This little glimpse into my earlier life is mainly to share with you my rock solid foundation when it comes to women’s rights and empowerment. It was not long ago that women had to struggle to be heard, to be counted and respected. Things have changed so much and I find inspiration in Angelina Jolie’s words, “Around the world there are countless examples of women rising, taking leadership, taking their destiny into their own hands, inspiring all of us.” While a lot has changed, a lot remains to be done and we have to do it ourselves.
We are privileged to have so many pioneers who paved the way for us and taught us to have self belief to achieve what we want. The society which used to be critical at first, indifferent later, has now accepted women in all walks of life. As Nancy Pelosi says, “Women are leaders everywhere you look—from the CEO who runs a Fortune 500 company to the housewife who raises her children and heads her household.
Our country was built by strong women, and we will continue to break down walls and defy stereotypes.” Her quote may be about the USA but it is just as relevant to every corner of the world. We all have our own targets to achieve, goals to score and myths to bust.
As your local councillor, I am committed to continue working for women’s empowerment in every way I can. This is not a project but a mission for life for all of us. I’ll leave you with these wonderful words by Sheryl Sandberg – “We need women at all levels, including the top, to change the dynamic, reshape the conversation, to make sure women’s voices are heard and heeded, not overlooked and ignored.”
Of all the subjects, women’s empowerment is the closest to my heart. Not the least because I am a woman myself. Growing up in a typical middle class family in Delhi, India, I realised very early in life that there was a clear distinction between girls and boys in the society which had really deep roots in people’s psyche.
From what girls should look like, what they can or cannot do, what they should or shouldn’t do all the way to how high they could aim in life, the path ahead was riddled with potholes in the form of long held beliefs that had no place in the world as I saw it.
Thankfully, there was another person who shared my view and with him by my side, nothing else seemed to matter. It was my father.
My father never let me feel there was anything beyond my reach only due to my gender. He drew no boundaries, imposed no restrictions of any kind. Encouraged by him, I could pursue my dreams in education, career and life choices.