Women who inspire, women I celebrate

Its International Women's Day. Join me as I celebrate some of the most inspiring women in India

You refuse to suffer in silence any longer. You demand for your right. You speak, to be heard, and to be taken seriously. Rising Army of Indian Women Activists, I celebrate you!   

She grows food for me and my countrymen. She toils on that land that she isn't allowed to own, oftentimes. I salute you and I celebrate you,Woman Farmer of my country. And I wish you ownership of that land. Also, I wish you love, respect, recognition and gratitude.

You are the only worker in my country who works 7 days a week with no break, no holiday and a salary so paltry, it can't even buy you food for a week. And when a mishap happens, you are made the first suspect. Despite all that, you keep homes running across the nook and corner of India. I celebrate you, Woman Domestic Help

You do work that are unrewarded, risky, at places that are dangerous - protecting endangered wildlife in forests that are infested with brutal poachers. Few know about you, even fewer want to follow you. I celebrate you, Woman Forest Guard!

She cleans the filth that we create. And then we call her filthy. She is the waste picker. Always from a Dalit community, she is considered by many of my countrymen untouchable, a lesser human. The truth is, as poet Rabindranath Tagore said, "cleanliness is your shadow/its you who makes our world livable". I can't cure the sickness of my society alone, but I can certainly tell you this: You are lesser than none and I celebrate you!

You try to teach people the importance of safe sex. Yet, instead of applauds, you get brickbats. They laugh at you, some even curse you for 'polluting' minds. Truth is, in a country of millions of HIV-positive people, you are an angel at work. And I celebrate you, the Woman Sex Educator!

They don't invest in you. They dismiss your abilities to make profits. But you don't give up. You gather your coins and go about earning your living - successfully. You inspire me, and I celebrate you, Woman Grassroot Entrepreneur of India!

They allege, you are a puppet, that your husband run the office for you. They don't care to know you - who stands her ground and holds on to her authority. I have met so many of you - risking life everyday in most remotest, most dangerous villages of India, and working for the welfare of people. I celebrate you, the Independent Woman Sarpanch (village head)

Indigenous woman, I know many look down upon you. They think - and I have no idea why - you are inferior to them. In fact, some treat you no better than they treat a Dalit woman.  What a shame! You, TRIBAL WOMAN are beautiful, wonderful, closer to mother earth, bear her smell, her broadness of heart and her simplicity - qualities that I yearn to have! I celebrate you!

And then I celebrate the woman who brought me into this world, nursed me, nurtured me, made me who I am. I celebrate you, Ma! 

Do you like the post? If yes, please leave a comment. Or share with someone in your circle. Lets expand the celebration!

Homosexuality is criminal: A note of thanks to the SC!

My open letter of gratitude to the S.Court of India after it upheld that gay sex would continue to be a criminal act in India.

Dear SC of India,
 You have just reasserted that all the people who have sex with people of their own sex are criminals. And, I am just so happy and proud of you! Here, see  the big three reasons below:

courtesy: rude creativity

1. You slapped/woke me up from a day dream!:  Last Tuesday, at this time, I was in Bangkok, taking part in the Global Forum on Media and Gender. I met Michal - a woman from Tel Aviv who fights discrimination and maltreatment of  LGBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender) people in her country and her region. Over coffee, I proudly told her "Homosexuality was a legally criminal offense in India, but then our court decriminalized it." She was very happy to hear that. In fact her exact words were "I think India is a good democracy!". Well, dear SC, thank you for waking me up and telling me that we still suck when it comes to treating every citizen equally regardless of his/her sexual orientation.

Ending Violence Against Women: First, Lets End Impunity

It's 25th Nov - the day for Eliminating Violence Against Women. I began my day with the news of a senior government official in Uttarakhand - a state in northern India being accused of raping a 29-year old woman.  And I thought "well, here you go - the official proof that we really do need a day to end violence"

:Original image: oil on canvas by S. Ilayaraja

In the following hours, so many other pieces of news came in, each of them about a woman or a girl who's been violated or tortured. For example, in Assam, 4 men gangraped woman, gougeed her eyes out before killing her. In Delhi, a journalist from Tehelka news magazine who was recently sexually assaulted by her boss and chief editor Tarun Tejpal, said that she was intimidated by one of Tejpal's  relatives. Also in Delhi, the court convicted --and Nupur Talwar -a  doctor couple of murdering their teenage daughter four years ago. (And, not to forget, every 40 minutes a girl also got raped).

A toast to Tarun Tejpal!

So, just when you thought you had heard enough stories of  rape and sexual assaults and all that s**t coming of India, here comes yet another headline: Tarun Tejpal, chief editor of Tehelka - an Indian  news magazine that is known for its bold and honest journalism - has sexually assaulted one of his woman colleagues.

Now, sexual assaults are no laughing matter. And yet this one has me in splits. The reason is, this man Tarun Tejpal - one of the country's 'most respected' journalists (and also often seen as a panelist/speaker/chief guest at events organized to condemn rapes/violence against women etc) has figured out the punishment for his crime all by himself :  a 6-month long holiday which he calls "atonement".

Kartik Purnima: The Moon is beautiful tonight, so is Life!

 Its Kartik Purnima - the full moon night of Kartik - the 7th month in our Indian calendar.
They say, the moon is at its brightest tonight.  And I believe them. Because, the moon is shinning so bright, I can look back and see my childhood. Mooonlight clear.

I see a courtyard - cleaned and mopped with water mixed with cowdung in the morning. Hours later, its hardened, cool and there's not  a speck of dust anywhere.

On that courtyard, someone's drawn paintings with rice powder. This is the courtyard of my Mamu (maternal uncle) Anil Singh.

After the courtyard, comes a large, stand alone, pentagonal room. This is the 'raas mandap' (raas auditorium). On either side of the room's doors, Marigold bushes are on the bloom. Inside the room, a stage has been set for a performance. Tonight, in this Raas Mandap, a little boy and a little girl - dressed as Hindu god Krishna and his lady love Radha will sit . And surrounding them will be sixteen women of the community. They will dance and sing as Gopini (consort of Krishna) all night, enacting roles from stories of  Krishna Leela (romance of Krishna and Radha).

Groundwater: being misers is better than being paupers

Imagine yourself in a situation where a hundred bomber planes flying overhead, ripping your eardrums apart with horrible noise and belching black smoke, choking your lungs. Well I just spent an agonizing 48 ours in that situation. No, I wasn't in Syria or Afghanistan. It happened right next door when yet another neighbor was trying to bore a well. 

The noise, the smoke and a pool of flouride-filled,liquid mud left behind, was the result of that bore well drilling.

It started early morning on Friday and ended last night. In these 48 hours, they drilled up to 60 meters, I was told, but finally abandoned the drilling and left because, there was still no sign of usable water!