Wednesday 6 March 2013

A Salute to All Women


Prof. Jitender Sharma,
Librarian, NIILM CMS writes...

The author can be contacted at: jsharma@niilm.com, jitendersharmaji@gmail.com

International Women's Day, celebrated on 8th March every year, is a small recognition and appreciation for the significant role that any woman plays not only to an individual life but to society as a whole.

Women are the perfect and best creation of God. Human existence and life is incomplete without women. They are the creators in themselves. Our ancient culture has always regarded and accorded highest status to our women in terms of goddesses. A woman is considered to be “Graha Laxmi’. A girl child is considered to be incarnation of Goddess “Durga”. God has blessed women with extraordinary senses, power and abilities. A woman can bear all sorts of pressures and pains and can still stand firm irrespective of all adverse circumstances.

Our world order, that follows the patriarchal system, has, however, always discriminated against women. A girl child was never accorded same privileges and facilities that were extended to a male child from the same family. They were always considered born to do home tasks and to extend the family line. Their education, health and other socio-economical developments were never given importance. They face all sorts of curbs and discriminations on their freedom to express themselves, be it in their lifestyle, education, choosing their career, or even free movement. After years of agitations and many movements, women in some parts of the world have got equal rights as men, but it is not universal. There are still many countries and cultures where women are discriminated against.

Although, the modern world has witnessed a significant change and attitudinal shift in both women’s and societies thoughts about women’s equality and emancipation, a lot more has to be done. Women still are not present in equal numbers in business or politics, and globally women’s education, health and the violence against them is worse than that of men.

Women have proved themselves in every discipline of life. They have not only reached the highest levels in governing any country but also reached up to the space. In fact very recently Sunita Williams, a NASA astronaut from our own country has established the world record of spending longest period in space. Women have established and proved themselves in armed forces including in battlefields. Women have left their imprints in achieving success in business world too. Indira Nooyi, CEO - PepsiCo is another example of women breaking the glass ceiling even in the corporate world. The list is long. There are countless examples to prove that a woman is no way inferior to a man and in fact, given proper space and chance to flourish, can perform better than her male counterparts.

Women play very pivotal role in human development. Their roles as a mother, friend, wife, sister, or daughter are very significant in a man’s life. Only a woman makes a man realize or feel important. A man may not be there when a woman needs him but a woman will always be standing firm the men in her life despite all odds.  Only a woman can have the courage to leave her parents and her home and join a new family & adopt and adjust to a new life style silently. No man can dare do this. It is rightly said that if you educate a man, you educate a single person but if you educate a woman, you educate a generation. The world would be a terrible place without women.

Hence all of us, irrespective of race, gender, caste or class we belong to, should pledge on this Women’s Day that we shall provide a suitable place and comfort to women in all aspects of their life and ensure a bright, equal, safe and rewarding future for them. We shall never allow any discrimination or atrocities against those who have blessed us with this life. Respecting a woman is synonymous to respecting God.

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