The women in my life!

The church asked the women in the congregation to stand up to pray for them; I closed my eyes and thought of all the women in my life! 

As I closed my eyes, my thought went back to the day when I told my mom that all my favourite people in the world are women. Obviously! I was just a teenager then. The prayer went on and I decided to take some time to think about the great women in my life now. 

There has to be my mom in there somewhere no? This is after-all my blog. She was a great woman and I will leave it at that. From her last days to this day, there has been a familial mad rush to fill her place in our lives by the aunts and they have all been truly remarkable. From all the love to being the MIL for the wifey, they have done it all. Forever indebted!

The sister who had checked up on me at-least once every week over the years. What a woman she is! From being my fulcrum till I got married, to being the side-kick, she has done it all. Grateful to the light that she is, guiding me along life's merry ways. 

To all the beautiful cousin sisters and the sisters in laws', who have been a sport and borne all my nonsense. You are such sweethearts. Remembering all the late night conversations, the fun, the banters, the food fests and of course, surely, the family gossips. Each in their own way unique ways have made my life better. Thank you is just an external appreciation of my love, people. You can obviously reciprocate by gifts! I don't mind receiving anything in return. 

Friends! What would life be without the beautiful women who had been such good friends over the years. Some have stayed on and have been my go-to person for anything and everything! A few have been best friends for life. In a culture and a country which has treated women with disdain, a few of my friends have been absolute geniuses. I bow down to each one of them. There is so much to learn from them and I'm truly humbled to be friends with them. 

Finally, the wife! Well, I will not embarrass her here. She has been the fulcrum and everything that rotates around it. period. 

There have been many other women in my life playing many different roles. As colleagues, as mentors, as bosses and a few even as enemies. You have all made my life better! 

To all the women in my life, and all the great women out there, thanking god for all of you. Without women, life, surely my life, would have been a deadpan.

The lonely girl in a man's world!

This lady 'X' had been married when she was 17. After having multiple children the husband left her to fend for herself. 'X' married off her eldest daughter when she was in her teens. The eldest daughter's husband left her after giving her two girl children. 

Now 62, 'X' along with an uneducated daughter and her two grandchildren are trying to live life on their own. Educating the girl was costlier then. Educating the girl wasn't on their mind. Education for girl children, the religion didn't approve of. Educating the girl was antithetical to the societal norms. 

After so many years and multiple generations, the family is finally living the fury of the patriarchal stupidity of the society. 

As wifey was discussing this story about this family, I was reminded and deeply disturbed by another video which was doing the rounds on Social Media. A video of a young girl in hijab being heckled by young boys, most probably her own classmates. 

It was scary! heartbreaking! What was going through her mind when she walked across these hecklers? 

Finally through all the patriarchal idiocy of generations when the girl child could come to school, they are being heckled and booed out of their classrooms in the name of religion and religious identities. 

No, I don't know how it feels to be a woman in this man's world. But I know it is time I shut everything up and let the girls be. Don't let religious, societal and cultural compulsions come in between the girls and their education. Let them be. Let them just be.