Women Liberation: Draping Valour and Vitality

"The question isn’t who’s going to let me, it’s who’s going to stop me."

It is often said that a woman is an incarnation of 'Shakti '- the goddess of power and the symbol of strength. However, even after several years of struggle, this hasn't entirely become the reality. We are living in that phase of history where women’s voices are being recognized and heard only because of the tireless emancipatory efforts of feminists and humanitarian activists in the past few decades. Many of the arduous challenges lie in the damaging attitudes that still prevail in the idealistic portrayal of men or women in society. These abstractions can set in at an early age and become much overwhelming to tackle later.

Women’s role in history has long gone unrecognized and it has been glossed over. They have been kidnapped and trafficked. They have been denied education, voting rights, property ownership, and equal pay. One out of every five women has been raped. And there is much more evidence that supports the fact that there is still a long way to go to channelize society in the right direction and hence, achieve the desired goal.

Nevertheless, there have been numerous undertakings to tear down such shackles of discrimination and prejudice for the social liberation of women. A seed planted early in the 1900s has grown into an annual occasion spearheaded by the United Nations today. International Women’s Day, celebrated on 8th March every year commemorates women’s vigour and their capabilities to break down the preexisting stringent conceptions and thus, emerging victorious. Unveiling the new phase of empowerment, the day strides towards a sustainable and equivalent future that offers opportunities in alignment with gender neutrality. 

Amidst this rigorous juncture, the theme for International Women’s Day this year has been declared as "Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world”. This theme reminds us that all men and women are equal and can work together while shaping the world. 

The day also applauds all the brilliant women, without whose ingenuity and tenacity our lives would be much poorer today. Following the saying, “there is no greater pillar of stability than a strong, free and educated woman”, numerous organisations have been working towards women’s development. Two of such initiatives were taken by Enactus DSC under their projects; Vasan and Nawah. 

The very first initiative embarked by Enactus DSC, Project Vasan endeavours to provide employment opportunities to socially marginalized women through skill development. This project has been running successfully for over 5 years now and has positively impacted the lives of over 10 deprived communities. On the other hand, Project Nawah is a multifold initiative that envisions to uplift the financially challenged and socially repressed women through skill development in the art of Bamboo carving. 

It isn’t sufficient to simply talk about equality. One must acknowledge it. And it isn’t reasonable to simply believe in it as one must diligently work on it as well; so that it is one's aptitude that matters and not their gender. In the words of Meena Didi, one of the beneficiaries from Project Nawah, “Do not let anyone say that you are weak because you are a woman”, let us create an inclusive world by reshaping our perception. The way we view ourselves should be how we view others as well.