musings on women’s day

March 8^th,

Every institution, marketing guru, NGO’s get into bandwagon of women’s day, I wonder how many of them actually translate into actions. Question routinely raised—

• Equality of opportunity
• Financial empowerment
• Healthcare

Fine, but sometimes I wonder…

if the society gives the woman her issue. Woman’s education what if the woman herself does not want great academic alphabets her world of contentment … after all that’s what all self-healing talks about maybe in a different ring.

I remember this particular cousin of my mother’s. A very nice individual. Her parents were great people too, who have helped and shaped so many people’s destiny. But somehow this Aunt of mine (I refer to her as Aunt) stopped school after high school and the “groom hunting drama ” had begun.

Around this time my grandparents returned to hearth from their wanderings my grandfather had a job that took him round to many places. My grandmother being urban and educated could not accept the fact that here was a 20 yr. Old school dropout. To her it was repression vile, that this girl had to stay home waiting to get married.

After rounds of debate and argument my grandmother thought she bought time for this girl, by telling her parents okay, let her study we’ll help her and when you ‘fix’ the marriage her future husband and she can take a call.

She sifted to Udupi from remote town, one year down the line, she did complete her standard 10, then my grandfather counselled her to do D.Ed.  as soon as she returned from college, my grandmother would give her something to eat and if she came in to help her in the housework my grandmother would tell, no you study.

A month later my grandmother noticed a change in this person, she became very subdued, she would be crying in the evenings. My grandfather with all his wisdom assumed she had a love affair, one day she asked my grandfather if she could shift to her sister’s house which was a full extended family with four school going kids and about 4 college going ones, three bachelors working. Reluctantly my grandparents agreed on the condition that she would come from college to my grandparents house grandpa would check on her work progress and then she could go to her sister’s house.

Well-wishers, family and friends sniggered, “Oh! If she could not study at Parwati’s place how on earth will she do it at her sisters.”

Guess what she did do better when she shifted to her sister’s house, of course she completed D.Ed and Mr.Right came along so she got married, today she has been married for god knows how long a grandmother. She has used her innate talents to help her married family create a healing center rest assured her D.Ed is a non contributor to the exercise.

I’m not against education. It should be a choice. It’s not as if a school dropout is being repressed it just may not be the forte.