6
8/8/2019 2009 -1 ad vitam june 2009.pdf http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/2009-1-ad-vitam-june-2009pdf 1/6 We present this edition featuring ‘Women’ as a focal point of discussion. Ad Vitam comes before its readers in a new incarna- tion, larger in ambit, and wider in scope. It breaks away from chains, and liberalizes itself to a new beginning. In this issue, we have many writers from various walks of profession come together and write their views and experiences on various issues. The main feature of this edition has been that of Mrs. Ira Bhattacharjee, a commit- ted social worker in from North-Eastern India, in her article she analyses and traces the empowerment of women in context of North East India.. She amazingly startles with her insight as a referential backdrop position of women in ancient, medieval, colonial and modern India. She brings to fore her experience, dedication and com- mitment in having worked on the area within the region. The feature ‘21 st Century Woman’, by Ms. Sucheta Ray Chaudhuri. Ms Sucheta a software professional  is ex- tremely evaluative and simultaneously as- sertive of ‘women’ and their abilities. In her opinion she brings to light certain miscon- ception that women are forced to succumb to and the ordeal they have had to face in the past and continue to do so. She has a certain quality to her views that brings to fore the inequalities that have been brushed beneath the carpet. The articles by the other contributors as Ms.  Aditi Deshpande, Ms. Fathimath Shafneez or for that matter the sketch by Mr. Ibrahim Mbaga are light but packed with a powerful view. The views We have taken care to make this Newsletter an enjoyable experience but at the same time hope to strike a chord of seriousness in our commitment. We hope that you benefit from developing a view/opinion in context of the featured columns and other important infor- mation included within this edition. The New Beginning E D I T I O N : J U L Y 2 0 0 9 AdVitam FOR LIFE, IN  ALL THAT  WE SEEK  TO  ACHIEVE EQUALITY , LIBERTY , FREEDOM... “The world is like a passing shadow. Thus when the sun rises over an object, a shadow appears for a mo- ment then is dissipated. It is the same thing for this world in relation to its reality.” “To watch out for those  faults which are hidden within yourself is better for  you seeking out those mys- teries that are veiled to you. “ “The rivers are boisterous before they join the ocean, but when they do so, there are becalmed forever.” “There are four cardinal vir- tues of the individual self: (i) refraining from begging in the state of poverty; (ii) showing the attitude of being well-fed when feeling hungry; (iii) maintaining a cheerful- ness in the time of sorrow; and (iv) befriending the enemy.”  ‘WHIRLING CORNER’ Civilization can only revive when there shall come into being in a number of indi- viduals a new tone of mind, independent of the prevalent one among the crowds, and in opposition to it -- a tone of mind which will gradually win influence over the collective one, and in the end deter- mine its character. Only an ethical move- ment can rescue us from barbarism, and the ethical comes into existence only in individuals. - ALBERT SCHWEITZER Ferro-concrete feminity photograph by Sergey Kushkin http://www.photoforum.ru/photo/78189/ 

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We present this edition featuring ‘Women’

as a focal point of discussion. Ad Vitam

comes before its readers in a new incarna-tion, larger in ambit, and wider in scope. It 

breaks away from chains, and liberalizesitself to a new beginning. In this issue, we

have many writers from various walks of 

profession come together and write theirviews and experiences on various issues.

The main feature of this edition has been

that of  Mrs.  Ira Bhattacharjee, a commit-

ted social worker in from North-Eastern

India, in her article she analyses and traces

the empowerment of women in context of North East India.. She amazingly startles

with her insight as a referential backdrop

position of women in ancient, medieval,

colonial and modern India. She brings to

fore her experience, dedication and com-mitment in having worked on the area

within the region. The feature ‘21st  Century

Woman’, by Ms.  Sucheta Ray Chaudhuri.

Ms Sucheta a software professional  is ex-tremely evaluative and simultaneously as-

sertive of ‘women’ and their abilities. In her

opinion she brings to light certain miscon-

ception that women are forced to succumb toand the ordeal they have had to face in the

past and continue to do so. She has a certain

quality to her views that brings to fore the

inequalities that have been brushed beneath

the carpet.

The articles by the other contributors as Ms. Aditi Deshpande, Ms. Fathimath Shafneez

or for that matter the sketch by Mr. Ibrahim

Mbaga are light but packed with a powerfulview. The views

We have taken care to make this Newsletter

an enjoyable experience but at the same timehope to strike a chord of seriousness in our

commitment. We hope that you benefit from

developing a view/opinion in context of thefeatured columns and other important infor-

mation included within this edition.

The New Beginning

E D I T I O N : J U L Y 2 0 0 9AdVitamFOR LIFE, IN  ALL THAT  WE SEEK  TO  ACHIEVE EQUALITY , LIBERTY , FREEDOM...

“The world is like a passingshadow. Thus when the sun

rises over an object, a

shadow appears for a mo-

ment then is dissipated. It isthe same thing for this world 

in relation to its reality.” 

“To watch out for those  faults which are hidden

within yourself is better for   you seeking out those mys-

teries that are veiled to you. “ 

“The rivers are boisterous

before they join the ocean,but when they do so, there

are becalmed forever.” 

“There are four cardinal vir-

tues of the individual self:

(i) refraining from beggingin the state of poverty;

(ii) showing the attitude of 

being well-fed when feeling

hungry;(iii) maintaining a cheerful-

ness in the time of sorrow;

and 

(iv) befriending the enemy.”  

‘WHIRLING CORNER’ 

Civilization can only revive when there

shall come into being in a number of indi-

viduals a new tone of mind, independent 

of the prevalent one among the crowds,

and in opposition to it -- a tone of mind 

which will gradually win influence over 

the collective one, and in the end deter-

mine its character. Only an ethical move-

ment can rescue us from barbarism, and 

the ethical comes into existence only in

individuals.

- ALBERT SCHWEITZER

Ferro-concrete feminity photograph bySergey Kushkin

http://www.photoforum.ru/photo/78189/ 

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P a g e 2

I t is a very wrong notion that the women in India have been

suppressed and tortured in the history of this country. Inmy work towards the empowering of women in the north-eastern part of India, I have had the opportunity of ventur-

ing into that history of India, where women were the pillars of the

society. My attempt today would be to draw a comparison of that woman, and the woman of modern India, as far as the scenario of thenorth-east is concerned.

The system of society in the hills of present Meghalaya has always been

matriarchal. Even today, Khasis andJaintias follow the same social

setup. In the past, these tribes weredivided into tribal groups, and theyhad their leaders, such as the Siyem

for the Khasis or the Daloi for theJaintias. They headed the people of 

that particular group, but the headof that family was also the lady. It 

has been found that the leaders have known to act on the aid andadvices of their partners, and though they were the head of the tribe,they did not qualify as the head of their family. Hence, the lady in the

family has always been the most respected member. However, it may

be argued that this is common in a matriarchal society.

However, in the hills of Tripura, women have also been known to be astrong member of the family. She might have not been the head of thefamily, but she had an important role to play. Tripura was a princely

state during the reign of the British, and has always been ruled by theroyal family. Presently, the city of Agartala, and the nearby land still

have the remains of the glorious reign. In that royal family, the ‘ family deity ’ or rather the ‘kul devata’ was rather the ‘kul devi’. The temple of 

the goddess is a renound temple in Tripura, known as the‘TRIPURESHWARI TEMPLE’. She is visited by pilgrims from all

around the country, especially by the people of West-Bengal. Thisfactor triggered the consciousness of the family towards women andtheir status. Thus, the royal family has always known to be tolerant 

and respectful towards the women in their kingdom. This also as-sured the respect of women in the Tripura state. However, the socialstructure has deteriorated in the present. Today, the due respect of 

women in the state is found to be diminishing. Surveys show that men have become less tolerant towards women, as revealed from the

number of complaints of domestic violence at the Tripura Women’sCommission. It has also been found that the women folk have becomemore subdued by the men, and are bending in front of family pres-

sure and social responsibilities. It is lamenting to see that rather thana growth in the awareness in women in the state, the situation has

been worsening.

The history of the Manipur royal family is ancient. In the great epic

Mahabharata, there is distinct mention of the royal family of Manipur. The epic relates the love story of the great archer  Arjun,

with the Manipur princess, Chitrangada. However, in that story, Chi-trangada has been shown to be a woman of valor and great fightingskills, who had been brought 

up by her father as a sonrather than a daughter. She

was known to have all theskills of administration andgovernance, as is required by

a king. After her love for  Ar- jun, she requests the deity of 

love to give her beauty, so

that   Arjun falls in love withher, but before their marriage,

she reveals her truth and marries  Ar-

 jun. This tale is an epic in itself in Ma-nipur, and the women of the state havea special role to play in the social

setup. The Classical Manipuri Dance is

also based on the love of  Krishna andRadha, thus giving a special status toRadha in the state’s deities. Thus,women in the state have never been

under suppression or an invisible part of the social structure. It is important 

to note that today also, Manipur doesnot find the social suppression of 

women. My works across the regionhave introduced me to these states,other than Assam. I am yet to work in

the states of Arunachal Pradesh,Mizoram and Nagaland, but I look for-

ward to increasing my avenues to these states also.In Assam, the remains of the proud royal family can be seen in and

near Shibsagar of Upper Assam. The  Ahoms, as would best suit thepronunciation of the royals, were known to be very proficient inguerilla warfare. History stands testimony that the Mughals and

many more of the emperors of northern India were unable to venture

into the north-eastern boundaries because of the stiff defense that was put up by the  Ahoms. This problem was also faced by the British

when they tried to enter thenorth-east, as the territory of the  Ahoms was the entrance of 

the region, and they becamesuccessful only when the came

through present Bangladesh,and were able to defeat with

the aid of their advanced weap-onry. However, it is not a very

well known fact that the armieswhich were successful in put-ting up such resistance, also

had women in them. The kingsthat time were more tolerant tothe women folk. The Raj Mata

was also a very respectedmember in the royal family,

and her opinion was valued and, a t most instances, adhered to.

It would also interest my readers to know that the famous Maharaniof Chittor, Maharani Gayatri Devi, is the daughter of the royal family

of Kochbihar, in North-Bengal. It was this family that made the fa-mous KAMAKHYA TEMPLE in Guwahati. This family has also beenknown to be a very liberal and tolerant family. It can be understood

from the way Maharani Gayatri Devi was brought up. She educated inthe best of places, including Shantiniketan, and she is known to be

familiar with skills like horse-riding and archery.

This discussion is but only a drop in the ocean of Indian history,

which holds within itself the story of many famous and chivalrouswomen. Some names which we can remember even without straining

our memory, are names like Rani of Jhansi, Rani Lakshmi Bai, andRaziya Sultana. They are renound for the way they took the reigns intheir hands to control their families and their kingdom. With the

above discussion, I intend to draw the attention of my reader towardsto truth of the history of the Indian Woman.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

EMPOWERED WOMEN, HISTORICAL MYTH OR REALITY 

 RANI OF JHANSI LAXMI BAI 

 MAHARANI GAYATHRI DEVI 

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P a g e 3

Last evening, as I settled down to pen down

my views, I was pleasantly surprised at the

sudden gush of thoughts that inundated my

mind all at once. As a woman of the 21st century, this issue holds close to my heart.

The term ‘oppression’ has been associated

with women since time immemorial. Be it 

global mass infanticide of girls due to the

strong preference for a boy; subjection of 

Indian women to atrocities committed in the

name of Sati; or the lack of access to educa-

tion; the history of physical, emotional and

mental suppression of women dates back to

several centuries. The sheer disregard for

women as human beings in numerous socie-

ties testifies the plight of 

women whose moist eyes

betray the bitterness that burden their hearts and

the inner turmoil that age

them beyond years. But 

the 21st century has done

a sea of good for the cause

of women. The women

liberation movements

began in earnest in the 20th century and

picked pace in 21st century. The 1920s were

an important time for women, who, in addi-

tion to gaining the right to vote also gained

legal recognition in many countries. Women

began educating themselves, and the wave

of feminism began to spread rapidly. Today,

after decades of battling for basic survival

rights, women have broken free from the

shackles and have begun their swift race to

top of political, economic and social systems.

The emancipation of women has unleashed

the female power, a power so formidable

that it has altered the looks of the world.

The 21st century has seen the rise of exem-

plary women. Case in point is Indra Nooyi,

CEO of Pepsico India who is a powerful force

to reckon with in the corporate world. JK

Rowling, a penniless writer, went on to be-

come the first author to cross the billion

dollar mark with

her sensational

Harry Potter series.

Sportswomen likeVenus and Sierra

Williams and Maria

Sharapova have

swept the field of 

sports. However,

the present day

deals with those

barriers which a

woman faces while

climbing up the

corporate ladder. The perceived notion is

women are ruled by heart 

and not head, their per-

sonal life getting priorityover professional life.

These restrict the species

called "women" from be-

ing accepted whole heart-

edly in any organization

and from getting due rec-

ognition for her contribution towards or-

ganizational success. The role of women

worldwide is undergoing a dramatic change.

Women today share the podium with men in

almost all fields, be it kitchen or in defense.

Working women are no longer a rarity and

are now accepted as an integral part of the

working force. Indian organization has ex-

perienced a steady increase in the number

of women employees and this pattern isbound to continue in the future as well.

Women recently began to join the ranks of 

managers in large numbers. But women at 

the top management positions are still a

rare species. Globally, they comprise only 10

percent of senior managers in Fortune 500

companies, less than 4% are in the upper-

most ranks of CEO, president, executive vice

-president and COO and less than 3% of 

them are top corporate earners. In India too,

it is no different; may be the situation is

worse.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

THE 21st CENTURY WOMAN! IT IS TIME YOU GET

INVOLVED 

Ideas for Governance sets out some

thoughts for improving quality of lifein the urban civic space.

http://www.ideasforgov.org/

Dream A Dream provides children

from vulnerable backgrounds with

non-traditional educational opportu-

nities designed to allow them to ex-plore, innovate and build important 

life skills.

http://www.dreamadream.org/l

SICHREM (South India Cell for Human

Rights Education and Monitoring)seeks to empower the disempowered

groups of dalits, tribals, women, chil-

dren and minorities to protect their

individual and collective rights for adignified life, through education,

monitoring and mobilizing civil soci-

ety for concerted action.

http://www.sichrem.org/

Human and Institutional Develop-ment Founded in Bangalore, in March

2000, HID Forum brings together peo-ple from different professional and

organizational settings, who aim to

develop new ways of thinking, work-

ing and reflection about Human and

Institutional Development (HID).http://www.hidforum.org/

Indian Social Institute, Bangalore 

was established in 1963 with training

as its main thrust for the purpose of 

building up the capacity of social ac-tivists in the voluntary sector as well

as in people’s movements. Irrespec-tive of caste, creed and class, the

trainees came from different parts of India, some even from Bangladesh,

Nepal and Sri Lanka.

http://www.isiblr.org/

FEEL FREE TO CONTACT US WITH

 ANY QUERIES THAT YOU MAY HAEIN SUCH REGARD

Because I am a woman, I must 

make unusual efforts to suc-ceed. If I fail, no one will say,

"She doesn't have what it 

takes." They will say, "Women

don't have what it takes."  -

Clare Boothe Luce 

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P a g e 4

t is often said, that on a more funda-

mental level this world consists of 

two kinds of people, MEN and

WOMEN. Women forming close to

half the population of the world, and yet treated

as subordinate and inferior to men. Having said

this, it must also be acknowledged that, this

‘inferior and subordinate’ position, which we

talk of, is fast changing. Traditionally, women

were entrusted with merely family responsibili-

ties, and

w e r e

c o n s i d -

e r e d

unfit to

play any

o t h e rr o l e .

F o r t u -

n a t e l y ,

t h o s e

days are

long gone. As we stepped into the 21st  century,

there has been a sea change in the image of 

women in our country. They are now efficiently

managing more than just their homes. Today,

women are perceived as individuals, who are

capable, and who have the ability, skill and intel-

ligence to contribute constructively to the

growth and development of our society. Womenhave made their mark in every possible field, be

it politics, science, business, entertainment, or

technology, and are slowly but most definitely

rising to the top. Having established their own

identity as that of an equal to the opposite sex

and also having acquired the requisite education

and exposure imposes on them a great responsi-

bility not only towards their families but also

towards those people who are in dire need of 

help and support. We all have a social responsi-

bility in the direction of less privileged, less for-

tunate people, but there are certain women-

centric issues, which can be effectively tackled,by only women. Some of these issues would

include moral and emotional support to rape

victims, education of the girl child, prevention of 

dowry harassment, providing awareness to

women of the lower strata of society as to the

rights and remedies available to them under the

law. The reason for women being better suited

than men to deal with these issues lies simply in

the essence of them being women. The compas-

sion, the concern, the care, the kindness that a

woman possesses, cannot, by any means be

matched up to, by a man. All women who have

DYNAMICS OF WOMEN AND SOCIAL

RESPONSIBILITY  INK’N IDEAS 

“Can You Type?”

Sometime back a young woman went on aninterview. She was ready with the technical

answers. She knew why she was there. But 

what she wasn’t ready for was the nega-

tive outlook that peo- ple had on her career

option. She wasn’t ready for the thought that 

the career she opted for was male dominated.

“What would you do if your husband doesn’t 

approve of your pro- fessional life?” “Would 

  you carry on working after you get kids?” She

was dumbstruck . All across the world, half the

women who go for interviews get asked

these questions. Why? In the past years, awoman was defined by her family when she

was a kid, by her hus- band when she was mar-

ried, and by her sons when she was a widower.

A woman, was re- garded a legal nonentity

once, but after the introduction of several

women’s rights pro- tection laws, she is now

treated as a well respected person in the society. But alas, even today in some parts of 

the world, women are “hidden away”. Hidden away from the civilization. Hidden away

from socializing and getting that education which is a right of an individual.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

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P a g e 5

Women have been known to possess the following rights in a truly Islamic society: The

right and duty to obtain education, The right to have their own independent property,

The right to work to earn money if they need it or want it, Equality of reward for equal

deeds, The right to express their opinion and be heard, The right to provisions from

the husband for all her needs and more,The right to negotiate marriage terms of 

her choice, The right to obtain divorce

from her husband, even on the grounds

that she simply can't stand him. (Please

note that God deeply frowns upon di-

vorce as a solution unless there ishardly any other alternative but it does

not mean that men have more right to

divorce their wives than women do.)The right to keep all her own money

(she is not responsible to maintain any

relations), the right to custody of their

children after divorce, the right to refuse any marriage that does not please them.Starkly most of the Muslim community, in India reflect a contrastingly different pic-

ture altogether when it comes to living by the word of God, vis a vis treating womenwithin their ‘social structure’. The Qur'an makes no distinction between the Muslim

and the non-Muslim woman in terms of her status as a biological social being since

men are, on principle, in charge of women, and the male is not like the female (Sura Al 

Imran 3:36). Yet it is true that a large section of women continue to suffer under un-ending violence and abuse. As a society which identifies more on a religious parameter

(Unity in Diversity) I personally see a failure in commitment while upholding a cardi-

nal rule of sense and sensibility. Rule of law has always encouraged us to establish andadminister institutions of our choice, ironically we continue to witness an institutional

failure towards a conscious effort on part of the religious institutions. The failure is in

terms of not establishing counseling/guidance centers at the grass root level to edu-cate society about safeguarding and protecting rights, for every society especially in

our country is a religious in nature. The issue at hand is primarily social at most an-

thropological and although it invariably calls for legal determination of parties about 

their ‘rights’ and ‘wrongs’, a better solution can be found within the institutions we soregularly choose to be a part of. If for instance each religious institutions, within a cer-

tain area diameter could work towards setting up of counseling centers and function

within the mandate of the constitution, women would certainly receive the impetus to

rise beyond their imposed limitations and suffering. Consider the way co-operative

society's function on this premise, albeit in a different context (assisting and support-

ing the agriculturist economically, brings awareness to better farming methods etc.). Iwish to highlight the fact that human right abuse runs deep in every society, perhaps it 

is just another element that goes in defining what kind of society we are or rather

choose to be. We need to remind ourselves that No God or Prophet has stood for vio-lence, hatred and destruction, religion has been in the clear all the time about such

dastardly activities. In the end it is men who have been led astray by wickedness, mal-

ice and institutions that we have established that act as platforms of contempt to pro-

gress and prosperity. We continue to justify our decisions under the fancy of Gods di-vine plan or The holy Prophets prophecy, with malice and a hidden vendetta to disturb

and bring disharmony in society we live in. We need to become conscious of the fact 

that violence is an act of human choice and as a society that is committed to live in har-mony the onus is on us, members of such a society to address human needs so as to

encourage each other to make the better choice, one of Love, Respect and Brotherhood

of mankind.

Zul Kafeel

The Prophet said that women totally domi-

nate men of intellect and possessors of 

hearts. But ignorant men dominate women,

  for they are shackled by an animal ferocity.

They have no kindness, gentleness or love,

since animality dominates their nature. Love

and kindness are human attributes; anger 

and sensuality belong to the animals. She is

the radiance of God, she is not your beloved.

She is a creator - you could say that she is

not created. - Jalal al-Din Rumi 

One day John Marshall and hisfellow Supreme Court justices,having heard disturbing rumors

of their own excessive drinking,jointly agreed to abstain on theirweekly consultation day - unlessit was raining. The followingconsultation day, Marshall (theChief Justice) instructed JosephStory to go to the window andcheck for signs of inclement weather. Story soon reportedback: "Mr. Chief Justice, I havevery carefully examined thiscase," he declared, "and I have togive it as my opinion that thereis not the slightest sign of rain.""Justice Story," Marshall replied,"I think that is the shallowest and most illogical opinion I have

ever heard you deliver. You for-get that our jurisdiction is asbroad as the Republic, and by thelaws of nature it must be rainingsome place in our jurisdiction.Waiter, bring on the rum!"http://www.anecdotage.com/

index.php?aid=10972

*****

As a puisne judge, Bowen onceadjudicated in a memorable caseinvolving a burglar who, havingentered a house by the top sto-rey, was accosted downstairs inthe process, apparently, of steal-ing some valuable silverware.Incredibly, the accused pur-ported to be a harmless eccen-tric, addicted to 'perambulating'on the roofs of adjacent houses -and occasionally dropping in"promiscuous" through an openskylight. In his instructions tothe jury, Bowen caustically de-clared:"If, gentlemen, you think it likely that the prisoner wasmerely indulging in an amiablefancy for midnight exercise onhis neighbor's roof; if you think it was kindly consideration forthat neighbor which led him totake off his boots and leave thembefore descending into thehouse; and if you believe that it was the innocent curiosity of theconnoisseur which brought himto the silver pantry and causedhim to borrow the teapot, then,gentlemen, you will acquit theprisoner! To the incredulousjudge's great dismay, the juryobliged - and immediately acquit-ted the accused.http://www.anecdotage.com/

index.php?aid=721

WOMEN IN A TRULY ISLAMIC SOCIETY 

LEGAL HUMOUR

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

EMPOWERED WOMEN, HISTORI-

CAL MYTH OR REALITY 

It is false to consider women to be aweaker sex, as the pain that a womantolerates while bearing a child can

only be an imagination of a man.Unknown to many truths, may I also

make my reader aware of the fact that the idea of women being aweaker sex arises from a western

ideology, and is not Indian in origin.

Does this not create a question to-wards how we, in our attempt toshow our modernization, and ouraffinity towards western culture,

have actually moved away from therichness that our own culture has

gifted to the western world? In myresearches, I have found that the

status of women across the worldwas much poorer, than it was in In-dia. Ancient India always respected

women, and assured their rightfulplace in the family, and in the society.

Mother has always been the pictureof God for children, and a man was

considered incomplete without hiswife, or till he was married. It would

be interesting to note that  Ramayan 

shows a proof of how the wife is animportant part of many rituals. It is

written there that during a  yagna, it was mandatory of  Ram to have hiswife Sita along with him, but due to

the fact that  Sita was in exile in theforests, her statue of gold, of her size

and weight had to be placed besideRam at the time of the ritual. Hence,

it is my strong faith that if the pre-sent Indian society intends to realize,

and create awareness about the roleof women in Indian social structure,the Indian society actually just needs

to look back at the glorious history,and it will reveal how we have actu-ally moved away from our roots. It is

very commonly said that we need tolook forward to bring awareness. I

would argue that we need not searchfor awareness; we have got the sameas a heritage from our fore-fathers.

Writing about this topic was very

dear to me, as I have been working inthis field for a long time, and I thank 

Ad Vitam for giving me a chance to

express my views. I just hope that mysmall comparison assist my valuedreaders to form an opinion, which is

necessary for the development onthis country as such, because menand women are the two wheels on

which the vehicle of society runs, andneglecting one would slow the pace

of the whole vehicle. It is but thetruth that neglecting women wouldbe like competing a race with a punc-

tured tier, and expecting to emergevictorious.

Ira Bhattacharjee Social Worker in North-eastern India

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 THE 21st CENTURY WOMAN! 

Though statistics elude, if we look around, we will not find even

a handful of companies headed by women or women at the

helm of strategic departments. Major road blocks for women

who aspire to achieve and succeed in organizations are the

presence of social constraints imposed upon them by society,

the family and women themselvesThese constraints are re-ferred as myths fostered and sustained with preconceived no-

tions and unsupported evidence, which generate guilt in

women. These women are just a small fraction of the million

globally who are realising their true potential. Women enroll-

ment in educational institutions is on the rise. They are striving

to be independent in all respects of life. They can perform do-

mestic chores and conduct corporate presentations with equal

élan and do complete justice to their multiple roles. Women

have shed their inhibitions and are proud to fight for their

rights. Today, every international human rights instrument has

placed the protection and rights of women at the peak of its

agenda. There exists no domain where the presence of women

is unfelt. Their ability to rub shoulders with their male counter-

parts, in all spheres of life has led to the degeneration of thepatriarchal systems of control. And although liberation of 

women has not yet reached its zenith in several conservative

societies, it nevertheless is on its way. This is the true picture of 

the women of the 21st century. These are today’s women, and

they are here to set the ball rolling!

Sucheta Ray Chaudhuri

For comments, mail to

[email protected]

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

“Can You Type?” 

Yet everyday, women faceseveral duties and responsi-

bilities. Duty to maintain the

welfare of the family, to up

bring a well mannered child.

When so much is expected out 

of a woman in everyday life,

how does the society expect 

her to fulfill her duties without 

proper knowledge? Women

are more entrusted with re-

sponsibilities than men nowa-

days. So, let your daughters betrained for her responsibili-

ties. Whether she marries adoctor, lawyer, an engineer or

a fisherman, her role in her

family life remains the same.

Education can only prepare

her for practical responsibili-

ties at home or during her

maternity, while only her hus-

band can give her insight onmutual business transactions

or worldly affairs. Gone should

be the day when the first thinga woman is asked at a job in-

terview is “can you type?” It’s

true when Clarina Howard

Nichols said in her speech in

1851 at the Second National

Woman's Rights Convention

that, “a sheriff can take your 

husbands goods if he got unfor-

tunate, but no creditor can

attach the capital invested in

 your mind.” 

Fatimat Shafneez

For comments, mail [email protected]

Kamala Suraiyya aka Madhavikutty (31 March 1934 – 31 May 2009)

was an Indian writer who wrote in English as

well as Malayalam, her native language. Das

openly and honestly discussed and wrote about the sexual desires of Indian women, which madeher an iconoclast of her generation. Das's un-

canny honesty extends to her exploration of wom-anhood and love. Some of her work in English in-

cludes the novel Alphabet of Lust (1977), a collec-tion of short stories called Padmavati the Harlot and

Other Stories (1992), in addition to five books of   poetry, Summer in Calcutta (1965), The Descen-dants (1967), The Old Playhouse and Other Poems

(1973), The Anamalai Poems (1985), and Only the

Soul Knows How to Sing (1996), a collection of  poetry with Pritish Nandy (1990), and her autobiography, My Story (1976).

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