A Salute to the Indian Women!

"I wake up in the morning and dress up my children, I play the role of a mother. I manage a hectic work schedule, I play the role of an actress. Evening I console the soles of my ageing parents, I play the role of a daughter. I offer prayers to the lord, I play the role of a muslim.
I am a daughter, a mother, a woman, an actress and a Muslim.
All these identities are equally important me."
This was so rightly quoted by Shabana Azmi.

On the occasion of women’s day I shall speak about 3 personalities from the so called weaker sex, who have displayed some really strong distinctiveness.

She started dancing on her own at the age of 3. Seeing her dedication her father took her to a famous dance school at the age of five, where the authorities refused to admit such a young girl. The girl and her father kept on persuading till the concerned authorities agreed to see her dance atleast once. That was her first performance. No rules of the school could stop the authorities from granting admission to this blessed dancer. The young girl would practice with zeal and dedication. She never missed a single class.

At the age of 17 she had presented 75 stage concerts and had won several awards.
Nothing could deter her from immersing into dance until God himself decided to take her to trial. She met with a serious road accident which left her right leg amputed. Her position at that point in her life was like that of Eklavya, the famous archer who was asked by his guru, Dronacharya to cut his right thumb to him. She was in a state of shock for sometime. After 6 months since amputation, she heard about the jaipur foot and her confidence and desire for dance was once again revived. Her father took her to the doctor and the first thing she asked was, “ Doctor, will I be able to dance with this”.
Soon she began practicing dance once again. Her leg would often bleed and as the movements of the leg become faster, the pain became more severe. However, her determination did not falter even once.
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. Do you know despite of the atrocities that she incurred why she could dance again? Because she was determined to dance again. Dear friends, always remember, No bend in the road is the end of the road till u decide not to take the turn.
I am sure all of you know lady I am speaking about. Yes she is none other than sudha chandran.

The next quality I am going to speak about is Courage, a quality that has always been associated with the male species. But here I will present a personality who, if was born in the BC would be looked up as a deity of courage. And yes, why not?
Who can have the guts to jump in a fire to rescue the victims on whom the fire fighters also have given up?
Who can have the guts to handle a riotic situation single handedly where the mobs have highly outnumbered the police?
Who can have the guts to tow the prime ministers car for parking violation?
Who can have the guts to transform the toughest prison in the nation into a centre for meditation and spirituality?

A doctorate holder in political sciences and an Asian women lawn tennis champion, she was recognized as the first woman to join the Indian police service. . A lady whom every woman should look up to as an idol, and as kushwant singh has said of her, “The gutsiest woman I have ever known", is non other than Kiran Bedi.

The last quality that I am going to speak about is so implicitly associated with women, that it has ceased to be just a moral obligation but has been made a mandatory and an indispensable part of a woman’s life.
In this male dominated society women are the one who are expected to sacrifice and my next example is that of a lady who has epitomized sacrifice in all possible ways.
Married at a tender age of 13 she had to alone look after her newly born child when her husband left for further studies to London. Every phase of her life is an illustration of unappreciated and unrecognized sacrifice. At the age of 35 after 22 years of marriage her husband made up his mind to take up Brahmacharya which she willingly accepted even thought she was against the idea. She always supported her husband in his political protests and even participated in it wholeheartedly along with carrying out her other household duties. Being wife of the one of the most distinguished personalities of the era she had to handle huge expectations in personal and public life. So much so that when she had Bronchitis and pneumonia, she could not go in for penicillin as her husband was against the idea. He wanted her to support the ‘swadeshi movement’.
Though I am sure you have guessed the personality I am speaking about, very few of us know about all the sacrifices she has made. Yes friends she is none other than the wife of the father of the nation, Kasturba Gandhi.

These extraordinary ladies make us realize that female is not the weaker sex but the nobler sex. And today on day of international women’s day I would like to make my miniscule contribution by saluting the most idealistic woman, the Woman of India in this small poem:
Whose hands have cherished, whose love has blest
And has cradled her children on her breast
Who serves her household with faithful pride
And shoulders the living by her husband’s side…


Note: Heres the speech I delivered on Womens Day!!! Thanks to inputs from Pramesh, Nitiman and Mukta.. :)