Wishing all my colleagues, co-workers,friends and the women in my life (Amma ,Ranjini my wife and Samiksha our daughter) a happy women's day today. The International Women's Day (8 March) is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. In some places like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, International Women's Day is a national holiday.
It is said that the Suffragettes campaigned for women's right to vote. The word 'Suffragette' is derived from the word "suffrage" meaning the right to vote. International Women's Day honors the work of the Suffragettes, celebrates women's success, and reminds of inequities still to be redressed. The first International Women's Day event was run in 1911. 2011 is the Global Centenary Year, Coincidently IBM known for its workforce diversity is also celebrating its centenary. IBM celebrates International women's day on the 10th March. This year is special for all of us at IBM as IBM has been recognized by the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology as the Top Company for Technical Women. I am a proud IBMer now. You can find this cause on face book as well. Just search for "Women@IBM" and help the cause..
This evening, i received a women's day message from my cousin sister, Gowri. Gowri is an achiever and has climbed reasonable echelons in the Insurance and financial Industry and resides in our nation's financial capital, MUmbai.I think this is a wonderful message rightly highlighting the imortance of women and the need for a mature understanding of women and their contributions. The article itself is from the Times of India -Speaking tree series, but worth a thoughtful read.
Light is the nature of the sun, waves the nature of the sea and coolness the nature of wind. What endows a deer with placidity and a lion with aggression are their own original natures. Similarly, women and men have their own unique natures that distinguish them from each other.
The vast sky is the eagle's birthright. In the same way, a woman has the potential to soar into the endless sky of strength and freedom. But before this freedom can become a reality, woman must prepare herself through steady effort. It is the thought that she is powerless and saddled by numerous limitations and weaknesses that inhibits her. She must first eliminate such thinking. The fiber of a women's existence is her motherly love, compassion, patience and selflessness, and she should never abandon these qualities at any cost. If women reject their feminine qualities, it would only add to the imbalance currently being experienced in the world.
The forthcoming age should be dedicated to re-awakening the healing power of motherhood. This is the only way to realize our dream of peace and harmony for the world. If woman is to relate to man and man to woman, both must cultivate greater understanding, mental maturity and intellectual discrimination. If these are absent, discordant notes, arrhythmic patterns and unrest will be the hallmarks of society. Equality must be created in the mind. The inner strength of women flows like a river. If the current of a river encounters a mountain, the river will flow around it. If there is a cluster of rocks, the river will flow through them. Sometimes, it may flow under or over them. Similarly, feminine strength has the capacity to move toward the goal, overcoming any obstacle it encounters. We should remember that equality is not a matter of power or position. It is a mental state.
Women and men should honor the heart with the same importance they are giving to the intellect. They should strive to work in a way that reconciles intellect and heart, and be role models for each other. Then, equality and harmony will come about naturally.
Become humble. Remain a beginner till the end, like a child endowed with tremendous faith and patience. That is the best path. Such should be our attitude towards life and the experiences life brings to us. Then we will keep on learning. Our bodies have grown in all directions but not the mind. For the mind to grow and become as big as the universe, we should become a child. So, move forward. In your respective areas, feel the suffering of the people and work hard. There is a lot to learn. Let us do what we can do
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