by Rajat Subhra Chatterjee
0068
Empowerment is an intrinsic motivation made up of basically following cognitions:
- Sense of her self-worth
- Exercise her right to determine the choice
- Grab her right to access the opportunities & resources
- Have the right & power to control her own life – both within and outside of home.
- Influence the direction of social acceptance.
Women’s empowerment can be categorized into five main pillars :
- Social
- Educational
- Economic
- Political
- Psychological
Plenty of examples are there who are top achievers in their own field and organizations and at the same time, enjoy a blissful family life. However, Economic empowerment aids the ability to manage Risks and improve women’s well being. Social Security, if ensured, women in India will ride a fierce march to stardom as statistics shows that Women in India are in no way lagging behind Men in terms of intelligence, Courage and Innovations.
Examples :
Mother Teresa
Indira Gandhi
Kalpana Chawla
Indra Nooyi
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Priyanka Chopra
Mary Kom
Deepa Malik, – won a silver in shot put in 2016 Summer Para Olympics.
Bhabina Patel, -won a silver in Table Tennis at the 2020 Summer Para Olympics.
Sania Mirza
P V Sindhu, and many.
Can we focus more on Indian Sports Women ? A look at them will perhaps offer us a wider perspective how women in India are coming up fast. Any International sport when competed, offers the competitors to exchange languages, dress code and behavioral pattern with women from other countries. Ladies from much developed nations offer, unknowingly much needed boost to Indians in terms of self confidence, ability to exchange in their vernacular gradually, and to make themselves look smarter by certain dress code! This happens specially in a team game.
Imagine, Cricket !
With hugely increased popularity even amongst women in the world, the WIPL now being played in India amongst five teams and consisting of several overseas women cricketers is a glaring example. There have been poor Indian girls, from various corners of this vast nation, never heard before the WIPL, are now rubbing shoulders and sharing the dressing rooms with much fancied overseas players and exchanging easily with them in all respect. This enhancement in their attitude coupled with financial gains, places them on solid ground never even dreamt before. This WIPL alone offers all the five elements ( pillars ) of empowerment that a woman needed. When Saika Ishaq from Park Circus, Kolkata playing for Mumbai Indians gets a wicket with her orthodox left arm spin, the jubilation and adulation she receives from her team mates, is seen to be believed. That is empowerment for Saika. This is not the end of the story. This success of Saika will motivate many other girls and women in India to try to emulate the same feat. In the process, there could be huge upsurge of empowerment in Women Cricket in India in near future. And remember, all five parameters are getting fulfilled in this process of empowerment! One has to be the first timer to show the path. Willing followers will fall in places.
I have the temerity to talk about Sri Sri Ma Sarada Devi, the Holy Mother of Ramkrishna Sangha and Ramkrishna Order as the greatest example of Women Empowerment – not only in India but all over the world. When at the age of eighteen, a young Sarada came to her husband Sri Ramkrihna Dev at Dakhsineswar for the first time, Thakur Sri Ramkrishna asked her, if she had come to take him away in the path & process of maintaining family? To that was the instant response from Sri Ma Sarada . “ Why that would be ? I have come to help you in your path to worship and search for God”. Amazing ! Thereafter, Sri Sri Ma had maintained a highly, wholly spiritual life unseen and unmatched in the history of any Spiritualism. Sri Sri Ma was so enlightened and empowered that even Thakur Sri Ramkrishna had often remarked about her saying – : “ She is Sarada, She is Saraswati. She has come to offer knowledge. She is not ordinary ! She is my strength”. Sri Sri Ma, much later had queried to Sri Thakur- how, in what way He perceived Her ? Sri Thakur also instantly replied, – “ The Goddess who is worshipped in the Temple as Ma Kali, is the same person leaving in Nahabat Khana Room and now the same she is doing my Seva sitting at my foot ”. Such was the level of empowerment and enlightenment of Sri Sri Ma.
As Sri Sri Ma was hugely empowered and enlightened, she could utter sentences which mean a lot :
- Never ever see wrongs in others. Look at yourself first. Then only you will get peace in mind.
- Try to feel this universe as your own. No one is distant. This is your universe.
- I am the Mother of honests and dishonests as well.
- What is the fear my son ? When I am your Mother, is here, why fear ?
Empowerment is happening now in most homes in India with the advancement of technology. If used to one’s advantage, empowerment becomes easier. When a seven year old girl student was unable to translate her school home task of a Hindi pros in English she was exasperated as Hindi has been her third language. Now she suddenly opens Google Translate and merrily got her Hindi pros translated in to English. That is empowerment. This is happening every moment and in almost every house hold. This trend must be allowed to continue. Then whole scale Women’s Empowerment will be a success and India will stand high amongst Nations.
Concluded….
