It’s that time of the year again, can you believe it another 8th of March is here. Yes, we are talking about the International Women’s Day! To begin with I would like to congratulate all women on having procured a day specifically for us. If you smell sarcasm, pardon me, but what I mean is that each day should be for all women and men alike. Appreciation, Care, and showing Respect is not something that can be confined to just one day.
Now moving further what can I possibly say about a woman that has not already been said? Sensitive and powerful, vulnerable yet strong, a giver and taker all at the same time. There’s much more that goes about women, but I won’t focus on that and make men feel left out.
These days IWD is celebrated world over and it’s more about celebrating the achievement of women, show them they are cared for and that they matter as a mother, daughter, sister, wife, friend or colleague. But the tradition which began in 1914 had a bigger purpose – Women Empowerment and Equality.
If you go back in history, you’ll see that this was a movement that started a century ago and at that time we were fighting for suffrage (our right to vote). Over the years we have made a lot of progress, yet we are not completely there. Thanks to many brave men and women whose continuous efforts have given many of us our right to live, to be the driving force in our lives, yet many more still suffer and fight.
Keeping this in mind, this year we are not advising you about how to take care of your health (which you should) or how to make most of this day. Instead, we are calling on you to join the hands and support the UN theme of 8th march – Be Bold For Change.
It is in tangent with every year’s theme, a call for gender equality – including but not limited to equal opportunity, equal respect, equal pay and to stand against any unnecessary prejudice or bias. I believe a theme that is not just close to my heart but for all those who believe in an equal and fair world.
Be Bold For Change means stepping up, and taking measures or actions, no matter how big or small or inconsequential it may seem, but that which shows your involvement to promote equality. We all need to do our bit, voice your opinions, use every opportunity you get. If you like not to speak, then there are more ways to show protest against inequality. Stand up for women and even men, as we are not trying to overshadow or overpower men. We are just asking for what’s rightfully ours.
It may be a day you choose to relax, yet it’s not the time to sit back. No matter how you cover it, we all know the sorry state of affairs where women are concerned. Therefore, we need to rise together, sweep the world of its feet, woo the women back to a gratified life. If we cannot participate in our war, then we relinquish the right to sit back and blame the world.
So once again, Be Bold, Be the Change you Want to See, Be everything that you are and dream to be, and nothing less. Perhaps in time, we will see the world that’s been denied to one-half of the world, a successful unification where every day will be Women’s and Men’s Day.