Saluting Woman Power!

When I was asked to write about the one woman I look up to, it did not take me long to come up with an answer. It is my grandmother.

My grandmother was the most courageous and progressive woman that I have come across till date.

Being a woman, what she lacked in physical strength when compared with a man, she made up with her inner strength. It was this innate courage that helped her cope with this roller-coaster ride called life.

Her patience, tolerance, courage, and compassion were the four pillars of her strength.

She was a woman who was barely educated (in the traditional sense she had been to school only up till class 3), yet she was one of the most knowledgeable women I ever knew. She had embraced the philosophy of aryasamaj. Her views on society, politics, education, women’s liberty would leave any so called intellectual to shame. She had read all the Vedas and was a truly liberated woman.

She encouraged her husband, my grandfather to move to the city (Delhi) from a small village in Haryana because she wanted a better life for her children and herself. A truly ambitious woman, she left no stone unturned to help her husband fulfill his dream of a flourishing business in Delhi.

It was her loving and motivating presence that allowed her children to excel in their chosen fields.

She raised her granddaughters as sons and instilled a sense of independence in them from a very young age.

Today, she may not be there with me anymore. But she has left her values and courage as a legacy to me and my sisters.

This women’s day, I take the opportunity to salute my grandmother and sing a song in her honor, praising her dignity and a sense of self respect.

Redefining romance!

Growing up on a staple diet of mills and boon novels, I had a certain notion about romance...very very mush, extremely OTT, and the hero and the heroine would inevitably ride together into the sunset! There would then be that predictable happy ending with the declaration "And they lived happily ever after!" 

Then I read Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell where the hero and the heroine did not ride together into the sunset, where the heroine did not swoon at the sight of the dark, brooding, grumpy, filthy rich and sickeningly gorgeous hero. Rhett Butler, the sexiest fantasy man to date was all of what I described earlier, but the heroine was different too. She was no virgin, definitely not miss goody two shoes, had a mind of her own, and stood her ground in front of the super sexy Rhett (I'm almost swooning already at the thought of him!), and did not cry copious tears pining for the man she loved. She wasn't apologetic about using him for financial security or about using any means whatsoever (what is popularly and cheaply known as womanly wiles) to get him back when she realized that she wanted him. And in the end Rhett and Scarlett do not ride into the  sunset. Instead of the happily ever after, the book ends with Rhett telling Scarlett "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn!" To this Scarlett replies "I'll go home, and I'll think of some way to get him back! After all, tomorrow is another day!"

Wondering what's gotten into me? Why have I suddenly unleashed this summary of probably the original chick-lit novel? 

Well, over the years, I thought I had finally become practical and mature and had moved into my Scarlett/Rhett romance era as opposed to the Mills and Boon romance era for good. ;)

That was until today!

:) the thing is that today was my parents' 30th engagement anniversary! not wedding anniversary but engagement. And what happened during the course of the day took me back to my pre-Gone with the Wind fantasy days!

8:00 AM: My parents and i are driving to the nearby park for our customary morning walk. Mom casually mentions, do you know what day is it today? I take the hint and excitedly say that it is their engagement anniversary. This of course was for my father's benefit who I was sure would not have remembered. :)

12 Noon: Papa comes home to pick his tiffin. Mom packed kofte for papa. Normally, she would not, coz papa is a diabetic, but today was special, you see!   

3 PM: Papa calls to check if my mom is around. I tell him that she isn't.  I ask him if there is a message and he shyly says "Nahi aise hi baat karni thi." 

He then goes on to say, "Achcha aaj wo hamari anniversary hai na. kuchch lau?" I tell him excitedly, "bouquet le aao." :)

8 PM: Papa and my brother are having dinner. Mummy enters the room. My father is shy to give the bouquet to her so tells her "ye bouquet rakha hai." hehehe. Mom looks at it and like any self respecting woman would storms out of the room. I ask her "kya hua? papa itne pyar se aapke liye bouquet laye hai aur aap..." and she says "dia kaise?" :) i go to the room and tell my father "ache se do na, warna nahi manengi" then mom walks in again. This time round papa gives it to her nicely with a smile on his face. I wish you all could see the look on my mom's face. She was blushing like a teenager. hahah I know this is getting more filmy by the minute! 

10 PM: Papa Mummy go for an after-dinner walk. Normally, my brother and I accompany them. Today, we give them some privacy. Its a moon-lit night and my parents walk hand in hand. (Okie that bit I added on my own :) but it sort of fits in!) 

11 PM: Papa tells me that he will ensure that she takes her BP medicine first thing tomorrow morning. He says "Mai apne hath se khilaunga. Fir kaise bhulegi?" 

 Who says romance dies after a few years of married life...my parents are going great guns...with god's grace! I think I am going to stick with the mills and boon romance era for a while now! :)