Just-a-Pause: Happy Wo(e)man's Day

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For years the woman cribbed, cried, and waited for the day when her dreaded mother-in-law would pass on the family baton to her. This was the story till the joint family structure collapsed. Today we are witnesses to a new emerging woman- who is no longer just a cog that helps the family wheel to roll smoothly. Nah! Today, a woman is helpless only while her nail polish is drying.

The recent Idea Cellular commercial - "Ek dusre ko samajne ke liye - telephone exchange", where an accidental exchange of the husband and wife's phones for a day promotes empathy between the two. This is really a great theme for couples who have yet to understand and appreciate each other. What an idea Sirji!!

Today it's all about mutuality- that's the name of the new game. And mind you, I'm not only referring to the baton wielding autocrat (mother-in-law), but the male chauvinist pigs too! Jokes apart, in this changed domestic equation, the MIL and MCPs (whom we call Angels and Husbands now!) are rather quite a help; to give the devil its due!! There is a welcome reversal where the pati is almost stepping down from the pedestal of parmeshwar (and for some unfortunate patis, the baton wielding autocrat is the patni).

The Indian woman is discovering her balance. For years she has fought for her rights to work and earn not only money, but self respect. At the same time, she knows that returning home late from office does not always earn her brownie points for working hard. Yet, girls just want to have Funds.

While transgressing the established social code, the modern women treads on a very thin line between being charming and being perceived as a chameli. She has to blend the duties of a bahu with the rights of a beti, the authority of a mother with the camaraderie of a friend, the responsibility of a wife with the excitement of a lover, the softness of a married woman with the glamour of a size-zero, and finally the strictures of self-denial with the gratification of self indulgence. Whew!

On one hand, life's too short to wear boring clothes; but on the other, when women wear short clothes to make life interesting... that can get dangerous! It's always better (and safer!) to have more than you show. Just Show Up and Look Good.

Get off your duff dudettes. Happy Wo(e)men's Day!!