Abha Mehta
Guest blogger
#loveofwriting
I have often wondered if my life would be easier if I were not a woman. I do not think I have all the answers even after spending more than five decades on this planet, but I sure feel it would be a lot different from what it is now.
Don’t get me wrong, different does not mean better or worse, it just means “not the same “. I don’t usually stay with the same chain of thought for very long but this one does not go away because being a woman is not just a fact or a reality, it’s a way of being or living. The book “Men are from Mars and women from Venus” probably started with the same premise and the recent movie Hum or Tum also added its unique flavor to the differences between the two long-existing genders.
In my case, each time a male colleague usurped credit for good work done by a woman, or a team led by a woman, I hated being a woman but still could not ask to be a man after seeing what they did. At home when I saw my domestic help come to work after being beaten by her alcoholic husband, I hated the fact that she was a woman but still could not imagine becoming a man who could be that cruel. When I open my wardrobe and look at a plethora of apparel in different colors, designs, and combinations, I realize it is difficult to be a woman but can’t imagine wearing the same attire as a man every day.
When I stand up and fight for my fellow women or give a voice to my thoughts at various online forums, I feel that it is not loud enough, good enough, or smart enough to create an impact and yet I notice that there the men folk have sat in silence all through. Their way of commenting or reacting is by maintaining a silent stance.
I think it is not easy to be a woman because we are trying to change the world, we do it vociferously every year with panel discussions, articles, and presentations on Women’s Day but, we are living the change each moment, each day, each time when we acknowledge that we want a world that accords an equal value to us. I do not think we want to be “one of the boys” or “like the men”, I want to be a woman in my own right and that right makes me equal to another man and woman, not lesser, not lower, and not weaker in any way. Women can be different from men and vice versa but equality is not about appearances and choices, it is about perceived value and acknowledged status. Thankfully, I do not want to be anything other than a woman myself, I can’t imagine living like a man, not in physicality and not in the alpha-mindedness of it all. I have come to realize that,
To be a woman is to
blossom in your own spring
Walk on your own path.
Speak your own words.
Fight on your own terms
&
Be complete on your own!
Abha believes she became an author when she started writing her own essays and speeches as a student and continued the journey thereafter. More than PowerPoint, she has been a power of the word kind of professional and her colleagues gave me the moniker abhawordsmith! It has stuck with her and she wrote in English and Hindi with #abhawordsmith.
She has just started focusing on her writing journey and have started writing on various social media pages, and FB groups to hone her craft. These are baby steps that will help her realize her dream of having a blog and being a published author. Until then, the pleasure is in the journey that has just begun !
About A New You:
We all deserve to have everything in our life exactly the way we want it.The first step begins with believing that every moment is bringing an opportunity to be a new you. As a founder, I provide tools to elevate all dimensions of your life and I teach you the art of writing to reach to your true potential.
Vandana Sehgal | Founder – A New You
