On Women's Day

Those nicely kajaled eyes of a naqabposh, which could actually spell disaster, once cautioned me about the side stand of my bike.

And in another fine morning, when she could've said 'no uncle', asked me politely to come in the shared cab and dropped me to office for an important meeting.

Both strangers, both sensitive to fellow human beings, both women.

In a candid confession, once my boss told me that he used to be jealous when girls used to get good marks just after demonstrating their smiles in viva. He, however, now thinks that it was a skill women generally posses. Even guys are blessed with some default wired brains to do certain jobs easily.
If it is a cause to support empowerment, I tend to disagree. They were always empowered! Kaikeyi forced Ram to exile and Jijabai trained Shivaji to be 'Shivaji' and Rani Laxmibai and Rani Pandmini and every mother and every sister.

But don't we also owe some gratitude to Dashrath and Janak and Nana saheb and every father and every brother.

Let's don't make women alien as they actually are not from Venus nor men are from Mars. If at all there should be something to celebrate, it should be equal opportunity, equal rights and equal responsibilities, with obviously retaining the beauty of our uniqueness. All days are women's day and men's day. Celebrate to the fullest.

- Amit Roop