Rashmi's Space

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...

We have all seen the latest #ShareTheLoad advertisement by Ariel going viral. It is commendable for a prestigious brand like Ariel to propogate gender equality and convey a much needed powerful message the Indian audience today.  The ad shows a woman, deftly managing her home and her work and at the same time also making sure that she caters to every whim of everyone in the house – be it her son or her husband. At the end of the ad, her father is shown realising his folly of having raised her thinking this is alright; and apologising to his daughter on behalf of his entire generation that let both men and women grow up believing in the wrong values. But not anymore , he is shown to decide, changing himself by helping out his wife at home and accepting to “share the load.” .    It is, no doubt, a thoughtful ad on gender equality , and I am sure it resonates with several people as well as with an entire generation of fathers who have never helped th...

It has been a bright and sunny day. A couple of hours before sunset, the last bright rays of the sun streak in through the window. She sits by her bay window, looking out at the garden, waiting, killing time till she has to go and attend the evening gala. It is an important day for her today. The day when the world will acknowledge her accomplishment, yet again! And she sits by her window, ready to face the world. Confidently. It wasn’t always like this, she remembers. Growing up in a home where her parents’ loyalties always lay with her brother and in a society where everyone always made it look like it was wrong for someone to be born as a woman; she always thought she was lacking something because she was not the male of the species. She has grown up seeing that it is the men who are considered superior. She has seen that it is her brother who is the apple of her parents’ eye and she is, well maybe a sour grape? Even if for a moment she decides to ignore it; the ...

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!

I recently met a few friends for lunch. Part of the group, were working moms, stay-at-home moms and a working from home moms (like yours truly).  After the initial cat-up about kids and family, the conversation naturally veered towards work-life-balance. One of my friends, who is a stay-at-home mom mentioned that she was looking for a part-time job. She felt a little a little depressed, she said, and admitted that she was stuck in some kind of an identity crisis. A mother and a homemaker by choice, she couldn't help the feeling that she was losing out on her identity as an individual. We all knew her to be a very intelligent and successful person in her own right, although, she sometimes tends to think more with her heart…so, this friend of mine, felt she was losing herself somewhere between being a mother and a wife and a dutiful daughter-in-law.  Listening to her, another of my friends, who works full-time, said it was much better to be at home full time, as she s...