7 Reasons to Celebrate this International Women’s Day

Mother Teresa, Aung Sang Suu Kyi and more recently women like Malala who have spent their entire lives following what they believed in and in the process changed the world forever.

I often wonder why do we celebrate this one day for the people that constitute one-half of the world’s population, why do we need a specific day to commemorate what this one group of people, women per se, contribute each day of their lives. Women responsible for and carry the burden of keeping the human race alive among other things. Is one day good enough to say a thank you to them for their endless contributions and for the remaining 364 days all we hear about is abuse directed towards them in some form or other. Does it make sense? The answer is yes, we have to celebrate women’s day, not only as an appreciation of what women do but also to appreciate and be thankful that women are moving forward, that women are, internationally, achieving what they were considered incapable of, be it economically, politically or socially and while they do it they still make homes and nurture the next generation. Here are 7 reasons that make this IWD special for all of us…

The change can be seen during the elections when the number of women casting their vote is higher every time. They are coming out of their homes and driving the change and giving their opinion and making a statement about breaking barriers.

Women have been a part of the Indian political scene for decades, not just as voters, but as decision makers of the country. Since India gained independence we have had women leaders, our country has seen a prime minister and a president sitting at the very helm of the nation’s governance.

There have been women who are an essential part of the Indian polity; names like Indira Gandhi, Sushma Swaraj, Sonia Gandhi, Sheila Dikshit, Mamta Banerjee are taken in tandem with Indian politics. Apart from these big names we have women running for public office, there are women also part of the village panchayats making the tremendous contribution to the empowerment of rural women.

Women around the world are shattering the glass ceiling, they are being hired to lead business giants; they are breaking all the barriers and becoming business icons.  They are changing the very dynamics of the business world, worldwide. Women like Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chanda Kochhar, Aruna Jayanthi, Jyoti Deshpande are some of the women who have been declared as the most influential women in India.

Women are excelling in sports as well. Women like MC Mary Com, Sania Mirza, P.T Usha, and Saina Nehwal are some of the well-known Indian sportswomen who have brought fame to our nation. They have won international accolades despite the odds and resistance in their own countries. Fighting their way through the bureaucracy and stigmas that surround the unbeaten path these women have decided to brave through.

Devi Murthy, Aditi Gupta, Anisha Singh, Arpita Ganesh, Falguni Nayar, Rashmi Daga and Sairee Chalal are innovator and entrepreneurs in recent India.  They have revolutionised the Indian market with their new ideas and initiatives. 

We have women writers who have been expressing their ideas and thought to the public, moulding the minds of the people especially the young. They have proven that the pen is mightier than the sword. Arundhati Roy, Sobha De, Leela Devi, Anita Desai, Indira Goswami, Kiran Desai are few of the names from the long list of writers in India.    

There are women who have dedicated their lives to saving our one and only home, our earth. While man (pun not intended) has slowly been destroying this beautiful planet for centuries, there are people, among who are also women who have made it their life’s mission to save it. Medha Patkar, Radha Behen are named that though not known to most, but has made efforts to preserve nature.

But the most influential and inspiring women are the ones around us, our mothers, sisters, friends, colleagues. We are surrounded by these amazing women who have made a tremendous impact on our lives, who have helped us in ways to reach where we are today.

We, women, have come a long way, changing ourselves and changing the world around us as we go along. So as we celebrate each International Women’s Day, we benchmark our success, a reference point to look back on and give a pat on the back and hope in our hearts as we move ahead, paving a way for a brighter future for our daughters.