INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
For decades, conversations around women in India revolved around empowerment, as if they were waiting to be lifted. But something has shifted in the past ten years under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India has trekked into a new world, where women are active participants in progress and also, most significantly, the driving force that keeps India going on. The struggle of some women was to prove their worth in the four walls of the house, the workplace, place, or society at large; that was then. Today, they stand as an epitome of entrepreneurship, decision-making, and of being the creator of societal change, not because of sympathy but purely because they deserve to be there. The last decade was a route where women’s natural gifts were increasingly recognized, if not always respected. It is increasingly being realized that when a woman goes up the ladder, she pulls many along with her. Today, the climb in every field is by Indian women.
The potency of women is timeless; only a conducive environment was needed by them to espouse their strength; such an environment has unfolded in the past decade. Be it business, governance, technology, or education, women are stepping out now in full confidence. The erstwhile dependent woman is now financially independent, well versed in her rights, and spirited enough to chase after her dreams. It is no longer a society where women wait for opportunities; they create them. The deep transformative power of a nation making its own is felt by women taking charge of their own lives. Transformation is visible not merely in stats and reports, but in the day-to-day minute experience. It’s in the village girl who wishes to become a scientist, a young woman running her own company, in the mother teaching her daughter not to be afraid, and in the grandmother proudly watching the world her granddaughters are building.
The development model of the past was predicated on economic progress being done “for” women. But that model pales against the true strength of development truly done “by” women. Women look at their education, finances, and careers with the power to apply efficiency, compassion, and vision. The last ten years have proven that, not just once but time and again.
A quiet but strong tide is sweeping through society. The women are no longer passive contributors to the economy; rather, they are its definers. When they are no longer asking for safer streets, they will make sure they own those streets. They’re not conforming to society’s expectations; they are now creating the new ones. I am very much in awe of this generational attitude among women who, being erstwhile admired, no longer wish to wait. They believe they deserve the best, and they are ready to claim it. And best of all? They’re carrying other women with them. The concept of sisterhood-women for women-is getting stronger. There is more collaboration than competition. More women in power means passing more laws, establishing more businesses, and creating workplaces that truly understand the needs of women.
A sense of confidence in women has considerably grown in Modi led government. Women today are making maximal choices: in their careers, in education, and in personal matters. They are going to the fields that were once thought unreachable for them and are excelling in these fields. Gone are the days of hesitation; in their place is resoluteness, ambition, and an unwavering belief that nothing is off-limits. Without the work of women, no country can hope for progress. And today at first hand, India is witnessing it. The progress is in villages and cities, boardrooms and classrooms, science labs and sports fields. The walls that once forbade women are being broken, not because women were allowed to step forward but because they refused to be left behind. This past decade has shown that as such investments into women are made, the returns are simply immeasurable. What is being seen today is largely because of the thought processes that have gone ahead of policies and programs. The very revolution of this change has come in realizing that women are not merely passengers of growth but the drivers of it.
And yet, this is only the beginning. There is so much more to come on this exciting road. The women of India will not stop here. They have rewritten antiquated narratives and are now writing an unlimited future. The next decade will be filled with more achievements as Indian women continue to lead, inspire, and transform the nation while the world looks on. The future belongs to women and in India that future starts now.
(Author is Professor and Chairman of Centre for Narendra Modi Studies (CNMS) www.namostudies.com. Email: [email protected])
