Woes of a Woman and Rains

This is my favorite time of the Year. Why, because it Rains this time and I love them. They bring out in me a rigmarole of numerous emotions; love, lust, passion, creativity and above all a voice to all my feelings which go unsaid and unheard throughout the year. Listening to drumming rain sing its tip-tap song while beating itself on roof tops ignites all that had laid latent. The fires of course having changed the color and form over my growing period.

While as a kid rains meant communal showers and paper boats now they mean lot more deeper and emotional. Rains to me now are akin a woman, soothing, calming and life giving. Women are to the world what the first drops of gentle rain are to the parched earth. When modest they protect, save and nurture. No one wishes for an uncontrolled, torrential and wild specimen of either though what a sight to behold they would present when thus.

Is it the weather or just a co incidence, I suddenly find myself surrounded by lot of news, audio and visual on issues pertaining to women. It all stirred up with Indira Nooyi's confessions of 'Women can't have it all'. Since then it has been a high tide. Stories, videos, podcasts about women vehemently supporting or opposing Nooyi have flooded the media and brains. I believe what she meant by her now infamous confession was that women have to make a choice at lot of junctures. This is absolutely true. I have been fortunate enough to grow in the  company of women who have been quiet successful in their own rights and have battled it out with elan. They all are thriving examples of different genres of fight with the society be it living single and independent, walking out of troubled marriages and staying happy, leading life on their own terms post marriages or deciding to choose careers over anything else. Indian society does make it difficult for women and that is exactly the point. Why not men? No, I am not a supporter of the sexist anti men movement but I do have a critical viewpoint on the condition of women in India. A single man will lovingly be cajoled amidst a group of aunties on choosing the right woman and taking his own sweet time. Whereas a woman by her own parents will be chided every now often and coaxed on getting hitched as soon as possible. Why the discrimination? It is women who make the society, it is women who make men, it is women who make the world worth living and yes, women do not rape either. Then why is the society still so anti women. We might have made several laws over the years to protect women but in reality nothing has moved. All women however educated have to face a discrimination at some point. A subtle case in point be that of the duties expected of a daughter in law. Well, what about the son in law. Why was not he traded for an equal role.

There are women who have risen above all and decided to live a life straight out of their hearts but such women are not held in very high esteem in the society. The onus to change lies solely with the women. No body else will ever learn a lesson if not us. Women need to get out and live life on their own terms pleasing none other but their hearts. I would rather sum this up with one similar example quoted to me by my mother. "Whatever milestones you achieve in your career, what would matter is if you can make your chapatis round". Who said I could not keep a Maharaj :)