With
tiny hands and soft little toes,
She is
the ray of hope to end my woes.
But I
fear of what the world has in store,
For
the sweet bundle of joy I so adore.
Sometimes I wonder what it would be
like to be a mother. I see many around me with their baby girls; their bond
seems surreal and strong. Though I recognize the connection and the rapport but
it is from the point of view of a daughter. Then again when I think of a time
ten to twelve years down the line, I dream of, apart from other things, being
the best mother I could be to a little girl. But no sooner than I do that a
chill runs down my spine for being a mother to a daughter in this society of
ours is tougher than scaling the highest mountains in the world.
The agonizing truth of India being
a country fundamentally hostile to women in the guise of traditions and culture
is an open secret. From female feticide to dowry, rapes to domestic violence we
as a country have done everything possible to create a suffocating milieu for
our women folk. There is no line which has not been crossed. There is no
atrocity that has been spared. From babies to the elderly, no female is safe in
this country of ours. The sad part is though that in spite of all the uproar
very little is actually done to ensure a safe and respectable life for a
female.
It is high time that something is
done and who better than us women to nip every problem that we face in the bud?
Since expecting something from this patriarchal society of ours is an utter
waste of time, we need to respond to the clarion call for change. So what can
we do to ensure that if not this then at-least the future generations of women
lead a life devoid of all the ills that plague us in the present day? The
answer lies in enabling our daughters and the young girls for a better life.
What could be the potential
solution or solutions even, to ensure a life of choice to every innocent little
girl out there? Time and again the answer boils down to a handful of options in
my head with education being one of them. The reason why I have the ability to
steer my life today in the direction I want to is because I am independent.
This independence comes from the fact that I had the opportunity to have a good
education so that I could as they say earn
my own living and stand on my own two feet. So the first step of cutting
the unwanted umbilical cord with the domineering males in our society is being
free in every sense and monetary independence forms an essential part of the
process. Thus it is evident that education is one of the foremost weapons of
marching towards that horizon where out little girls would be the commanders of
their lives!
We need the resolve to make certain
beyond doubt that every girl child is educated to the point that she becomes
self-sufficient. Being a country of millions, it might be a difficult task to
accomplish but then which task is not?
A woman empowered with the shield
of education has better chances at survival in this unsympathetic Indian
subcontinent than a woman who is dependent for everything on a chauvinistic
male. We should all take a leaf out of the life of the young Malala Yousafzai. When she could fight
for the basic right of education, undeterred in a land which fares far worse for
woman than our country, can’t we ensure that we in India lead every female
child to school? We have the system in place all we need to do is make the
resolve. We have to fight some archaic mindsets yes but that shouldn't dissuade
us from crossing this very important threshold, should it?
I remember reading once that
education equips one with the key to solving every problem in life. We need to
pass on to every girl child the magical wand of learning, the power of thought
and the baton of choice. There is a beautiful saying which forms the crux of the
solution to a majority of our socio-economic problems in the context of women “Educate a man, you educate one person,
educate a woman, you educate a complete family.”
So what are we waiting for? Let’s pledge
to work towards this dream with tenacity and transform it into reality!
With books all new,
A bag of blue hue,
With dress and shoe,
And ribbons around a pony or two,
I lead you dear,
To your future clear,
So read and learn,
Write and earn,
And build a life that you so yearn!