Inspiring Women Series - 2

 Inspiring Women : 

We all have super heroes in our life, we indulge in the world of fantasy by hearing about them.They have their own charm that make us proud and bring us smile and confidence.Likewise in real life we hear about superhumans whom we look up with awe, one such person is my ammamma (maternal grandmother)Mrs.Ganga.

   I have heard lot of inspirational stories about her and I'm extremely euphoric to share her lineage.My ammama was wife of a land lord and my grandfather is the headman of 18 villages.They were so rich with orchards and fields.My grandfather had two sons from his first wife,after she passed away he married my ammama.She had five children,one son and four daughters.It was a happy family until money created a mess.

     The villagers plotted against my grandfather along with the two sons for the property and there was a feud and clash in the family.It was dangerous to the extent of harming the lives,my grandmother made a very big decision of life,which any woman would dare to take.She decided to leave all the wealth in the village and move to the nearby town with the kids,who were hardly school goers.

       My grandfather was not ready to leave the village, she decided life is more important than money and moved out of the village.It was night time she did not have any money or valuables , she left everything back and walked out of the village with just a lamp which is lighted in the pooja room.She went to her cousin brother's house in town nearby and stayed for few days.She started a petty shop there,just imagine a lady with so much comfort sitting in a petty shop selling candies and titbits.

        The story actually took off from there,she believed in women empowerment right at that time.We could normally see a mother of four daughters will be anxious enough to get her daughters married away as soon as possible.But she is an exception except the eldest daughter rest were sent to school.She never ever pushed them into any hasty decision of getting married.When people came with alliance she turned them back telling all are studying and no one at present is ready to get married.

       The soceity ridiculed at her for sending her daughters to college,but she never bothered and supported her children in their studies.The fruit of her decision produced three professional women my aunt being a staff nurse,my mom a doctor and my younger aunt a teacher.Everyone were economically independent and did not need a man to satisfy their needs,my grandmother's dream was accomplished.What a great feat to marvel about? In our constricted soceity sixty years back...I'm super proud of her and I get goosebumps whenever I think of her decision to throw away her wealth in fit of a second.

She believed education is the greatest wealth though she was not educated.

What a woman!!! 

I love her out of the world!!!

She passed away when I was 4years old...miss you ammama!

Lessons learnt:

Education is wealth.

Money is just a thing and not everything.

Women empowerment.

Courage.

Happy Bhogi!

 Culture #Rituals#Bhogi#Newbeginnings

Every culture has a set of rituals throughout the year.

Rituals are a set of beliefs and practices followed by a group of people.

On the superficial look certain rituals could be brushed away without giving a deeper thought about it,but when it is probed we could decipher great keys that could keep our life on track in this world.

Rituals carry knowledge with them it is not just a boring thing which we do blindly because our elders do it.

We use lot of fancy terms and try to formulate theories for the same, such things are followed for eons without using a terminology.

 For example we have the concept of minimalism, which is to use necessary things for living and not indulging in extravagances.

We have the festival of Bhogi in Tamil culture where we discard the things which we do not use over a period of time.

Every year before the harvest festival of Pongal we celebrate Bhogi.

We welcome plenty of harvest for Pongal which needs space for which old things have to be discarded.

Bhogi is an adieu to everything that has served its purpose.

Celebrate Bhogi every year as a time to reset, alter and change the flow of life.

It is a pause button to weigh our choices, emotions, relationships, career and everything around us.

To start over a fresh beginning it’s always good to ‘let go ‘ certain things though they were precious once.

Every creature has a purpose we could hold on to it not eternally but till the time allotted to us.

‘Forever is a myth’ so though it hurts  ‘let go’.

Make the world beautiful by your evolving presence and welcome new beginnings.

Do not stagnate …flow!

© Aparna

Voice Matters :

On the cold night of 16th December 2012 watching ‘Life of Pi’ with a friend is a happy moment in a person’s life. Destiny is cruel to turn the next moment into a fatal one, creating a nightmare in every girl’s life.

Nirbhaya case sends a chill down the spine even on a sweltering summer day.

Justice delayed is not justice at all, and it took almost 8years to punish the rapists.

It is not just one incident, we have series of such brutality till date. Sakthi mills case in 2013, Badaun gang rape case in 2014, Unnao rape case in 2017, Kathura rape case in 2018 and Priyanka reddy rape case in 2019 are a few to mention.

Once a girl child is born it is a huge responsibility for the mother to protect her and I have seen mothers like kangaroos carrying their daughters in safe pouches.

We have come to a state where girl child could not be trusted with anyone, as the crime rates are steeply increasing.

 We are talking about feminism, women empowerment, economic independence and so many other things.

We witness women taking up challenging jobs and proving themselves in every field.

But there is a serious question before us  “Are women really safe?”

Have women achieved the desired liberation?

Just because we see women partying, drinking and smoking, that could not be taken as liberation.

Assaulting them on their sexuality is the worst thing in any woman’s life.

Educated and well read men feel that women are free of patriarchal clutches and feminism is not a necessary thing to discuss. People even feel we are overstating things.The sad truth is violence happens to women even now and we have to progress forward in bringing about a change.

Gender based violence mutates and takes up different forms which has to be addressed in literature. Today cyber crimes is another maze into which women are muddled up. 

Should we not address them unless women are really safe in the society

Unless she is not treated as an object.

Unless she has rights over her body.

Registering it and speaking up creates a change though not immediately atleast in near future.

Let us voice our sufferings and create a change.

Let us pave way for our girls to walk with their heads held high.

 © Aparna