We - Women

I was 16 when I decided to become a Chartered Accountant. Some people warned me that it is a man's world you are aspiring to venture into. You need to deal with different clients, agencies. It would not be always easy. But I was adamant and went forward. During my training with a CA firm, I understood what their warnings meant through various instances but at the same time, I got to work with some very sensible colleagues, the majority of which were boys. Our firm had around 5- 6 girls and around 15 boys. We used to travel outstation and at multiple client locations. People or surroundings were not always comfortable but the experience and support of my colleagues instilled confidence which became a foundation for a lifetime. It has been over 20 years now and to date, I have been working with the majority of men around. But genuinely I have nothing to complain about. Say it the power of qualification or the confidence or the awareness or the support of seniors but have been able to perform in all situations. I have come to the conclusion that when it comes to working, basic human character remains the same. If you understand how to deal with human tendencies, if you are fully committed and focused doing work becomes a little easier and gender doesn't matter. Yes, there have been instances where I have come across men trying to find methods of discouraging me but the fact is, I had similar experiences with women too. So, whenever I have across such situations instead of considering them from a gender perspective, I look at them as insecurities of human nature. The way women are performing at various levels right from entrepreneur, CEO to the housekeeping staff, from delivery staff to taxi drivers, from fighter plane pilots to ministers is something I am really happy about. Woman's power is unique, peculiar, and immensely commendable. We are naturally capable of bringing positivity, understanding, empathy, compassion, flexibility, creativity, multitasking, and balance at the workplace. We know how to command our due respect. We are indomitable if we decide." Dil yeh ziddi hain" is true in respect of most of us.

But what makes me a little sad is the nature of some posts that I come across around Women's day every year. Posts detailing how women have to do multitasking, how homemakers are not given their credits, how working women have to fight on both fronts, and so on. I myself have written about the level of efforts women have to put to perform at various levels and in the discharge of duties attached to various roles. In the majority of the households, it's the woman who has to put in lots more effort than a man of the house. Be it mentally, physically, emotionally the way a woman contributes to turning a house into a home is something non-debatable. Then why the posts trying to gain sympathy start circling around during Women's day is something beyond my understanding. Some may say it's not about sympathy but just sharing amongst ourselves or recognizing the pain or struggle. Maybe it is.

But the reality is in today's scenario life is not easy for both men and women. We are living in a world where we have to fight battles on and off. Be it personal, professional, mental, physical. But since we women have been gifted with some special sensibilities we are naturally bound to be more giving, more sacrificing, more loving, more understanding, and more adjusting. This very nature and the conditioning of the mind by society ensure that we tend to be more empathetic and responsible. If we watch carefully women tend to bring a balance in any situation. We are capable of searching for happiness even in critical situations. We know how to nurture. On the domestic front or even at workplaces we have something different to offer. Google once, "is EQ of women more? and see the answers. The characteristics which are our strengths are our weaknesses too. We tend to wear and tear more in the process.

We need to recognize and respect our special characteristics each and every day. We need to learn to turn our weaknesses into stepping stones for creating miracles. We need to build our inner strength from lessons we have day in day out from our lives and see that the spark in each one of us remains alive till the last moment. We need to consciously care about our own selves instead of expecting it from someone else. We need to value ourselves.

We are here not to compete but to complement, not to sacrifice but to love unconditionally, not to forgive but to accept wholeheartedly, not to prove but to progress, not to complain but to glow. We are the river that loves to flow, we are the mountain who stands strong, we are the fire who destroys all the negativities, we are the sea who embraces and accommodates all, we are the stars who like to shine, we are the rainbow full of colors, we are the beginning of this world, the creators of miracles!!!