Ep 6- Shakti - Women Breaking Biases

Hi there… how was your Sunday morning? Good…well, mine was amazing!! I woke up to a fresh hot brew of coffee, I was scrolling through my social media feed when I chanced upon this picture that was getting viral…

This image literally gave me goosebumps! Why? Ethnic traditional saree, bangles, a bindi and the 2 most crucial accessories - a pride and a smile!

Well, this pic also gave me jitters for 2 other reasons - a little bit of sadness, and a ray of hope.?

We will delve deeper into that, but first, how many of you recognize these beautiful women?

Let’s be honest, none of us recognize that these three women (amongst many other) are actually unsung heroes. And, the reason I used the above image is because they are not as popular as the incredibly strong and inspirational women who played a crucial role in the success of Chandrayaan-3.

Why? Because

1. It has something to do with one of the two sentiments I mentioned above (a little bit of sadness)?
2. I needed some unsung heroes, that most of us wouldn’t know off, to highlight something crucial

At first glance they seem like ordinary women. Now, I might be wrong with this assumption, but you all know deep within if that’s not what you thought at first glance. And I don’t need you to come out with what you truly felt, as long as you realize/accept/contradict the point I am going to make.

Indian women have been at the receiving end of biases for the better half of the last two decades.

1. Saalumarada Thimmakka (bottom right corner), an environmentalist from Karnataka who planted and nurtured 385 massive Banyan Trees along a 4-km stretch on the highway between Hulikal and Kudur
2. Aruna Roy (right top corner), fought against corruption and promoted government transparency. President of the National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW)
3. Anandi Gopal Joshi, the first Indian women to graduate with an MD in western medicine in 1886

Just how we (I am assuming this) at first glance felt these were regular household women, there has been a lot of stigma around women in traditional apparel and their ability to accomplish great feats.

I could be wrong with how things are today, but hey, remember how wearing a traditional saree for office is often greeted with questions like “hey what’s the occasion?”

Well, let’s just go back to the viral image of those brilliant minds in lovely traditional apparel in the viral image from Chandrayaan -3’s success and thank them for giving me that second sentiment, the ray of hope that I talked about earlier.

Why? Because they normalize wearing traditional clothing, they shatter the biases that somehow hint traditional clothing might not make you look strong or accomplished, it breaks the existing trend of employees only in the fields of politics, teaching or airlines.?

These brilliant minds at the ISRO, helped India achieve the biggest success in global aerospace ventures and all that, while in traditional clothing. I guess it’s time we break these biases and appreciate people for who they really are!

Well, that’s it for this Sunday! Stay tuned, stay curious…until next time!