At a time when women in our country are making Indians proud like DeepaKarmakar, the first female gymnast from India to have made it to the Olympics, and several others who have made it to our collective national consciousness through their courage, hard work and confidence, it makes me pensive and sad about how certain others are coping with their lives. And before you overlook this article as another rant about women’s lib and rights, let me narrate an incident that set me thinking.

My live-in domestic help who I had mistakenly thought would be with me forever left for her village quite suddenly and I was left to cope with a part time help. As I extended her timings and asked her for some extra assistance in the days to come, I was surprised to find that instead of being ecstatic about an increase in her wages, she was excited about that one amenity we all take for granted: a toilet. She knew spending more time at my place meant she could use the spare toilet and much of her misery in life was taken care of. As is clear, she does not have a basic toilet in her small one room house (if we can call it that) and has to go out for defecation. Not only her but her daughters too have to step out of the house at all odd hours for the same.

As I gave her a fresh soap, towel, shampoo her joy knew no bounds and every day she turned out cleaner and happier after her bath. The face that was till then dull and lifeless had taken on a healthy hue. I was amazed to see how much of a difference it made to her confidence.

Why is it that we still have so many people who are denied these basic rights? Although, the Swachhbharatabhiyaan is on in full swing, there are miles to go before we would have covered even half the ground. In 2014-15 , the government managed to build 5.8 million toilets, but the result was quite unexpected. Firstly, many of these were not functional due to lack of water and drainage issues and secondly, rural households were not ready for this lifestyle change. Mere building of toilets would not solve the problem. What is needed is a cultural shift and a change in mindsets of people who have never used toilets since childhood.

Open defecation has been found to have grave consequences. It remains the single largest threat to health and nutrition. It is also a threat to the safety of women. Open defecation can be a source of diarrhoea and other infectious diseases. Sanitation facilities in public places as well as households is the need of the hour. Very recently, I came to know to my utter shock that open defecation also leads to stunting in people. Lack of sanitation is one of the major causes for stunted growth. 62 million children under the age of 5 are stunted in India. Of course, other life-threatening diseases which cause malnutrition are also a fallout of poor sanitation. This brings me back to the topic of hygiene and how important it is for child survival, nutrition and growth.

My maid is just a case in point but there are thousands in India who are not even aware of the benefits of sanitation and hygiene and are living in pathetic conditions without even knowing the importance of hygiene. For women, as expected, things are only worse. Spreading awareness should be the first step, swift and efficient execution should follow to provide a dignified life to each one of us.

Rashi Bisaria

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The next day is like any other. The girl in the bus still gets those looks, women still think twice about taking a cab at night, the washer man’s son gets preference over the daughter in the family, choices are skewed in favour of men and sometimes women themselves are biased against their own kind.

So what does the day change if at all? Is it just a day for brands to come up with eye-catching ads to outdo each other? Is it a day when all of us women feel great about ourselves or is it that we celebrate it simply because that is what everyone is doing? It is important to look deep within ourselves and find out why we want to celebrate womanhood on one day? Shouldn’t it be celebrated every single day of the year?

This year, on International Women’s day, multiple initiatives were kicked off, most of which made it  to headlines. Hillary Clinton took to twitter to talk about women’s empowerment, google released a video titled #onedayIwill, women took to the streets to ask for gender parity, brands like Titan released special ads.

Clinton tweeted, ‘Advancing the status of women and girls makes economies grow and nations more secure. It’s the right—and smart—thing to do. #IWD2016 –H’. She also referred to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt holding the first women-only press conference at the White House.

Google took the opportunity to release a video which featured not only the aspirations of women captured in the phrase, “One day I will” but also Malala Yusufzai poignantly saying, “One day we will see every girl in school”. A touching tribute to womanhood, the video presented as a Google Doodle, became the talking point for the day.

Several brands took to different media to express their positioning on Women’s day, Titan being one them. Titan Raga’s #breakthebias advertisement about workplace bias set minds thinking.

Some enterprising men also participated in the public discourse around women’s rights. While it is great to have people commemorate a day through a variety of initiatives and remember for that one day that we were born equal, it goes without saying that this can only be a starting point to usher in a change.

But when will this change occur? Haven’t we waited long enough? Here are some statistics to make you wonder about the dismal state of affairs. The World Economic Forum predicted in 2015 that gender gap won’t close till 2133. Now that’s a long wait!

So what can be done to change the status quo or simply to urge the needle to move in the right direction?The first prerequisite for any kind of change, is a change in our own mental attitude. While it may sound cliched to repeat words that have been spoken through generations, any change on the outside will be ineffective till the mind decides to change.

Let’s get rid of hidden biases that we all harbour, respect ourselves more than ever and take a step to change attitudes including our own. Let’s take forward the healthy thoughts and actions we come up with every year on women’s day.

The post Women’s Day is over. But is it just about a day? appeared first on Woman Endangered.

The All Women Bike Rally is now entering its fourth year and March 13 will see the rally under way in 10 cities. The rally will start on Sunday from BMCC College-Deccan Gymkhana and will cover 20 kms.

The rally will extend the celebrations of International Women’s Day and like each year will be supported by celebrities.

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Perseverance against all odds– The lady was not for turning at any cost and never buckled under pressure. She knew from the start that it would be nearly impossible to defeat the liberal Labour Party, but she managed to gather a fan following with her riveting speeches. Though defeated, she persevered and tried as a Conservative candidate once more, only to be defeated once again. But Margaret never gave up and made it a point to persevering till victory was hers.

Aspire for academic brilliance-Margaret made the best of what was offered to her. She never let her humble background come in the way of her academic performance. She won a scholarship to Kesteven and Grantham Girls’ schools where she became the head girl. Her reports showed academic excellence and consistency as well as brilliance in extra-curricular activities. She went on to attend Oxford College. It always helps to have a sharp mind which can be used both in academics as well as outside it and Margaret boasted of a fine intellect that stood her in good stead both in school and in later years.

Dream big. You only get one life!— Even as a grocer’s daughter, Margaret always nurtured ambitions to excel in life. Margaret Thatcher left her indelible mark on British politics and transformed it. She struggled to free the individual from the management of the state. She was a good student and gained admission at Oxford University. She was politically active and served as President of the Conservative Association at the University. She harboured political ambitions and her life moved to follow her dreams. Set goals for yourselves and dream big. Never feel shy of pursuing a dream, no matter how impossible it might seem.

Live up to your words- “I fight on, I fight to win” asserted Margaret, the leader of the British Conservative Party, and win she did. She won three consecutive terms of office in two decades becoming the only British Prime Minister in the 20^th century to do so. Follow up on your words with actions and never backtrack. It’s important to live up to your words right till the end.

Don’t get intimidated—Thatcher had the makings of an influential politician from the start. She first stood for the Parliament in 1950 and became the Conservative contender for the Dartford Labour Party seat. She was the youngest representative and the only female candidate at the time. Despite being the youngest and the only female candidate she never lost her confidence and stood her ground amid seasoned politicians with the power of her personality. It’s important to be courageous even when you are all alone.

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