INDIA NEWS
March 1-15, 2021 - Vol 1, Issue 17
WOMEN’S DAY SPECIAL
Women - Silent, Powerless and “Lost in the Kitchen! By Ms Priyam Sinha
If there is one thing I love, it is an untold story. History is told through the eyes of those who hold power and authority. And while we are acutely aware that women have power, they rarely possessed it to narrate their story. They were compelled to take a backseat and hear their story being narrated. On International Women’s Day, one inevitably celebrates the journeys of public icons who dared to navigate a road not taken. Amidst those journeys one usually forgets to take a sneak peep intothe diaries of those women who were silenced, shunned, and denied from manning the front. The domestic chores performed by women, disproportionate amount of time spent by women in performing care work in comparison with men and gendered social norms have denied women an equal footing in the social realm. Moreover, even when they do pursue their dreams and professions in a collaborative venture within family businesses, they are given an instant backseat. Hawker centres in Singapore are one such trend since the 1980s which has established its distinctive global identity.
the sudden increase in foreign migrant workers in the island nation it emerged as the most cost effective and viable source of employment and entrepreneurial ventures. It very well fits within the multicultural model of Singapore with each stall putting up food representative of the country. Most of these stalls are run within family networks with each member being designated tasks for providing efficient services especially during its rush hours. Even within families owning stalls it is common to spot couples running the stall together with one doing the talking and the other in the background, often performing chores. But who decides that and what does it convey?
Hawking was initially viewed as a nuisance in Singapore but with
The following poem is inspired from the interaction with one such couple owning a stall serving Indian food in Singapore. Her husband spoke on her behalf and she smiled helplessly agreeing to all he said and following his instructions. He confidently asserted “Look at my wife there. She is an entrepreneur now as I helped her set this stall up in Singapore.” Can you spot her voice? A voice that I could not hear, and a voice that was silenced under patriarchal construes of supremacy that remains unaccounted for. Is
“I can hear the roar of women’s silence”, Thomas Sankara once said. Women in every part and corner of the world are now making their mark and setting the bar high. In a patriarchal world they are fighting their
way to rightful and muchdeserved place on the high table challenging stereotypes. They are changing the world for the better and accomplishing herculean undertakings, where others would not dare to tread. INDIA NEWS A seven-year old’s dream.
S
hruti Kotwal: The Queen of Speed
It takes courage to walk in an uncharted territory, to dream of the beyond and more. It takes courage to absorb criticism and emerge as a winner while the world expects you to falter. But for some, Life is a challenge worth taking head on. Being courageous is second nature to her and there is no sign of her slowing down anytime soon. Our Naari for today is an exceptional example of dedication, hard work, patience and of course, speed. Our nation might have failed to recognise her talent but not the world. A selftaught athlete and an aspiring Olympian, she is none other than the Queen of Speed, India’s first female ice speedskater, Shruti Kotwal.
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Shruti started roller skating at the age of seven. As she grew, she started showing her natural athletic traits and evolved her hobby into her passion. Having won numerous gold medals in the national roller-skating competitions in India, Shruti was already shaping her future to represent India at the Olympics. Her dream, came to an abrupt halt after she realised that roller skating as a sport was still not recognised as an Olympic event. Not willing to give up on her aspirations, Shruti made a crucial decision that would change her future. Shimla, 2008 Not many in India know about the National Winter Games hosted in Shimla. It is the only place in India with a natural ice-skating rink and also the only place in India for aspiring ice speedskaters to practice once a year. In 2008, Shruti participated in her first-ever National Winter Games and made up her mind that if she were to represent India at the Olympics the only way would be through ice speed skating. The young woman was aware of how similar and yet how technically different roller skating and ice
she independent to take her own decisions? Are they equal partners in the new journey they decided to undertake together? Lost in the Kitchen! (Inspired from the interview of a couple at the Hawker Centre, Singapore She smiled at me, Not like she didn’t seem interested to narrate her story. I was all ears to hear her out, Her story of agony, despair, humiliation, and invisibility. But he spoke on behalf of her, Her eyes were gloomy looking at me.
Her strength lies deep within, but she was silenced. She worked harder than the man at the cash counter, She woke up early to make the batter for hot idlis, And stayed up late to do the dishes. Yet she was the woman who did the chores, Unaccounted, unacknowledged and disregarded. She was asked to go in,
Teary eyed, pretending to do the dishes. She glanced into my eyes,
Wanting to be heard, feeling dejected and wondering why she was not allowed to speak. Was she born to make idlis and do dishes? Was she nothing but someone’s daughter, wife and mother? Would her son too grow up one day and treat his wife this way? Is it the story of every woman? A saga that will remain confined within the four walls of a kitchen. She battled conflicting emotions, She wanted to walk out of the kitchen and shout out saying she has had enough. But then she was pulled back, back to the kitchen that reminded her, It’s her place and there will be no one to come back to once she leaves. Yet again, she remained silent, Did the dishes, placed them by the stand and left for home. Once again to prepare dinner for her family,
‘Do the dishes, heat the rice and I will attend to the customers’ he said.
Since she was the mother and the wife.
She stood, feeling embarrassed and walked in,
And such is her life.
Nothing more and nothing less,
brings to you inspirational stories of some of the extraordinary women among us displaying grit, kindness and leadership of the highest variant. NAARI is a column envisaged by INDIA NEWS Consulting News speed skating were, but she was willing to put in the effort, knowing how underdeveloped facilities were for such a sport in India. With this goal in mind and driven by her unwavering will power Shruti embarked on her journey of making history. One gold at a time A natural athlete is adaptive in nature and a great athlete uses the same to bring out the best in their performances. Shruti chose to learn with whatever resources were available and performed with every ounce of her sweat and grit. With very little practice on ice, Shruti was shadow training with roller skates back in her hometown Pune to prepare for the championship. The result of it? She bagged her first-ever gold in 2009 in Ice Speed Skating at the National Winter Games, Shimla. This was just the beginning for the Queen of Speed and she consecutively went on to win four more gold medals and was soon an acclaimed National Champion. Never backing down Shruti Kotwal has always been very focused and diligent with her craft. She knew being a National Champion wasn’t her final destination and there was still
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a long way to go. With very little guidance and mentoring available, Shruti was her own coach, but fully aware that at some stage she will need to unlearn her methods and be coached professionally. 2011, was another turning point in her life. She claimed three gold medals at the South Asian Championship held in Dehradun in the 500m, 1000m and 1500m races. This was her first international achievement and also an endorsement that would take her a step closer to her goal. Shruti was already breaking her national records when she gained attention of the International Skating Union and was offered a scholarship to go to Germany. Making History Germany was a reality check for Shruti which made her realise that she needed a lot more time and training to be able to qualify for the Olympics. There she met her then-coach Jeremy Wotherspoon, the Canadian ice speed skater, who agreed to continue coaching her in Calgary, Canada. With no sponsorship, it was a gamble for the athlete to move overseas and continue her training. She shares that it was with the support of her family that she could take such a leap of faith and pursue her dreams.
She served the hot rice on everyone’s plate, with lentils and pickle, Gleefully watched them eat and barely took anything on her plate. No one noticed what she ate, if she ate, Another day passed by, Nothing had changed, Nothing will change, Her silence in the kitchen and tears went unnoticed. She was yet again the last one to go to bed and first one to wake up, Yet she was the one silenced and kitchen is her place. Ms Priyam Sinha is a PhD candidate the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the National University of Singapore Editor Ananya Dhyani paying tribute to women leaders among us who are changing our world without much salutation that they deserve. It is our humble initiative to say ‘thank you’ to them. Winning the Gold Shruti is now training for the qualifiers of the Skating World Cup which will bring her a step closer to representing her nation, India at the Winter Olympics 2022. The life of an athlete is laden with enormous challenges, and it requires a lot of discipline, strength, will power and faith to come out as a winner. But more so, life as a female athlete whose trying to achieve that no Indian has ever accomplished before, is even tougher. Shruti Kotwal is not just aspiring to bring the title home but she is also giving rise to hope for those young girls back in India that need inspiration and a role model to help chase their dreams. India News salutes and honours the courage of the Queen of Speed, Shruti Kotwal and is proud that she is the first-ever female Ice Speed Skater of India.
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