In the past few years of my life, as I went through my adolescent life, I saw a lot of changes not only in myself but how people treated me. In this period, there were happy moments and tragic ones too but there was a constant reassurance by the women I was related to or even a little acquainted to. They were there to celebrate my happiness and lessen my pain in any way they thought was possible.
As I look back, an image of strong women pops up in my mind and a question too, “Why would anyone who has met a woman label them as weak?” A woman in her whole life fights misogyny and patriarchal ideas from Day 1 and I believe that someone capable of that is capable of facing whatever the world holds for them.
In every woman I have ever met, I have found a strand of strength that no one else holds.
They’ve taught me what men seldom know or care to think about, not only through words but also actions.
Going two generations back, there were only a few women who opted to have professions outside of the four walls of their home and it was fed into their minds that their whole life was centred around their family; they gave their one hundred per cent to it.
Women of the preceding generation grew preaching sacrifice; they balanced their careers and raising their households while giving far more preference to their family. They prioritized and chose their family whenever there was a conflict. And the current generation of women has grown to have a more balanced life, having their partners do a fair share of all the work. There are a lot of cases that contradict this for this is the reality of a classic urban household only.
Some people have got a better and worse version of this. But all that I have learned from this is that whatever women have been put to, they have done an exceptional job at it. Doing what they had to and raising another generation of women who were more strong and independent, these women have my heart.
If we have women today who are doing what they want while taking nobody’s shit, we owe it to the women who became their role models and raised them.
Besides my family and friend circle, the women who played a major role in teaching me were the authors who created an impeccable array of characters who were more oriented towards independence and equality giving role models to the readers. Some of them even battled the male dominance in their field and came out to be the ones shattering all the records. They created women who were warriors and girls who were okay with being smart and even with focusing on their external beauty; females who adored the distinctiveness among their gender.
To the mothers and aunts who have raised me to be a warrior, the sisters who’ve shielded me from all odds of life and the authors who taught me that it was okay to be either savage or ladylike and even both at the same time and the other miraculous women who were there for girls like me:
Thank you for everything. In you, I have found my heroes and you’ve helped me find myself. Love and appreciation for all of you. Happy International Women’s Day!!
I read this quote somewhere and it became my pledge. I hope you make it yours too.
May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.