International women's day. 8th March.
Just another long, difficult day for millions of women worldwide.
A day that never fails to spark off debates about commercialisation, and hype.
The most important women in my life don't even know about the existence of such a day in all probability. Cooking, cleaning, work would have kept them busy throughout the day.
I, myself didn't get the time to post something on the day itself.
Did the day have any significance whatsoever?
Not in my life.
But, I wouldn't go around bad-mouthing the day. Even if it made a small difference to atleast some women in the world, women's day rocks! People argue for hours on end, there are innumerable surveys in the print and the visual media about this day. Arguments put forth are many and varied. They range from the dumb to the extremely illogical. Case in point, "why do women need such a day..it proves that they are the weaker sex, blah ,blah.."
Well, everybody in the world could do with some appreciation for his or in this case, her work.
This day serves as an ideal platform to shower accolades on the many women who work hard to make the world a better place to live in.
But then, the real heroes remain unnoticed more often than not. This is not an isolated phenomenon, it usually happens. It is not reason enough to stop celebrating women's day. It is a celebration of womanhood;an ode to those unknown women who strive hard to make every single day a celebration of life.
I'm not a hardcore feminist. I don't need to be one either. All that anyone today needs to do, irrespective of gender, is to be the best. Trust me on this, equality with men is not all that we think about. Inequalities shall always remain. Cribbing about them on a day like this is a giant step backward. Focussing on the task at hand i.e making life safer for women, educating them, teaching them about their rights is what this day stands for.
What I did on women's day? Attended classes in a university which does not have reservation for women, in the company of many brilliant and multi-faceted people.
Gave my maid a day off. Didn't do her a big favour, but I hope she liked it.