Women are not limited!

Banana, Chocolate, Red!

Yes, you, my reader are on the right page. I have not gone extra mad, not more than my usual.

So, did you visualize it? Most people do. Weirdly, when I read chocolate, I think of the heavily advertised Dairy Milk brand that I have been seeing as a kid. That’s not even my favourite chocolate. Apparently, my brain is spewing stuff and is not in my control? I really need to have a talking to with my erratic brain.

Now, think of an Indian Woman.

Did you think of a mother wrapped in a Sari with a child? Or a woman decked in heavy traditional clothes decked with jewellery? Or a married lady with big Bindi and sindoor cooking? Or a hunched rural woman on the stove? Or a combination of all of the above?

I did a small survey before I wrote this article. And, I got a combination of the appearances described above. None of my overly graduated friends thought of a woman in suit presiding in the board room. Or a pilot flying passengers through continents. Or a doctor curing and treating hundreds of patients every year. Or athletes playing badminton, hockey, and cricket.

Since our childhood, we are trained to think of an Indian woman in a certain way. Somebody who cooks, cleans and gets married, has kids and upholds all things traditional. There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing these activities. But, is that all to an Indian Woman?

Maybe it’s time we expanded our horizon. Since childhood, media, television, family life has perpetrated the idea of an Indian woman. We do not picture a strong confident woman in a suit but a graceful silent traditional woman in a sari and bangles. We have been trained to think in a certain direction but it’s time to retrain our brains. Women are out there doing all the activities that weren’t associated previously with their gender. And, can I be cheeky enough to say — women are doing it better and faster?

I asked the same question to my husband. And, he realized that I am playing some sort of a game. He took a few moments before answering. He made me swoon with his answer.

“An Indian Woman is whoever the hell she wants to be.”

Maybe, we all need to think for a minute before stereotyping men or women. We are only limited by our thoughts but we are also capable of great change. To all my women readers out there — “You are the epitome of Indian womanhood.” And, don’t let anybody in your life forget that. And, be whatever the hell you want to be.