Rashmi's Space

Dear Rashmi… That is how they begin. Each of them. With that endearment. No, not because they know me personally. They don't. They just have my name in their database. Like millions of others. And an email id, or phone number, that is stored with them. So that they can send me messages exactly three times every year – once on my birthday, once on my anniversary, and once on Women’s Day. And since neither my birthday, nor my anniversary falls on Women’s Day, I get to enjoy the discounts and special offers they entice me with, on three different occasions! Awesome, right? And they are of all sorts! But the best are the ones who wish to sell me jewellery at a huge discount. And I cannot believe they are being so generous. I mean, really. If it weren’t Women’s Day, would I think of buying jewellery? Of course not! I would be busy doing what I would do on any other day – cook, clean, do the laundry … you know, the normal chores. But not for a moment would I think of jew...

The wind blows my hair in my eyes as I struggle to put the washing out to dry. The weather has been treacherous lately. Sudden rains and thunderstorms, followed by hours of calm, strong sunshine; only to be caught unawares by strong winds that howl in the narrow passages and tear at the hoardings on the highways. Oh, I almost forgot! Hello! Myself Mrs. Bhagirathi. The kids in my building call me Mrs. B. I am a housewife. Homemaker, they call me these days. Not that it makes any difference to what I do. But it is a better title it seems. Anyway, as I was saying, it is important to get all the washing done as early as possible, before the weather turns. And also because, once all the household chores are done, I can sit and concentrate on something that I actually enjoy doing! Like read, for example. Or maybe even get some creative work done. Some gardening. There are always bills to pay, of course. And when everything else fails to hold one’s interest, well, there is alwa...

It is early evening. I have just had my evening tea and my young one has run outside to play. Soon the sun will set and it will be time to light the lamps. And then I will ask myself the same question I have been asking for years – what do I cook for dinner today?   What, now you are shaking your head and muttering tch tch under your breath because you opened this post looking for some serious intellectual or political or even emotional quandary women find themselves into? Well, I will have you know, that this one question is a huge intellectual, political and emotional problem rolled into one! Now you'll say what's the big deal? There are so many dishes to choose from; just go ahead and choose one! And I would agree, only; my problem stems from this very variety of choices that are available to me!  Okay, then ask the family, you say. Fine. So I ask the man of the house what his preferences for dinner would be; and “anything” comes the reply. Hmmm, that went...

“Dear girls, get a degree, start earning, buy a house and a car, give back to your parents and then get married. Don’t put your 100% on a man.” Saw this on social media today. It had more than a few thousand likes and hundreds of comments. Then there was another post doing the rounds on social media – about how and why women are not thrilled about the idea of wearing bindis, sindhoor, bangles, toe-rings and other similar signs proclaiming their marital status to the world. And then there is also this fact that the culture of arranged marriage (with the age of the groom never being much of a concern; but the age of the bride preferred to be in the early twenties); is seeing a significant change. The average marriage age, for the bride and the groom today has gone up considerably; especially that of the bride; which brings me back to the whole Dear girls post mentioned above. These posts stem, no doubt, from the idea of women empowerment; because frankly, in our countr...

Its a man's world, they say..... The journey begins with birth. A baby is born in a hospital where there are too many people and too much light. In the midst of all the hustle bustle around him, the baby sees his Mother - soft, soothing, loving, caring - and his Father - strong, calm, quiet, making his presence felt. From an early age, the baby starts to understand how things work.  Feeding time = Mother.  Playtime = Father. 

She is clothed with strength and dignity And she laughs with no fear of the future   - Proverbs 31:25:31 NLT Beauty, grace, glamour, mystery - a woman represents all these and much more! As a mother, sister, friend, lover, wife and soulmate; a woman has always been the symbol of strength and dignity since time immemorial. Sometimes, hailed as virtuous, courageous, adventurous, strong-willed.....but most of the time, not mentioned, not acknowledged.....it's that time of the year to celebrate her once more!