Hello there!

 Since I have promised to post here regularly, here I am with another post. I hope to post here at least twice a week. [Or maybe thrice if you leave me loads of nice and engaging comments 😛 ]
 

March 8th is international women's day. The day always begins with a slew of Whatsapp forwards wishing me a 'Happy Women's Day'. While the wishes might be genuine [even if it's forwarded with the click of a button without even bothering to write my name or ask how I am 😉]  I do feel Women in our country have a raw deal.

Most of us have been programmed by patriarchal upbringing that we don't even notice it when women aren't treated right. We accept that this is how things are.

A few days back, a young girl jumped to her death in Kolkata, allegedly because of Dowry harassment. If you haven't read it, do read  about it here.  

 I had tweeted about it:

For this to stop parents of girls should REFUSE to pay dowry. Don't place so much emphasis on getting off girls married fearing "what will society say". Let your girls be financially independent. That's what is more important than marrying them off. https://t.co/YnIMTu5YJd

— Preeti Shenoy (@preetishenoy) March 4, 2021

I do think parents should be strong enough to not bow down to the societal pressure and should support the girl in whatever she wants to pursue.  The heroine of my book The Rule Breakers faces a similar situation. She is a meek, sensitive, soft spoken girl who cannot say no to her father, and hence sacrifices her dreams and agrees to get married.

 The story deals with Veda's journey. If you wish to read the book, you can order it here.

 Some days back, a newspaper had interviewed me asking me two important questions. Here's what they had asked, and my replies too.

The One advice I wish I had heard while starting out:

Today I am living my dream. I have worked extremely hard for it, struggled, faced rejections and have now  accomplished whatever I have so far, on my own. There was no one to guide me or give me advice or hold my hand or pick up the pieces when I was down. Hence the question of ‘I wish I had heard this’ doesn’t arise!

 However, I  do have one piece of advice for anyone who is starting out. There will be a hundred people who tell you that it cannot be done. If you tell anyone your dream, it is likely they will not perceive it the way you do. So be your own best friend. Reach inside yourself and find that reservoir of courage. Set it free, and immerse yourself in it. Fight, fight hard for your dreams. If you don’t do it, no one will do it for you.

What should woman should demand in her life?

Financial independence is the one thing every Woman should have. Women constitute 48.1 percent of the population. Yet women account for only 19.9 percent of the labour force, which means over 80 percent of the women depend on a man for their livelihood. This would definitely cause an imbalance in the relationship. The person who holds the purse-strings does hold the power. Your man might be the nicest person; He might not ‘object’ to your spending. You might not even have to ‘ask him’. But the very idea of depending on a man should change. If you are unable to take up a full time job, do something just for yourself. Don’t spend your entire time just for the family.

What are your thoughts on Women's day? If you are a woman, what do you wish for the most? What do you really want?

If you are a man, how are you planning to celebrate women's day?

Tell me in my comments! I'd love to know.

 (If you are reading this in your inbox, do head over to my comment box)

Love
Preeti

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Photo by Nadi Whatisdelirium on Unsplash