Celebrating the Spirit of Being a Woman !!!!

She is WOMAN. She is Mother. Daughter. Wife. Sister. She is a Person. She is Strong, Smart, Crafty. She is Passionate, Courageous, Generous. Cooking barefoot is only one of several superpowers. She is Action, Emotion, Devotion.

She has Hope, Beauty, Power. She has a Brain and she knows how to use it. She Gives You LIFE. She gives you RESPECT, LOVE, GRATITUDE. She believes in you. She will nurture you, fight for 
you. And, she deserves nothing less from you.

A woman’s essence lies in her innate ability to care, love and sacrifice for the other. She plays an all-enveloping character of a mother, daughter, wife and sister as a friend, nurturer, guide and partner from time to time. Emotional and vulnerable, sometimes erratic, sometimes serene, she displays a wonderful range of emotions from being patient to being extremely courageous in times of crisis.

Tormented and subjugated throughout all times and ages, women have fought their way through exploitation, harassment, and have managed to secure their rights in the public domain. In spite of continuing exploitation and injustice against women both in the domestic and work sector today, several milestones have been achieved in terms of education, freedom of choice and liberty, equality etc.With growing literacy and financial independence women feel more empowered today to assert their right to a life of dignity and self worth.

The InternationalWomen's Day celebrated on 8th March is a universal day for all women around the world. It endows them with a sense of honour, dignity and self respect for being the person that they are. This day marks a celebration of the economic, social, cultural and political achievements made by women over the years.

The first International Women’s Day (IWD) was held because of a strike by women workers in New York in the textile industry in 1911.  What is interesting about celebrating IWD today is that it is just as relevant as it was 100 years ago. A lot of the issues remain the same when you take a look at the rights of women. Those women were on strike because of dreadful working conditions, low wages, and no security.  These issues sound familiar all over the world even today.

The UN theme for International Women's Day 2013 is “A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women”, while International Women's Day 2013 has declared the year's theme as “The Gender Agenda: Gaining Momentum”.

In India, we’ve been celebrating International Women’s Day for many years. Marked by large rallies and marches in different towns and cities, over the years the day has taken on different aspects in different places.Many events have become more local, with groups concentrating on issues that are particular to their areas. But also, in several places, seminars and discussions, festivals of film and theatre have replaced rallies, and discussions on the Internet and in blogs have become an important arena for drawing attention to this day.

We have to think of the women’s struggle in the last 100 years, getting the vote, participation in politics and so on, not only the battles we have won but also the ongoing battles we have to struggle in order to win. I am convinced that the women of the world, united, can become a most powerful force for international peace. 

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Parul