Unsung & Unknown Nav Durgas

Who dare to aspire big and change the perception concerning women?

Women's Reservation Act is a reality now. The Nobel Prize is awarded to Claudia Goldin, who has been analyzing the data for 200 years to present a graph of women's contribution to the workforce. Of course, she has written many papers on the points related to this phenomenon.

This made me comprehend the social picture from a different perspective. An opportunity to work with the karve Sanstha established by Bharat Ratna Maharshi Karve too helped to understand the centuries long struggle of women. It helped to grasp the small things or baby steps taken by ordinary women silently which gradually are changing the perception of society.

 

 

I was on the crowded Sinhgad road trying not to be annoyed with the traffic jam and a small group of school children traveling in a small van caught my attention. They were as usual talking to each other, singing, mischievously tricking each other, and playing too, but the driver did not seem to be perturbed. As I was passing by the van, I saw a woman in the driving seat accompanied by another woman in the front seat. The driver was very confident and comfortably steered her way out of the jam. She concentrated on the vehicles around her and was calm and composed. Within no time she could find the way out of the traffic.

When a separate driving batch for women was started, I was not aware that many aspire to be in the profession, but the batch was full. Many could get through the driving test and had a license.

From Pune, if one takes the route of Bopdev ghat to reach Saswad, there are many roadside vegetables and fruit stalls, many are run by women. Many young girls manage these stalls, I often talk to the young college-going girls when I visit these stalls. One of them completed her MBA and now working with a renowned bank in Pune and the younger one wants to follow in her footsteps after completion of her degree course. They travel by bus every day and whenever have a little time, they help manage the stall and deal with the customers smartly. Both of them want to work.

When visiting a famous temple of a Devi near Prayagraj, the main task of disciplining the devotees ( most of them were women ) was entrusted to lady police personnel. The temple is on a small hillock and has many entry points with long queues. The inner chamber was small, the climate was hot and humid, and everyone wanted to bow down to the deity, there too lady officers were dealing with the situation with a deft hand without causing any unease. They were barefooted.

At Ayodhya too the original idol of Ram Lala is placed in a makeshift temple, people rush to Ayodhya from every part of our country for its Darshan. Devotees become very emotional when they are in long queues, they wait quietly for their turn, but the number is huge and at many points, all are to be screened. Lady Cops dealt with the people with great patience and never saw them being irritated. They all understand and respect the feelings of the devotees well.

We all visit the malls, it is not a new phenomenon. Women always expect to have clean toilets in malls or hotels or airports or hospitals, rather than everywhere. Usually, these toilets are looked after by simple women, they keep cleaning them throughout the day, it is their job. This really is a very difficult task,but women have undertaken the responsibility of social hygiene.

In Cherapunji, ( Sohora is the local name )adjacent to the hotel was a small shop managed by a young girl. Sunsets by 5.40 pm in the month of October, but she used to attend to the customers till 10.30. It was a matter of surprise, but she worked fearlessly and happily.

All who go to Tawang, visit the border area. It is a rough and terribly difficult terrain, the roads were being constructed on a big scale five years ago, altitude is very high, but we saw women working on the site, some had their kids to look after too. The roads would help our army to have access to the border area when needed.

In Arunachal Pradesh mothers have stood against the menace of drugs that is destroying our young generation and their precious gift, their children. They all work fearlessly, with all their might, they want to save their children.

I distinctly remember the woman who was a bedside assistant and had three children, both husband and wife were working parents. Sometimes there used to be a lot of cash crunch as the family had 6 members, and 3 were school-going kids. One day probably there was too much pressure on him which he could not deal with, so when it resulted in a heated argument, he retorted that why didn't the wife return to the native village and leave him in peace? The answer from the wife opened his eyes, she said that if his mother too had taken the same decision after his father just disappeared one day and went to his native, could he have been educated? The difficulties would arise but together they could fight and give better opportunities to their children.

As I am writing this, I remember the sparkling eyes of two girls who were from a small basti near Saswad, belonged to families with meager sources of income but dreamt of becoming interior designers. They scored well in the higher secondary exams and almost completed the first year of science but the dream of being an interior designer could not be forgotten, they knew that the fee of the vocational institute of Karve Sanstha was beyond their capacity. One day both reached the vocational institute of karve sanstha, and talked to the officials, described their limitations too. Their parents too were ready to work harder to support them, but still couldn't manage to pay the fees and give wings to their dreams. Of course, Karve Sanstha supports such brave girls, they could get the needed assistance, and they too worked with all their might, now working with some firms and supporting their families too. It was really difficult to forget their dream which would not allow them to be quiet and compromise.

I do not know the names of these Nav Durgas, they are simple women, who are determined, and ready to work to build their future. I only remember their confident, fearless, and smiling faces. They contribute to the workforce and to our economy. They are set to change the social scenario.