For the next generation of women

 

Dear Little Girl,

Do you know what today is? It’s International Women’s Day. “What is that?” you may ask. Well, it’s a day where the entire world celebrates US!! We are told how special we are, how strong and beautiful we are. They say we make the world an amazing place. It sounds wonderful, doesn’t it!! But i am sorry to say that it doesn’t last.

If you are able to read this, then consider yourself very very lucky. Because there are millions and millions of girls around the globe who never get a chance to go to school. “Why so?” you may ask. Well its because our society doesn’t consider girls as an equal. There are so many men and women who still think that a woman’s rightful place is at home, in the kitchen. So, what use is schooling to her!!

Everyday as you grow you will witness the struggles a woman has to undertake on a daily basis. “What struggles?”. Let me start with the simple ones, take your mother for example, every morning she wakes up readies you for school, prepares breakfast and lunch for the entire family, gets herself ready and manages to reach office on time. While your father just needs to get ready himself, have breakfast and leave. Life is simpler for the man because he is “the man of the house” while a woman is always a mother, a wife first and a person at last.

A woman has to struggle twice as hard as a man to achieve anything. You will hear arguments such as, “This is a man’s job”, “Girls lack the strength for it”. No matter how many women before you have broken the glass ceiling you will have to do it all over again for yourself. And when you do that my dear, reach out and extend your hand to other women and pull them up with you. For a long time now woman have worked only to pull each other down. I hope your generation is different!

You will be constantly judged, on the basis of your looks, your job, your clothes, the number of boyfriends you have, the way you raise your children and so on. Don’t let that scare you, it comes with the territory. Every woman goes through it all her life. Just hold your head high, brush off the negativity, criticism and keep reaching for the stars.

Another thing you need to remember is that, from the day you were born till the day you die, you are never ever safe. No matter which country you live in, no matter what time of the day or night it is, it is always unsafe. Bad things happen to women all the time, then there are protests and candlelight marches, but no solid action is ever taken. So keep this in mind when you want to go to that late night party or you decide to take a cab post work. Only you are responsible for your well being.

Have i turned you into a cynic already? Do you not trust men anymore? Don’t do that, because walking on this tough path you will find many, many men, who will love you, respect you and support you. They will treat you as equals and sometimes might even become the wind beneath your wings.

Most importantly though, love yourself and celebrate your womanhood every single day!! Because you are truly one of a kind.

Love,

Apoorva

 

 

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