and spread our wings to fly.
I grew up wondering why there is a specific day assigned to celebrate womanhood – March 8 (International Women’s Day). Researching through the annals of history, I realised that International Women’s Day first emerged as a result of labour movements at the onset of 20th century, across the world. Witnessing a couple of turning points in the world then (which included women gaining suffrage, movements prophesying equal rights for men and women, protests against employment gender discrimination etc.), United Nations (UN) established March 8 as a global day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women across the globe. Additionally, it serves as the UN day for women’s rights and international peace. Perhaps, considering the deplorable discrimination against women in those times, chalking out a particular day to commemorate womanhood was the need of the hour back then.
That brings me to the present day in the 21st century! Do we really need a specific day to honour achievements of women now? I was actually quite amused this year at the extensive posts and dedications to women on March 8, in all my social media feeds. I’m not against it, but it’s really weird that people held on to all their emotions, respect and dedications just for this single day. Surprisingly, I can go on and on about countless achievements of women for every single day in the year. Every woman today, is a fighter with all her might and shining like never before.
My husband once asked jokingly why they didn’t celebrate International Men’s Day with such fanfare. They would also feel great about enjoying all the accolades for their hard work on a specific day. That was just a random comment, made in good humour. But it raised a genuine realisation in my mind.
Men have almost always been stereotyped as the predators, philanderers, icons of the dominant ideology of patriarchy and what not.
Though there is a considerable chunk of truth in those stereotypes, it will be greatly ill-advised of us to generalise men in these negative aspects and conveniently ignore the love, care, support and sacrifices they’ve done for women. Be it a man or a woman, a constant support system always keeps an individual going. And these days, we are witnessing that rock-solid emotional and mental support from men like never before.
Today, there are men who are their daughters’ best friends, there are men who do not hesitate to purchase sanitary napkins for their sisters, there are men who are best friends and their relationship is purely platonic, there are men who are unbiased mentors at work, there are men who do not dismiss a woman as a random ‘feminist’ for voicing her opinion (considering, ‘feminism’ is quite a derogatory term these days!), there are men who know how to cook a meal, there are men who feel best when their women are independent, there are men who babysit in turns while their wives are off to work, there are men who are happiest when women around them are happy.
Nowadays, men are flaunting their emotional, passionate, considerate and affectionate side like never before. Yes, these men exist today!
Of course, the change is slow, but it is happening. Expectations and roles are changing by the day, and amidst all the hullabaloo on women’s rights and empowerment, even men deserve a fair chance.
We might have our own set of difference in opinions, considering that our biology is different. Men will always have greater spatial skills and will be better at judging angle orientations and navigations. Women, on the other hand, will tend to have a better verbal fluency and greater memory for objects. But nothing can take away from the fact that men have always played a pivotal role in our lives (an instance which is hardly highlighted), and vice versa (which is always highlighted – Behind the success of every man, is a woman after all!). We are not necessarily dependent on each other for survival anymore. My theory of life still stands the same – The contribution of both the provider (men) and nurturer (women) is essential to maintain the balance of life. And ironically, the roles of a provider and nurturer are seamlessly getting reversed between a man and woman these days. The men are acing the role of a nurturer like never before and the women are nailing the role of a provider and how!
Yes, we don’t really seek permissions from men for our own freedom these days. But, we have to give credits to them, for having managed to break the feudal shackles of their ancestors. Rest, we are all still growing and learning. We don’t necessarily need a specific day to celebrate each other anymore. I hope every day is equally a man and a woman’s day from now.
So this year, I want to use International Women’s Day as a platform and take a moment to thank all the amazing men in our lives, whose unconditional support has helped us grow and spread our wings to fly. Cheers to you guys! We absolutely love you.
Image via Pixabay
An avid writer, blogger, travel enthusiast and nature lover, set on a journey to spin magic with words. Writing and travelling define the two major passions of her life. Trying hard to find the right read more...
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The plight of Indian women's mental health often goes unnoticed. Co-founders Vivek Satya Mitram and Pooja Priyamvada conceived the idea of the Bharat Dialogues Women & Mental Health Summit to address this.
Trigger Warning: This contains descriptions of mental health trauma and suicide, and may be triggering for survivors.
Author’s note: The language and phraseology used are not the author’s words but the terms and narrative popularly used for people living with mental illnesses, and may feel non-inclusive. It is merely for putting our point across better.
I have seen how horrifying was the treatment given to those with mental illness.
14 years after her last feature film Dhobi Ghat, storyteller extraordinaire comes up with her new film, Laapataa Ladies, a must watch.
*Some spoilers alert*
Every religion around the world dictates terms to women. The onus is always on women to be ‘modest’ and cover their faces and bodies so men can’t be “tempted”, rather than on men to keep their eyes where they belong and behave like civilized beings. So much so that even rape has been excused on the grounds of women eating chowmein or ‘men will be men’. I think the best Hindi movie retort to this unwanted advice on ‘akeli ladki khuli tijori ki tarah hoti hai’ (an alone woman is like an open jewellery box) came from Geet in Jab We Met – Kya aap gyan dene ke paise lete hain kyonki chillar nahin hain mere paas.
The premise of Laapataa Ladies is beautifully simple – two brides clad in the ghunghat that covers their identity get mixed up on a train. Within this Russian Doll, you get a comedy of errors, a story of getting lost, a commentary on patriarchy’s attitude towards women, a mystery, and a tale of finding oneself, all in one. Done with a mostly light touch that has you laughing and nodding along.
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