Buon giorno!

This blog really needs to be updated! I know (*wink*)

Holidays are now here so I guess no more complaints about that. 

So I found this really very interesting movie called 'The Source' which explores the power of women in the Arab world. It is a definite must-watch film! Do watch the trailer to have an idea about what it is all about (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvxyIlq4Q7w)

For me it is thumbs up for the director and for the film overall. 

Dreams are only worthwhile when you do your best to attain them!

Hello awesome people! What I am bringing out today is something totally out of the world. I recently read an article on Yahoo! Sports which left me really full of pride. 

Gabby Price

It’s all about Gabby Price, the very talented, 9 year old girl who is all set to demark herself out on the sports field. Indeed the tennis court is not a mystery to her anymore; she knows every nook of the tennis court, the racket, and the tennis ball and that since a very early age. Her father a former Penn State tennis player himself did not actually predict a career in the same field as his, but he says, the moment his little girl was handed the racket, he knew she was meant for it. Both her parents are proud of their daughter and have given her the liberty to choose which field she wants to pursue.

Gabby Price is so talented that she is being put onto the level of Jenifer Capriati, who is considered to be among one of the best professional tennis player on the world. It is definitely a bright future ahead. Although she still does not have the height to see over the net, yes she is still 9 years old! Yet she manages to win and invests a lot of time and energy preparing her.

What I want to bring into limelight is the constant guidance her parents are to her. She is a fully satisfied child who is leaving no stone unturned to achieve what she has dreamed for herself. Dreaming big is not a problem unless you are not going to do anything to reach to make that a reality. I am impressed by Gabby Price’s self-confidence and devotion to outpace her performance. Here the canalisation from parents is not only a source of monitoring what the child is doing; acting as a guide, they are also encouraging her to show her that the sky is not the limit. There are girls out there who are suppressed and told not to dream big because genetically they have been born girls, and this is not a boon. I would like to salute Gabby Price’s parents and all those parents around the world and say thank you for allowing your daughters to realise their potential, encouraging them to attain what they dream of and most importantly, taking pride of the fact that they have a daughter. 

You can watch her video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1i-eH1qbXRA

Are You In?

This is definitely not rocket science!

Source: View here

Have you ever thought a world without women? Seems quite scary, isn’t it? While we are here, sitting in front of our screen and actually discussing about the importance of a woman, there are millions of girls out there who wish they would not be born a girl. Why? Because of the ugly inequality chain that still clutches our society.

What is even far-fetched is that now parents have the ability to select the gender of their baby. 
Marcy Darnovsky outlined in an article that 160 million of girls are missing throughout the world because of the unnatural selection done by parents. Undoubtedly, parents as individuals have the right to take such decisions. But this problem would not have existed if the attitude towards being a woman would have been different. Can you believe that we are living in the 21^st century and there are still some bunches of people out there who are so narrow-minded?

Understanding why discrimination still exists led me to a very obvious yet indiscernible factor. Economic reasons. In India for instance, the birth of a female child is seen as a “financial ruin” (Read More). Again, it is the closeness of mind within the society which is leading to discrimination. India has often been accused of its dowry system which supresses the woman and her family and this being the major reason behind female foeticide in the country.  

Let us leave aside Asia. The so called ‘developed countries’ are not lacking behind. Despite the fact that women out there are better aware of their rights, they are educated, and they hold prestigious job occupations, they are still victims of sexual harassment. What I found horrible is that a country like France has now decided to amend its legislation about sexual harassment which was considered as vague beforehand (Read More). Come on, we are in 2012 and it is now that this change is being brought on. But better late than never!

A source of inspiration.

Source: View Here

Hold your breath. I found this very interesting lady. The BBC focused on this “sharp-shooter granny” who has won innumerable medals and cups. And guess what? She is around 70years old. This is a definite must-read article. No, not for the shooting game ladies. But for the courage she showed to follow her passion, excel at it without pre-occupying about what the society would say (Read More). Would you dare to make your dreams come true?

Why I chose to talk on Women

The term feminism was not blatant to me. I studied sociology and there was a great deal of ‘woman’ in the quest of understanding society. But my aim by having this blog is not to go into the theoretical aspect of what the woman contributed to the society. I want to go deeper than that and open our minds to a new world where we can relate women to the pure essence of wits and beauty. Every single woman has inner and outer beauty. We just need to find it.

 Beauty just not in terms of appearance but in the personality as well. It is self confidence that we need.  What triggered this thought to me was Paulo Coelho’s quote-

 “If you act like a victim, you are likely to be treated as one” 

I want to outline that unless women show the willingness and the attitude that yes, we are the master of our life, it will not work. As I said earlier, I do not want to focus on the outer appearance but on how inner satisfaction and confidence lead to radiant smile and positive outlook over life. It is about grabbing opportunities that you think it might work for you, doing things that you feel at ease with, try new challenges and never to give up.

 What really inspired me to write about women is also that sense of sensuality and comfort that they bring. Think for yourself, what would be your life without your mother. I recently read that somewhere a home is not a home without a mother. Be it a mother, a sister, a daughter; all of these roles hold a special place in social relationships. It is not about feeling low about it; it is using it to your advantage, not in the wrong sense. There is nothing wrong in being cherished by your surroundings.

 I had the opportunity to read the biography of the deceased Indira Gandhi by Pupul Jayakar. Her life is an example of how she struggled in her life as a young girl and afterwards as a woman. She had to watch her family going to prison and she says that in her very childhood, she felt an enormous responsibility on her shoulders. She did not rely on her family to take care of herself; instead she had to be responsible for herself. All I want to say is that, I am happy for having this platform to inspire other girls or woman reading this to be proud of what they are.

A Glimpse of me...

Water

The reason why I chose to represent myself as water is because it is the epitome of woman. Water is versatile just like the woman who is able to interchange her roles at any point in life. Water is at the very essence of life; the woman gives life. Water protects as much as it can harm, it assures the life of human beings but prove to be disastrous during natural calamities; the woman, as a mother protects her child when the need arises. Water is easily mixed with other entities to create yet it maintains its identity; the woman does the same. Both water and the woman symbolises beauty, flexibility, stability, power and endurance.  

Greetings

Hello. This is Divya Ruggoo of the Charles Telfair Institute. I am currently doing BA Mass Communication, this is my second year, second semester. I have decided to have a blog on woman. Yes! Woman. Women in all spheres of life, be it political, be it in the literature field, sports, be it in the film, music or modelling industry and last but not the least, the feminists school of thoughts. All because I believe in equality. I love discovering new things and learning out from them. My new discovered hobby is to watch movies.