It goes without saying that
women are being recognized for their outstanding achievements in all walks of
life but there is a flip side too. Beauty and appearance for which she has been
admired since ages, has now become a cause for her inconvenience, trouble and
insecurity. I witnessed a similar sentiment during my recent visit to Lucknow
where I happened to drop in “Sheroes Hangout”, one of its kind café run and managed
by acid attack survivors. These women have fought to survive and stand tall
after encountering a debilitating blow not only to their appearance but
self-esteem too. These women, I feel are the true heroes who have shown an incredible
bravery to live and compel the society to reconsider its norms about beauty.
It is an irony that a land
where it has been an intrinsic part of our culture to recognize and worship feminine
power to evoke the strength to win the battle of good over evil, a land where
gender harmony has always been a ritual, a land here people idealize “Ardnareshwar”
form of Lord Shiva commemorating coexistence & union of male and female
deity, is now witnessing heinous crimes against women sometimes in the name of
domestic violence, to that of revenge, gender discrimination and exploitation.
I was truly flabbergasted by
seeing the courageous acid attacks survivors who come from different
backgrounds. Some of them were so unprivileged who have never been to a
restaurant, I saw with awe, how well they were managing the entire operations
of that eating joint. From cooking to cleaning to purchase of raw material, everything
is being so smartly managed by a handful of these steely determined ladies.
More so, not at all shy of
their appearances; they even oblized willingly to click a selfie with me. This
was such a strong positive inspiration proving that beauty is actually skin-deep,
the way you feel about yourself. The trick is to believe in oneself. The will
to fight against all odds and stand like a rock by every decision. Physical
handicap can never stop a woman from pushing beyond her limits, the moment she
accepts this reality of life then all that is needed is a mindset shift to get
past the pain and fear.
There were many questions
which left me more distressed like where are we heading. Are we evolving as
human beings or are we further losing our values? Should we really call
ourselves civilized?. I am not sure when
things are going to change but I do believe that how tough it is when the world’s
eyes are on you but you can choose whether to allow that gaze to wither you or
help you shine brighter.
Let’s take some positive inspiration
from these “Sheroes” and seek collective resolution and commitment to create a
more positive , supporting, safe and enabling environment for women.
HAPPY WOMEN’S DAY
Author
Rewa Sambal Sinha
She has taught at S.S. Khanna Girls Degree College, Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh)
