Women Across-E Publication| BYLINE

SPECIAL INTERVIEWS

Monika Srivastava & C S Meenakshi

POETRY

Pavithran Theekuni Lonita Nugrahayu

FEATURES

Roles of Women / Empowerment / Feminism / Pet Love / Fashion / Beauty

FAVOURITES RECIPES WOMEN ACROSS

His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa

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His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa Crown Prince, Prime Minister and The Deputy Supreme Commander

WOMEN ACROSS

SUMITHRA PRAVEEN

FOUNDER

IT’S indeed a privilege to pen down my thoughts VIDHYA SREE

FOUNDER

IT was me and my friend Sumithra Praveen

who started with this idea which led to Women Across – it has now emerged a space for women like us and others. It is a platform that aims to help women stand together and share their stories of joys, blessings, struggles and survival in life.

One year amidst the pandemic, I am proud that Women Across as a team could do many programmes, which helped women to showcase their talents and skills. We could tap into the potential of online platforms, when we could not continue with the camp that we had earlier planned.

I am sure life would resume and we will do much more, together.

I am proud to be a woman. With all my heart, I would like to tell the world about this beautiful feeling - of womanhood. Find yourself from within you, be proud of your femininity, and you will find happiness.

and feelings about Women Across. When we, my friend Vidhya Sreekumar, a professional dancer and myself, a home maker, embarked on the journey, the vision was to inspire, encourage and empower women, like US. Christened Women of India Series Bahrain, we envisaged a platform with a difference to support women, who were skilled and talented, yet had limitations. Our aim was to support them with well-designed grooming sessions through workshops for various activities for women.

Like the rest of the world, the pandemic caught us unaware. We had to slow down, almost to doing nothing, but soon, observing the changing pattern of the rest of the world, we took to online platforms - opening up to women, with programmes and projects, to express themselves, ranging from performing arts to literature and beyond. Seven more women joined the team and we renamed the group as Women Across, aspiring to widen the spectrum or in fact, not to limit the space to women of any kind or class.

Looking back, it has been an exceptional year.

Despite the pandemic claiming the year in entirety, we are proud to say that the team was active and was able to come up with a handful of unique initiatives.

As I thank the Almighty and all well-wishers who helped us sail through, I honestly hope high for team Women Across in the coming years.

I welcome all interested women to join us, be it to share or showcase, impart or impact - this is your platform.

Yes, Together, let’s Rediscover!

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WOMEN ACROSS

Mona Almoayyed

Messages

Shura Council Member & Managing Director Y K Almoayyed and Sons

MY best wishes to Women Across as they embark on their first e-publication partnering with women from across the Kingdom of Bahrain.

I wish the team every success towards the group’s aim of empowering women in the society.

It is great to see the activities of Women Across and I am happy that I have had some interactions with the small, yet vibrant squad in the past. Especially, in times like these, when uncertainty has gotten hold of us from out of nowhere, such innovative initiatives that keep the togetherness in place, are heartwarming.

I wish WOMEN ACROSS all the best, while my wishes go out to all the women out there as well – because a woman can make a difference which can impact the larger community.

Jaya Menon

Cine and theatre artist

MY heartfelt congratulations to ‘Women Across’ for their commitment and invaluable service in discovering and nurturing the inherent talent, creativity and expertise in women.

I’m truly impressed with the innovative projects and programmes they have brought forth to help and equip women working in all fields with the energy and confidence they deserve.

My best wishes to the team as they bring out their magazine’s first electronic version, adapting to the new norms.

My complete support to the entire team for their promising journey forward, in inspiring, encouraging and empowering women.

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WOMEN ACROSS

From the Editor’s desk...

A name is an identity.

But the true essence of the identity lies beyond a name.

RAJI UNNIKRISHNAN TEAM Women Across shares a fascinating journey indeed - one that of triumph, amid the bleak and trying times that we are grappling with. The team was unique in whatever they did since last year, while facing the giant that the pandemic is. This is precisely the reason for my accepting the responsibility of being part and to lead the editorial team of the group’s debut edition of its e-magazine, BYLINE. Byline brings to you the flavour and fragrance of the theme - ‘woman’, through a string of literary creations from men and women in two languages – English and Malayalam. It portrays the spice and slice of the theme through interviews of two outstanding women, articles on women in technology, empowerment and feminism; features on expectations of and from women, martial arts, dance, yoga and dog-love; poems on the lighter and deeper realms of womanhood; fashion trends and self-care tips, movie reviews, personal anecdotes, art, photography and more.

Each piece in this magazine carries a name as its BYLINE, but ‘beyond’ these ‘names’ lies the matter, rich in its fabric and texture, in its true identity – that of the theme, WOMAN.

EDITORIAL TEAM

As I reiterate my delight on being onboard with the newest initiative of the vibrant group Women Across, I take this opportunity to thank all who contributed, well-wishers and the efficient editorial team, including Women Across founder-partner Sumithra Praveen, who made this feat a success.

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RITHIN RAJ

SUCHITHRA MADHUSUDANAN

MAYA KIRAN

SUMITHRA PRAVEEN

HARSHA SREEHARI IT Support

SAJITH RAJ Graphics & Layout

ANUPAMA BINU

WOMEN ACROSS

Working Members - #TeamWA -

ANUPAMA BINU A young business graduate, skilled in anchoring and media, is an integral part of the team, adding to the talent bank of the squad

MIRA KRISHNA The youngest of the lot, this tech-saavy student, equally skilled and talented, completes the magical club of women.

BIJI SIVA A senior member of the team, ever with a smile, this skilled home-maker, is a perfect piece that fits into the vision of WA – to empower fellow-women.

PARVATHI MOHANDAS A professional and gifted dancer, this graceful young engineer adds rhythm and charm to the colourful crew.

SUCHITHRA MADHUSUDANAN A vibrant woman, ever so bubbly and chirpy academic and media professional, who adds to the joy equation of the jolly cluster, is this blithe spirit.

RANJUSHA RAJESH A gifted writer, a neurotechnologist, this woman is a passionate and socially committed individual who is yet another precise addition to the group.

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DR JISHA JYOTHIS A silent presence is this ayurvedic medic, who renders a subtle, creative and innovative essence to the lineup.

WOMEN ACROSS

INDIAN WOMEN WRITE

A NEW CODE FOR SUCCESS IN TECH AND AI

WHAT do Tessy Thomas, the first

woman scientist to head a missile project in India, Ritu Karidhal, the Mission Director of the Chandrayaan-2 mission and Poornima Seetharaman have in common?

Hah! Got you there – the last name is that of the first Indian inducted into the Women in Games — Global Hall of Fame 2020, one of the winners of the Special Recognition Award 2020, and runner-up of Mentor of the Year 2020

by WomenTech Network.

WOMEN BOFFINS IN THE LABS In the long journey that Indian women have made since the days of the very first Indian woman physicians, Dr. Anandibai Gopalrao Joshi and Dr. Kadambini Ganguly who graduated as doctors in the late 1880s, we are today seeing a new breed of women boffins taking charge of the laboratory – whether it is computer lab or space research centre or the exploration station in the icy reaches of the Antartica. It is a fact that more avenues are welcoming of women in the area of scientific endeavour and in India, girls, as much as boys are encouraged by parents to focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) as the academic foundation for a career in science.

However, the cracks appear much beyond the groves of academia. According to Shruti Jain, a Junior Fellow with the Observer Research Foundation, “The All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2018-19, conducted by Ministry of Education, shows that women constitute nearly 43 percent of the total STEM enrollments

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in the country; however, the disparity becomes starker with subsequent qualifications. Only three percent of women enroll for a PhD in science and six percent opt for a PhD in Engineering and Technology. Further, they account for only 14 percent of the total scientists, engineers, technologists in research development institutions.”

Rituparna Chakraborty, co-founder and executive vice president of TeamLease Services shares her observation, saying, “Most academic excellence entrance examinations have been showcasing the growing dominance of women amongst rank holders and across all streams including science and engineering hence the findings are not surprising as well as equally welcoming.

However, the question that arises in my mind is how many of these women actually find their way into the active formal workforce as well as stay there.”

WOMEN DISPLACED MORE BY TECHNOLOGY The eroding of women’s representation in the digital workforce means that more women drop out and fewer women reach higher levels as professional engineers or scientists. Even more ominous, the under-representation of women in STEM sectors puts them at a high risk of being displaced by technology. About 11 percent of the female workforce as compared to nine percent of male workers are at a high risk of automation due to unequal ownership of STEM skills, capabilities, access, and awareness - women, more than men, perform more routine tasks, jobs that are prone to automation according to a 2018 IMF study.

By MEERA

RAVI

The good news is that women tech founders in India are on the rise, making extraordinary strides in the Artificial Intelligence industry. They are changemakers working as computer scientists, digital sociologists, and entrepreneurs. What brought about this shift? Did companies rewrite their HR manuals and make the workplace more welcoming for women? The truth is that tech companies have realised that at least half of the consumers of apps and AI-driven technologies tend to be women and are responding by hiring more women to tune in to this customer base. So today, we are looking at success stories which have

IT IS IMPORTANT TO CELEBRATE THE SUCCESS OF INDIAN WOMEN IN THE TECH INDUSTRY – AS ENTREPRENEURS OF TECH COMPANIES, CREATORS OF AMAZING PORTALS AND ONLINE BUSINESSES, GAME DESIGNERS AND CODERS. delivered female role models who are inspiring a whole generation of young women with their success just as Sundar Pichai (Google) and Satya Nadella (Microsoft) have for countless youth of both genders – women like Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Executive Director & CEO, HCL Corporation or Debjani Ghosh, the President of NASSCOM or Sabina Chopra, the co-founder of yatra.com, the online travel portal. Additionally, many IT companies act as a computer programming boot camp specifically for women developers who have left the field but are keenly interested in reskilling and rejoining the technical workforce.

WOMEN ACROSS

DIFFERENT NARRATIVE ‘TECH-XTURE’ And women bring a different texture to the industry and the development narrative. Take the example of Suriya Prabha, a social entrepreneur and founder of Youcode Intelligence Solutions, a tech education digital portal designed to take electronics and coding knowledge to rural children. Her vision is to enable computing skills in children and prepare them towards building an intellectual, incredible, and innovative India.

Or Niramai, founded by computer scientist Geetha Manjunath and her colleague, Nidhi Mathur - it uses big data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to provide automated, and accurate healthcare services. The duo set out to find out an affordable method for early detection of breast cancer and developed an innovative AI-enabled diagnostic platform that uses AI-enabled thermal sensing to detect cancer without using touch or invasive and painful procedures like mammography. Niramai focuses on overcoming social stigmas in healthcare and can be easily adopted in countries with high populations.

Not that women in tech all come with the ‘beauty queen finalist’ complex of only dedicating themselves to world good. As Poornima says of her industry, female gamers and designers alike are now able to challenge the notion that women are not competitive, preferring cooperation within their gameplay. She insists, “Women can get competitive, let everyone play what they want.” – a statement that is true of the whole tech industry today.

A study by Heidrick and Struggles, a global provider of executive search, leadership assessment and development, found that Indian women have a higher-than-average share (22 per cent) with artificial intelligence skill sets as compared to other countries. Gauri Padmanabhan, Partner, Heidrick & Struggles says, “Thanks to the growing involvement of leaders committed to creating a more inclusive work environment, we are seeing a growing trend of more women becoming equipped with the latest technology skill sets. This indicates an increasing number of women in India are entering a space which was commonly seen as a male-dominated domain.”

As with all new areas, there is much to celebrate about women’s progress in the field of technology and AI. What we urgently need is to hear more about these sheroes of the tech world so that aspirants can have a template, a role model to look up to and mentors who will put out a helping hand and build the network of women in tech who will break barriers and create pathways for more of their sisterhood to write a new code for success. ( The author is a renowned Indian journalist and writer in Bahrain, and editor at Salaam Bahrain magazine )

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MyJourney -with #TeamWA-

MY journey with

Women Across began in the mid of the pandemic year, 2020. As we all know, it has been so much of uncertainty ever since.

And that is when I got plugged into this small and active group - Women Across, formerly known as Women of India Series Bahrain.

This organization fetched me great opportunities, that helped me to be out there and explore, and to be more active on social media platforms. It felt wonderful to be a part of such an enthusiastic team and especially to work alongside and under the guidance of the group’s very talented founder partner Ms Sumithra Praveen.

I believe, every woman needs a community like Women Across, to support one another and to bring them forward. I look forward to doing greater ventures with this team in the future.

Yes, I am proud to be part of Women Across, and moreover, proud to be a woman!

ANUPAMA BINU Women Across Working team member

WOMEN ACROSS

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW MONIKA SRIVASTAVA

LOOK BEYOND ’YOU are not ‘JUST A HOUSEWIFE’ AN

exclusive interview with MONIKA SRIVASTAVA, wife of Indian Ambassador His Excellency Piyush Srivastava with Team WOMEN ACROSS. To the Indian women in Bahrain and those ACROSS, Ms Srivastava, spoke on a spectrum of subjects ranging from the glimmers amidst the pandemic and her views on women empowerment and the path to genuine gender equality, to her message to the community that she represents. While urging women to break barriers, be it even in the smallest possible ways, she expressed optimism on ‘women-led’ organisations and was equally enthusiastic about the potential of the younger generation in action. Housebound women contribute meaningfully to the society, stated the diplomat’s wife.

Q: How can ‘women-led’ organisations be different?

A: In this Covid year, social organisations have to be creative and reach out to women who are housebound but can still contribute very meaningfully. I am thinking of the term like ‘housewife’ which generally denotes a women whose work in the house is devoid of monetary value and appre-

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ciation. We have to make the extra effort to communicate and understand their constraints and reassure them that they are valued. I feel that organisations led by women can better address this crucial point and help reach out to ordinary women and involve them in their activities. Also, women led organisations must lead by example in implementing policies and ideas that create an empowered society.

Q: Is there a certain criterion which defines the category of women that needs empowerment? Do you think every woman needs empowerment regardless of their position or their education level?

A: Empowerment, generally would mean ensuring that everyone gets equal access to facilities and opportunities like education, rights, health resources. Empowerment of women means creating an atmosphere to help them emerge successful and not just setting aside quotas for them. The obstacles before a woman holding a high office is different from that what a girl who has no access to basic education faces. The fundamental goal of an empowered society would be to understand the inherent structures that pose

significant challenges to women. For example in workplaces, women are typically underrepresented in power and decision-making roles and may face unequal pay for equal work. On the social front, in many parts of the world, girls and women are often seen as less valuable than boys. So yes, these things continue to impact women and girls. It is important that we continue to view the state of women through these lens helping to create a fairer and more equal society for all.

Q: What is it that you would tell to women who feel restricted within their family commitments, which they often project as a factor that is not allowing them to be part of step social platforms?

A: I think it is important for everyone to contribute positively, not just for their families or towards themselves, but also to the community around them. No matter what it is, do something small, something positive - there are so many people in need right now.

You have to look beyond yourself and be able to help the other person. I think this is a crucial learning for us this year that we have to be mindful and compassionate towards fellow human

WOMEN ACROSS

dun in the field of community development. An alumnus of the prestigious Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai, the mother to a son, is Master Trainer in the Panchayati Raj (council of five officials), a system of local self-government of villages in rural India. She has served with H.E. Piyush Srivastava in previous postings to Germany, Ghana, Bhutan and Nepal.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

MONIKA SRIVASTAVA

beings. We must understand we are in this together.

Be kind and help wherever possible.

Q: What’s one positive side of the pandemic in your view?

A:. Apart from bring to focus the importance of family and community, one thing that really excites in this otherwise dismal year, is to see children or young adults taking responsibility and changing the world around them using platforms like social media, to reach out. We are now seeing a generation of young people getting involved with issues related to environment, sustainability and accessibility and a lot of it has to do with how connected they thanks to social media and the digital flow of information.

Ms Srivastava with her husband, Piyush Srivasata, Indian Ambassador to Bahrain

Q: Being the first lady, representing the Indian community, what do you think are the avenues that Indian women in Bahrain could further explore?

A: I think Indian women in Bahrain really have made a mark for themselves. The community is very vast, as well as very vocal and is well informed about what is happening around them. Ours is a closely knit community and I think wherever you have such a connected community, women are always involved.

I think Indian community here, with their associations, have been really working very hard throughout the Covid situation, contributing very meaningfully and to everyone around them. My message to them would be to just continue what they have been doing, because as an Indian representative here in Bahrain, it makes me super proud to be a part of such a community.

A postgraduate degree holder in social work, Ms Srivastava, has previously worked in the Indian city of Dehra-

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WOMEN ACROSS

STRETCHED TOO THIN: COPING WITH

MOM GUILT Dr ANISHA ABRAHAM

AM I spending enough quality

time with my child? Do they feel a stronger sense of connection with the nanny and not me? Are my kids getting way more screen time than they should be? Should I have enrolled them in Kumon? Did we just order McDonalds again?

If you are a mother, there’s a good chance that you have at some point of time experienced mom guilt- the pervasive feeling of guilt, doubt or uncertainty when mothers worry that they are falling short of their own, others’ or societal expectations in some way. As moms, we can experience guilt about a myriad of issues. We struggle with the feeling that our best is just not good enough. It may be temporary, like how we may feel about having handed out too many candies to our children during the festive season. It may also be more pervasive and long term, like thoughts about the impact of our personal and relationship stresses on our kids’ emotional well-being.

It takes the form of shoulds, musts and ought to’s which cross your mind as you scramble to make it through the day. Even as I am seated at my desk right now, writing this article, an uncomfortable thought keeps popping up in my head- should I be playing with my kids instead? Will they perceive me to be a digitally distracted parent ?

Mom guilt can be the driving force behind many of our relationship choices, career decisions and childcare options. It originates from several sources, including personal

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insecurities, low self-esteem, a tendency to compare oneself with others as well as pressure from society. It does not help that social media is flooded with educational activities for kids, healthy breakfast ideas and images of perfect homes and well groomed, happy kids and parents- all creating a sense of inadequacy.

How can we overcome the ‘momguilt’

turned into opportunities for enjoyable joint activities such as having a karaoke party or playing simple games.

6. Have realistic goals and remember that you simply cannot do everything for everyone all the time. The floor may be strewn with toys, the laundry may not get done and you will end up ordering takeaway some days and that is okay.

7. Build a village consisting of 1. Recognize and prioritize your people who will support you emotional wellness. As women, we without judgment. Allow yourself don multiple hats and often neglect to take help from these support our own goals and needs. Remem- systems. ber, you can only pour from a cup 8. If your mom guilt is so severe that is full and your mental health that it inhibits your ability to needs to be a priority. You need parent, or function, creating high rest, your body needs nourish ment, levels of anxiety, it is worth bringyou need to move, you need to ing up to your doctor, as it may nurture your relationships- you need indicate a more serious mental to give yourself the permission to health condition such as postpartend to these needs. tum anxiety or depression.

2. Pick your battles and identify two or three things in your routine We may get to the end of motherthat make you uncomfortable and hood and realize we missed so agree to work on those, instead of many wonderful moments worrytrying to remedy everything that ing about what we did not do right.

We may regret not listening to falls short of perfect. other women and supporters 3. Resist the urge to compare telling us we were doing a great apples with oranges. The time we job. Most importantly, we may see spend comparing ourselves with how amazing our kids actually others can be spent enjoying time turned out! So drop the guilt- you with our children. are a vital piece of the family 4. Focus on everything that you puzzle- and enjoy this precious do accomplish each day instead of time you have with your kids. the tasks left undone or things you ( The author is a Clinical think you could have done better.

5. Regular mundane activities like making breakfast or driving home from school can be creatively

Psychologist at Bahrain’s American Mission Hospital )

WOMEN ACROSS

5 TIPS on how to make life harmonious in COVID times LIFE, as we know it, has been nothing short of a roller-coaster ride since the advent of COVID-19. The usual issues or situations that we all deal with have now become much more complex and stressful with the new normal that we all have come to accept and are living through.

For women, this has been a remarkable year with their family members staying at home most of the time, with work and so on. Managing all the household chores, children along with their studies and other requirements, professional responsibilities, emotional needs of the family members and so many other unanticipated events that take place is similar to flying a jet plane through a storm.

From my personal experience, I would like to share some tips (which worked wonders to me) hoping that it would make things easy for anyone in need: Boundaries: Set boundaries for yourself as well as the people around you, be it kids, parents, in-laws, friends or colleagues. The workload that you have must be within your comfort limits and make sure to set aside time for relaxation.

Communication: Communicate clearly with the people around you. Ask for help when needed. There are situ-

ations when we expect something from someone, but hesitate to talk to them about it. The chances that the other person will do what you expect without them being told are slim. So speak up!

Routine: Establish a routine.

Getting things done in a timely and organized manner makes life DEVI MANIKESHWARI so much easier and less stressful.

Health: Focus on your health: emotional, physical and mental. Do things that help you feel refreshed and make time for such activities.

Empathy: Empathise with the people around you. This helps us to look at things in a whole different way. It helps us to understand why a person is behaving in a certain way. A little empathy and kindness can go a long way in making life better for someone and this, in turn, endows a great sense of well-being and contentment for oneself.

Every woman is unique and has her own unique life experiences. It is imperative that we all find the exceptional strength that keeps us moving forward in life, no matter what the circumstances are. May we all find that strength and succeed in all our endeavours. Stay safe!

NRITYA YOGA Recharge your mind and refresh your energy with- YOGA & DANCE

PHYSICAL and mental health of millions of women are getting affected due to low self esteem which in turn leads to little or no exercise, observes NISHA PILLAI. The renowned dancer yoga guru and dietitian believes that a way towards getting oneself energised, relaxed and rejuvenated is through a combination of yoga and dance - Nritya Yoga.

Nritya Yoga is a graceful dance form of ancient yogic postures (asanas) and hand signs (hasta mudras) performed to a smoothing 13

NISHA PILLAI

meditative music. Through this an individual can also get the benefits of acupressure and chakras (focal points) to achieve physical, mental and spiritual fitness.

Ms Pillai offers theone-year Nritya Yoga course at her school - the NRITYAKALA DANCE ACADEMY, in Pune, India. Over the last 15 years the institute has trained almost 2000 students.

For details contact: nishapillai334@gmail.com Whats app : +99850232111

WOMEN ACROSS

YOU CAN START LATE, LOOK DIFFERENT, BE UNCERTAIN AND STILL

SUCCEED…

By Dr

DEEPA MENON

I BELIEVE, by following your inner fire, you

can do so much more than you think is attainable.

‘DANCE’ is an art that has fascinated me ever since I can recollect my earliest memories of life. Today I conduct Kathak and Bollywood dance classes for one of the largest groups of women in Bahrain.

I kicked off this journey by choreographing for several programmes purely because it excited me.

Later, encouraged by friends and family, I decided to launch my own dance classes.

With an educational background in dentistry, I was uncertain about the prospects of running a dance class. Women have inhibitions when it comes to dancing and they have other priorities in life making it more challenging to run women centric classes as opposed to courses for kids.

However, it worked in my favour as some of my students jokingly say “Deepa can make anyone dance.”

Jokes apart, I believe that when one’s intentions are right, and there’s fiery passion and patience to boot, one attracts the best. Dancing with your feet is one thing, I dance with my heart!

Many of my students have mentioned that apart from dance being a physical exercise that improves flexibility; it also increases strength and lung capacity.

Dance also enhances one’s memory and boosts selfconfidence. It improves team work and, most importantly, releases the happiness hormones in our body that help bust everyday stress. So, we don’t just dance, we do so much more.

I perform, I live my feelings, I let go, I smile, I tear down my walls. No, I don’t just dance. I do so much more. When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor; it is to enjoy each step along the way.

So, my dear ladies, ‘dance’. We can’t always choose the music life plays for us, but we can choose how we dance to it. I have just begun my journey.

( The Bahrain-resident author is an entrepreneur, performer, choreographer, and teacher )

NailArt

IN a decade or beyond, several nail art studios

have sprung up indicating its importance in the fashion arena today. Nail on the toe and hand are equally treated to make it colourful.

Eriko Kurosaki, Junco Ogava and Michiko Matshushita, are probably the popular modern nail artists from Japan today who make the origin of modern nail art apparent.

For Harsha Jobish, a beautician by profession in Bahrain, nail art has evolved to be an ultimate means to express one’s creativity. According to her, nails have become a vast canvas where creativity can pour in a wide range of colours and patterns. She is all glittery when she talks about how seasonal and personal the art has become; colourful indeed!

Harsha has her tips on how simple it is to do nail art at home. She suggests a manicure and pedicure for everyone at least once a month; priority has to be given to the quality of the nailpolish one picks up. A base coat has to be applied for a minimum of five minutes before the nail polish, and after applying the nailpolish the top coat which gives protection and beauty to the nails has to be applied. Sounds simple, yes! But that’s not it, the colourful nails are definitely a treat for the eyes!

HARSHA JOBISH 14

WOMEN ACROSS

Acceptance of Love

By REEM

AL DAAYSI

THIS is Marley.

Marley was the runt of a litter of four tiny puppies who were orphaned when their mother was hit by a car a few months ago.

All four puppies were hiding underneath barbed wire and some wooden planks when my sister found them – starving, dehydrated, scared and calling out for their mother.

We immediately took them to the vet and then to a kennel where they were fed and watered with their health being monitored for a few days.

Marley’s siblings (Boston, Teddy and Bentley) recovered much quicker than Marley and regained their playful puppy nature within a few days of being in the kennel.

However, Marley remained hiding in the corner of the cage, would barely eat unless she was completely alone and even then was still paranoid and would cower at the slightest noise.

That is when my sister decided to bring her home and attempt to bring her out of her shell just like her siblings (of which Teddy we have already adopted).

My brother and sister live in the third floor of our house where they have their own spacious apartment and balcony – which was to be Marley’s new temporary home.

My sister painstakingly and patiently spent hours every single day with Marley working towards helping her get over her fear and come out of her shell – and the effort she exerted was considerable.

One day – a few weeks after Marley came home – I decided to pay her a visit and was met with a tirade of barking and a look of complete fear in Marley’s eyes that broke my heart because she didn’t realise

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that I had come with treats, a new toy and lots of love for her.

When remote working was implemented by the government as part of measures to combat the spread of Covid-19 I told my sister that I will spend my shifts in her room because I wanted to connect with Marley.

Of course, during the first few days it was just a party of barking which I decided to ignore and then once Marley realised I was there to stay she started to express curiosity and would peak at me from behind the couch.

I would scatter treats around me to try and coax Marley to approach me, and she would walk towards me (or maybe towards the treats).

You see, even slow progress is good progress and I kept begging for her trust.

Three weeks later however, I was in for the surprise of my life when I fell asleep on the floor while watching a movie and forgot that Marley was free roaming the room.

I woke up because something wet had touched my nose.

I didn’t move.

I didn’t breathe.

I didn’t even open my eyes.

Because I knew what it was.

It was Marley, finally accepting my love and trusting me.

(The author is a journalist with the Gulf Daily News, Bahrain)

WOMEN ACROSS

POET RY

Stain of Love By

FIROZ THIRUVATHRA Writer/Poet

HOW do I write a letter to the white stork?

To where?

To an address that could change any time?

To an address that could be flown off?

Like a stranger, it leaves the tree behind even before it achieves the connect...

Love...

It’s unpredictable, the changes you bring out in a vulnerable person...

In clothing...in a bindhi...

In gait...in the stances...

In the grins...

Like God is everywhere, in the stone, soil, rust You live inside me.

You make appearance...

You are the yellow of the sunflower you drew..

My love is not the fortunate sun or moon.

It’s a tiny lamp, lit inside your cave.

A narrow beam of light...

Nevertheless, it shines.

Illustration: ATHIRA SADANANDAN

It sheds light on the dark, It makes you ecstatic, It makes you contemplate...

All your windows open upto me...

All my courses make their ends in you..

My madness for you is turning me dangerous...

Like a lovesick person put in solitary confinement.

I do smell love when you are beside me...

Everything except love melts away from me...

This poem, my songs, my sketches, Rhythm... dance... everything...

Do indicate that, I take shelter in you...

An acrylic painting by

AMITESH RAJKHOWA Assam, India 16

WOMEN ACROSS

Kalari & Women Agasthyam Kalari News Desk

THREE years ago, on a balmy summer evening, when she

first set foot in the Agasthyam Kalari in Thiruvananthapuram, demure Ahalya stood silently staring at the floor. Her dad was talking to Dr. S Mahesh Gurukkal, the Master-Teacher, about admitting her along with her two younger brothers to regular Kalaripayattu training. She didn’t think it was going to work.

Today, Ahalya has transformed into a vivacious, vibrant 21-year-old who is the National Champion in the senior category of Kalaripayattu Chuvadu. She receives a monthly scholarship from the government of India and is treated at par with the national champions in all other sports. The dynamic transformation that Kalaripayattu training has brought about keeps her busy as a popular trainer in the online classes that Agasthyam Kalari offers for anyone interested in adopting a Kalari based fitness routine anywhere in the world and more important, at any age.

To realise his vision of recapturing the fearless feminine essence of Kerala’s women that has been celebrated in the folklore and ancient texts, Dr. S Mahesh Gurukkal has designed the Shakti, the self defense program for women. This half day workshop with hands on Kalari based techniques focuses on the mind as well as the body. The confidence and presence of mind are just as important as the physical movements and lightning-fast reflexes that the trainees get equipped with.

“Fear and alertness cannot coexist actually,” admits Suchithra, a Kung-Fu First Dan Blackbelt in her student days who has recently taken up Kalaripayattu. “Fear shrinks our sense of space. It leads to freezing when there is an actual danger.

Martial arts help the mind become fearless. And Kalaripayattu is considered the mother of martial arts. Such training must be included in our schooling as the country still reports over one hundred rape cases a day. And that is just the reported number.”

“Thanks for many popular movies, everyone knows about Unniyarcha, the legendary female warrior of Kerala,” Dr. Mahesh Gurukkal smiles, “But the fact is that boys and girls were trained together in Kalaris centuries ago. The gender gap appeared only after the British crackdown on Kalaris and the subsequent revival in the 20th century. But we are quickly gaining the lost ground. It is important not just from a physical preparedness point of view, Kalaripayattu transforms the mind to deal effectively and calmly with today’s working

woman’s professional stress and work-family imbalance.”

Other than Nalludal, the online live fitness routine, and Shakti, Agasthyam offers three more customised programs.

Gopika, who has just started high school, is the reigning national champion of Kalaripayattu in the sub junior category. “When the Kalari had conducted a selection drive for students in my school, I had come last,” she remembers, “but surprisingly Gurukkal picked me to join the training program. It has helped me confidently take up a lot more extra-curricular activities and have more energy for school. The monthly government scholarship is a wonderful encouragement” Gopika undergoes the daily training program of traditional Kalaripayattu called Nithyam.

From 2020, the government of India has included Kalaripayattu as an official sports event in Khelo India.

Sreedevi Pillai, an ex-IT employee says, “Though I had continued my Bharatanatyam training, I wasn’t sure I could start Kalaripayattu training in my 40s; but I was surprised at the meticulously individual attention with which the Aashans (trainers) eased us into the different steps and routines in the Nalludal program. Kalari has helped me with my dance as well.”

The online classes are conducted in small batches so that individual attention is not compromised. There are participants from all over the world. The rising popularity of Kalaripayattu along with the opportunity to start at any age has led to opening of Agasthyam offline city centres in different locations.

In the Kalaripayattu performances that Agasthyam Kalari regularly gives at different venues, Ahalya fearlessly confronts with bare hands three male opponents armed with swords. Though the action is choreographed, the danger in such aggressive action is every bit real. As she brings down the opponents one by one into a pile and takes the victor stance in the end, there is the glimpse of a great future of fearless feminine being born in Kalaris across the world, one woman at a time.

My favourite movie is Rockstar starring Ranbir Kapoor.

I love the movie as it shows an artist’s perspective and being an artist

SUSHMA ATHILAT (RJ Juhi Sharma)

MY FAVOURITE

MOVIE 17

myself, I can relate to it. I persist that artists are different from the usual crowd - they strike a chord with their audience and that’s their art.

Rockstar gives an insight on how it’s not easy for an artist to handle fame and often it becomes the reason of the downfall. The message is clear - any artist with incorrect attitude can fail miserably. Art is important for reaching heights but right attitude is imperative.

The movie has a perfectly laid-out plot with songs, screenplay, acting, and storyline intact. https://youtu.be/bD5FShPZdpw WOMEN ACROSS

C O O K I N G A dessert recipe

Orange scented

PANNA COTTA Panna Cotta is often cited as a traditional dessert of the northern Italian region of Piedmont and a story goes that a Hungarian woman invented this sweet in the Langhe in the early 1900s and became fashionable in the United States around the same time as well. Unassuming in looks, the dessert has the dairy texture and taste and the balminess from a fresh vanilla bean.

A VELVETY blob of cream that dances on a spoon and melts in the mouth – this perhaps best describes the Italian dessert Panna Cotta. The name means “cooked cream” – it is sweetened cream thickened with gelatin and molded. The cream may be aromatized with coffee, vanilla, or other flavorings.

“Panna cotta is one of my favorite desserts,” says GEHNA PUROHIT, a name popular in Bahrain’s sweet GEHNA PUROHIT community.

“Amazingly easy to make, this Italian dessert can be customized to each individual portion.

“I am sharing with you a base recipe – feel free to add your spin to it!”

Ingredients: 475 mls whipping cream Zest of an orange 1/4 cup sugar 1tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp gelatin 25 mls water 50 mls whipping cream (for ganache) 50 gms dark chocolate Candied orange peels (optional)

Method: In a small bowl add

water, sprinkle the gelatin over it.

Let it bloom. In a saucepan, over medium heat simmer the cream, orange zest, sugar, vanilla. Remove from heat, strain the mix. Add the gelatin and stir until dissolved.

Pour the panna cotta mixture into desired containers and let cool to

GEHNA PUROHIT room temperature. Refrigerate until the panna cotta is set but still jiggly. In a small saucepan, boil 50mls cream. Once boiling, remove from heat and add chopped chocolate. Mix until smooth. Once cool to touch, pour over the chilled panna cotta. Garnish with candied orange peels Serve chilled.

Note: For Vegetarian version, sub-

stitute half the quantity agaragar in place of gelatin.

Variations: 1. Top with fresh

fruits. 2. Top with any fruit compote/sauce (Ms Purohit is a professional cake artist and baker from India. A professional diploma holder from PME and Wilton, she is trained at reputed institutes by experts in the industry at George Brown college and Bonnie Gordon college in Canada.)

C O O K I N G

CREAMY CARROT SPLASH

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A LUXURIOUSLY rich carrot dessert, to soothe you down on a summer day, from Bahrain resident REMYA ANOOP. Easy to make, with ingredients right on your kitchen shelves, the creamy mixture is definitely a tasty treat to your taste buds!

REMYA ANOOP

Ingredients

Preparation:

Boiled Carrot - 2 Sugar - 3 tbs Frozen milk - 2 cups Condensed milk - 2 tbs Cardamon - 1 or 2 Ice cubes - As required Crushes pistachios - 3 tsp

Boil the carrots by adding 1/4 cup water. Once cooked well, allow it to cool. Blend well it with sugar, frozen milk, condensed milk and cardamon.

Serve it chilled with crushed pistachio topping.

(Indian Remya Anoop, who hails from Cochin is into travel industry by profession and is passionate about travelling and cooking. You can access her recipe videos on her YouTube channel Southern Spice Art.)

https://youtu.be/-2O-3Vej73Q

WOMEN ACROSS

Feta Veggie Bake DIYA JOSHUA Seasonings: Italian seasoning

blend which has tomato, garlic, and basil along with some red pepper flakes (any other Italian seasoning can be used and you can leave out the red pepper flakes if spice is not your thing).

The key to making this dish taste great is BASIL! A BLEND of cheese and veggies with Italian seasoning to the magic of basil- a treat to your palette...

A recipe from DIYA JOSHUA, an American student who’s passionate about cooking and baking.

The recipe takes about 50 minutes to an hour to be set to serve.

C O O K I N G

Ingredients: Zucchini - two, cut in half medallions Tomatoes - any kind can be used; diced heirloom tomatoes grape or cherry tomatoes whole or halved- (I prefer assorted grape tomatoes) Feta Cheese - about 170g (6oz) block or crumbles Shrimp - deveined and peeled completely (no tails)

If you don’t have Italian seasoning use this Basil: 2 to 4 tbs Fresh Garlic: about 1.5 to 2 tbs Salt and Pepper to taste

Pasta (Optional): I did not use pasta in this particular recipe, however you can add your choice of noodles or short pastas or even replace your zucchini with zucchini noodles.

Side note: you can also add any other veggies you’d like, like mushrooms, spinach, kale, asparagus, etc.

Instructions: Preheat oven to 400°.

Clean and cut your zucchini and tomatoes (if you choose to) and set aside.

Place your Feta cheese in the center of an ungreased baking dish (preferably glass or non-stick for easy clean, if not use parchment paper or foil to line your dish).

Add your zucchini and tomatoes to the pan around the feta cheese; it’s okay if they are overlapping or on top of each other.

Season the veggies and feta cheese well with the blend you chose; save about 1/3 of the seasoning for the shrimp Place the baking dish uncovered in the over for 20 to 25 minutes until the zucchini is at your desired doneness.

Take the dish out and add your seasoned shrimp, place it back into the oven for about 10 minutes, just until the shrimp turns pink.

When everything is cooked fully take it out and stir it all together, mixing the cheese in with the veggies it will create its own sauce.

Take a picture and enjoy!

(Diya Joshua based in Huntsville, Texas is a marketing student.)

Let’s bake some

RAGI COOKIES KAVITHA CHOWDARY

A SIMPLE cookie recipe from the highly nutritious millet, Ragi from a passionate baker in Bahrain

Ingredients: Ragi or fingermillet flour - half a cup Wheat flour - half a cup Powdered sugar - half a cup Chilled butter – half a cup Baking powder – one tsp Vanilla essence – one tsp Milk as required

little until it crumbles. Do not over mix. Add vanilla essence and make into a soft dough (if hard you can add little milk). Wrap the dough in cling film and chill it in the fridge for half an hour. Preheat the oven to 180 degree centigrade, roll the dough, make shapes of your choice and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the sides turn light golden colour. Take out and keep in room temperature and serve.

(Contact Kavitha on Instagram @cakes_bykavitha)

Method: First roast Ragi flour on low heat until it turns light colour, remove from flame and cool it. Sieve Ragi, wheat flour and baking powder. Cut chilled butter into small pieces and add the flour little by 19

WOMEN ACROSS

Artist’s Profile

Naturally

BEAUTIFUL!

in the Middle East; in Bahrain and recently, in Dubai. Her background is a melting pot of cultures with unique qualities, which influenced what would become her creative expression.

As a child visiting her family in Orissa, India, she would watch in awe as they drew beautiful intricate patterns with semi-liquid rice paste on the entrance to the family temple. These patterns left a lasting impression and eventually formed part of the creative signature in her artworks.

VISUAL artist RIA SHANKER’S international heritage inspires her signature aesthetic style.

She describes herself as ‘a global citizen’. Originally from India, she spent most of her life

TODAY, more discussions on the

case of postpartum depression takes place like it never happened before.

How has society looked at it all this while?

FLYDI VISWAM, Teacher, The Indian School Bahrain narrates an example of postpartum depression and tells us how this is as common as the common cold in a woman after her delivery. For Ms. Viswam women are treated differently according to their social status; while a section of the society who is educated and economically secure think postpartum depression is a medical condition ,

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Ria is fascinated by the strength of women of different cultures and the close bond they share with creation.

The complexity of the mind, emotions and intuition are common subjects of her work - a homage to the wonders of nature and women alike. She considers this to be beauty in its most natural form. Her artwork aims to encourage the viewer to pause for thought and

contemplate life’s endless opportunities for learning and how this can be interpreted as an expression of creativity.

She has produced a series of artworks to collaborate with a boutique concept store in Dubai to reimagine her art into merchandise and soft furnishings for private residences and hotel interiors.

Her artwork was also exhibited in Milan, Italy in September 2020 and soon to be exhibited in Australia in summer of 2021. #riashanker #Ria_artwork #contemporaryart #contemporaryartist Connect with artist at riashanker@gmail.com

FLYDI VISWAM those who are in the rural settings look at it as a weakness of the gender.

So the life hack from Ms. Viswam are a few things we already know but our conscience rarely triggers to make life simple and easier. A goal whether it’s long term or short term is necessary for every human being; and mind you, it should be an achievable one!

Good friendships are always a support for one’s goals. Here, gender is not under question to make a healthy bond in friendship.

Before the coronavirus spread, staying positive was the motivating phrase we heard frequently. Today too, in essence it has has not changed the meaning, however on a positive note Ms. Viswam urges everyone to keep away from negativity and negative people. Taking parents as confidants helps much to address several challenges. Nobody can help us like they do. Last but not the least, prayer is very important to keep up the spirit and confidence. With these, the teacher feels one can lead a simple and easy to handle life!

WOMEN ACROSS

Healthylooking hair: A Sign of good health & beauty!

RANI LALITHA JUST like skin, the condition of your hair is an outward sign of your health.

We shed hair every day as part of our body’s natural process. When hair loss becomes a concern, it is important to determine the cause before seeking out the appropriate treatment. Hair loss can happen at any time of life for several reasons viz: •

Age factor •

Genetic hair loss •

Chemical-based treatments

like bleaching, dyeing,

rebonding, and perming •

Usage of heat tools like blow

dryers, curling irons,

crimpers set to high temper

ature, etc •

Tight ponytails or braids

cause damage to the hair

follicle •

Hormone-related illnesses •

Lack of nutrition •

Stress Hair loss is usually temporary, and in such cases, it could be rectified by addressing the root cause. Consulting a physician on time may help in addressing these challenges to a great extent.

Balanced intake of the following nutrients, including protein, vitamins, and sufficient water intake can help supply all the necessary needs for your hair to remain strong, and shiny; it is recommended to have a diet rich in proteins, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats to avoid dry, brittle, and weak hair. It is, hence recommended to include food rich in: •

Protein like chicken, fish,

dairy products, eggs,

legumes, and nuts •

Iron with high bioavailability

like red meat, chicken, fish,

lentils, spinach, and other leafy green vegetables such as broccoli, kale, and salad greens; blackcurrants, blueberries, broccoli, guava, lemon, oranges, papaya, gooseberries, and sweet potatoes •

Vitamin C like oily fish such 21

•

as salmon, herring, sardines, trout, and mackerel and plant sources like avocado, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts Vitamin E like nuts

Apart from a balanced diet, one must engage in healthy practices that naturally reduce stress.

Clean and conditioned scalp is another prerequisite for healthy hair growth.

Washing hair more often or less often is harmful. While the former dries the scalp, the latter can cause an un healthy build-up of oil and dirt affecting the hair growth.

Always use a gentle shampoo that will not strip natural oils from the scalp. When shampooing, gently massage the scalp with fingertips to remove dead skin and promote blood flow. Applying a lightweight conditioner after a shampoo wash is just like moisturizing your face after washing it!

Consult a therapist immediately when you notice dandruff on your scalp. Make sure to brush your hair daily with a natural bristle brush to invigorate blood circulation on the scalp, redistribute scalp oils, and slough off dead skin and debris that can obstruct healthy hair growth.

Your scalp isn’t any different from your skin, so be regular in exfoliating the dead skin cells from your scalp; keep your follicles clear and give your hair its best chance to grow. * Home care treatments: Try to make your hair mask for a deep, nourishing treatment every two weeks.

Whisk an egg yolk and mix with half a mashed avocado and a spoonful of honey.

Massage onto damp, clean hair and leave for 30 minutes and rinse thoroughly with a mild shampoo and conditioner. *Before trying a mask, test it on your skin first to check for allergies. If your skin is sensitive to the mask, please avoid applying it to your scalp.

(The author is the owner of Obsession – The Beauty Lounge, Trivandrum, India.)

COVER PHOTO CREDITS SHIKHA VARMA

“I want my photographs to reflect my view of the world in unimagined ways.”

The cover page of BYLINE is a click by SHIKHA VARMA, an imaginative photographer, a thoughtful filmmaker and a versatile playwright, residing in Bahrain.

“Lingering in the dark, or stepping into the light, Letting go or holding tight, Measured, tiny steps or a precarious, giant leap, Life is surreal. It is yours to revere and keep.”

Thus Ms Varma captions the picture.

Branded ‘Shiks Cliks’ the mother to two applies her skills to photograph landscapes, silhouettes, monuments, products and beyond.

A woman who believes that a picture is the voice of the subject, the soulful photographer has to her credit a number of double spread pages of prestigious local magazines and newspapers as well as images that grace the walls of numerous galleries, exhibitions and homes.

An fervent pursuer of short film production, who finds it stimulating ‘to see the world through a third eye and a sixth sense’, Ms Varma’s creations have won screening laurels from the Montana International Children Film Festival, River Film Festival and Kansas International Film Festival, among others.

Married to Sumit, she has two daughters, Reet and Veda. @Shiks_Cliks website: https://shikscliks.wixsite.com/mysite

WOMEN ACROSS

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SHINING A LIGHT ON PMDD NOW in its ninth year – PMDD Awareness Month

facilitates light-bulb moments of hope around the globe and helps connect those who suffer from this disorder.

“Why aren’t you normal like other women?” a curious friend asked me recently.

We have been associated for three years now and she has seen me sway every month from one extreme emotion to another.

“Sometimes you are happy; you laugh and joke around.

Then some days you are very irritated and angry,” she continued.

I know what she is talking about, so I try to explain the correlation between menstrual and emotional health.

Despite the confused faces, negation and occasional gaslighting, it is crucial to continue raising awareness about PMDD and mental health in general.

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, PMDD, is a severe form of PMS which affects merely 5.5pc of women around the world, according to the International Association for Premenstrual Disorders (IAMPD). The disorder is directly connected to the menstrual cycle, but it is not caused by a hormone imbalance. It is a severe negative reaction to the natural rise and fall of estrogen and progesterone occurring each month between ovulation and menstruation, or one’s period.

because I did not want to face the same medical staff again.

However, the repeated visits finally led to my lightbulb moment when one of the doctors heard my symptoms and noticed the connection to my menstrual cycle. He told me about Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder and recommended I see a psychiatrist for help.

BY ABEER

PARKAR

Learning about PMDD helped me significantly, the chaos inside finally started to make sense and I was able to take control of my life instead of PMDD controlling me. Over the last five years, I have found ways to manage my condition through therapy, fitness, healthy eating habits, spirituality and most importantly, sharing my journey with others which I feel is an effective way of raising awareness about PMDD. April is PMDD Awareness Month, and this year’s theme by IAMPD is ‘Many Hands Make Light Work’, which basically emphasizes the importance of working as a community, connecting and being light-bulb moments of hope for others who might be suffering alone.

(The author is a freelance writer based in Bahrain)

The symptoms include but are not limited to, mood changes, irritability, anger, depression, suicidal ideation, anxiety, brain fog, tiredness, changes in eating and sleeping habits, alongside physical symptoms. PMDD is also commonly misdiagnosed because the symptoms overlap with those of other disorders, which is why it is important to track symptoms alongside the menstrual cycle for a correct diagnosis.

In early 2016, I was experiencing panic attacks every month closer to my period, between days 21 to 29 specifically. I was also going through increased interpersonal conflicts, feeling completely on edge, and easily irritated one or two weeks before my period was due. I noticed these symptoms had become worse after my first pregnancy and subsequent post-natal depression. My PMDD associated symptoms started to hugely impact my daily activities, relationships, and life in general. I rushed to the hospital many times because of panic attacks, to a point where I felt embarrassed

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WOMEN ACROSS

POETRY ON HER MASK

By LONITA

NUGRAHAYU

hides her tears behind the colors that she puts on her face. Tears that are more silent than the silence itself.

But time has revealed of how much a talented artist she is, that she can’t recognise the reflection on the mirror, the moment it has colors on it.

As she starts to paint her face, she often looks at herself right in the eyes, and whispers a lie to the mirror, saying how ready she is to face the world.

As she put the last stroke of brush on her right cheek, she smiles to the stranger she is seeing in the mirror, an agony smile that doesn’t syncronize with her soul.

As her hand makes gesture of tracing every inch of her face, she battles with her own voice that keeps asking the same questions,

There is a poetry on her make up, a poetry of a mask, a mask that she uses to face the world, announcing that she’s ready to conquer the world with a mask on her face.

‘Could I not do this today?’

‘Could I just stay pale?’

A world that adores masks, a world that has turned her into a beautiful mask of a dying soul.”

“THERE is a poetry on her make up, where she

(The Indonesian poet is also an author, based in Bahrain)

Huzna rasheed Photography

Generation Gap - Might happen at any HOUSE but never at a HOME 24

P h ot o g ra p hy

As the battle continues, so does the painting.

WOMEN ACROSS

UNDERSTANDING

The article is an attempt to define ‘Feminism’ True to its definition, While drawing attention to some of the oddities and atrocities against Women, Which still exist in Countries.

FEMINISM BETTER In our country, there is a massive

movement recently misguiding the ideals of a noble cause which is persisting throughout the world - Feminism. Our activists for some reasons, misunderstood and they started propagating feminism as women smoking, using alcohol, in conflict with male counterparts and more…

What is Feminism?

Feminism is genuinely defined as the notion of or understanding women as ‘Human Beings’. As Wikipedia cites Feminism is a range of social movements, political movements, and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes.

Until the mid-20th century, we were on this understanding and acceptance that women are to be considered as human beings with equal rights and as member of the same species. The wave formally began at the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 when three hundred men and women rallied to the cause of equality for women. If we look at ancient history, except the notoriously famous ‘Cleopatra, the Queen of seduction’, no women had taken up crucial roles, in almost every

WOMEN WERE DEPRIVED OF ALL LEGAL RIGHTS, PROPERTY RIGHTS AND YES THEY ARE CONFINED UNDER THE ROOFS OF THEIR KITCHENS.

26

part of the world. Major civilizations around the world stand tall with evidence - like Greece, which said ‘culture mentions women to be moral and respectful and not to be famous’, or Persia, ‘no rights only inside homes, and in Rome the woman who’s not to be discussed among men and the list goes on.

Women were deprived of all legal rights, property rights and yes they are confined under the roofs of their kitchens.

A massive wave, of the woman’s suffrage movement is important because it resulted in the Nineteenth Amendment to the US Constitution, which finally allowed women the right to vote in 1920.

Even in US, a divorced wife or a widow was not entitled to acquire any property rights of her husband during these times. Women were the outcast, sex objects or home maker who cannot claim any rights.

To overcome this type of enslavement, women along with supportive men, stood and said, ‘we deserve to have equality’.

Present Era: Have we attained equality? Are we considering women as Equal ?

UN Data says, women serve as Heads of State or Government in only 22 countries, and 119 countries have never had a woman leader. At the current rate, gender equality in the highest positions of power will not be reached for another 130 years. Just 10 countries have a woman Head of State, and 13 countries have a woman

Is Feminism all about exhibitionism? Is It perverted behaviour? Smoking and kissing in public?

Thus asks…

Dr. SHEMILY P JOHN Head of Government. This is one major symbol of ‘inequality’ as power is making decisions.

Families: Husbands are still the heads of our families (patriarchy). Gender inequality permeates society at all levels and in the context of most social institutions. One institution in which gender inequality remains resistant to change is the family. Over time, various theories have examined the causes of gender inequality generally, including biology, sex roles, and “doing gender,” each of which has also been applied to gender inequality in the family. Critiques of these approaches include their over-determinism, inability to grapple with gender inequality at macro social levels, and failure to theorize about change.

WOMEN ACROSS

Violence against Women: According to UN survey, violence against women is one of the widespread human right violations across the Globe, 60% of women are experiencing violence in some form in their lifetime Gender system and Violence In every culture, violence exists. Stoning women for adultery, (not men), was officially permitted in some countries. There are some illegal practices, but happening everywhere, eg: In Turkey/ Nigeria, young girls from countryside families were sold into sexual slavery brothels. In studies conducted worldwide, 1/3 women have been physically beaten, subjected to forceful sexual activity, and victim of severe emotional abuse. Rapes and violent acts are common in refugee camps and war zones.

Abuse or violence it leads to physical injury, disability, sexually transmitted diseases, depression, elevated suicide attempts and post-traumatic stress syndrome.

According to WHO (World Health Organization), the increased rate of violence against women is because of the ‘lower status and the belief that women are the property of men’.

Violence against women is totally bound to the male domination. Patriarchal view grants men a higher value. Violence against women is in a way an assertion of the power and control men have over women.

The various forms of violence existing in societies include:

A. Rape- Prone societies: Societies are divided into rape-prone and rape-free societies in the gender perspective. The former is where the rate of rape is high, connected to expressions of manliness, and an acceptable tool for punishing and controlling women.

In South Africa, 40pc of women are reported to be sexually assaulted. The country expects women to be submissive and passive, and the relationships force women at a greater risk of HIV/AIDS

pedophiles. Millions of women and children have been trafficked into sex trade.

In general countries which are less developed, less wealthy, and less politically stable serve as ‘source countries’ from which women or girls are trafficked.

Some countries are ‘hubs’, with venues where women can be bought and sold by multinational traffickers.

Trafficking of women or children takes place in contexts of extreme poverty, gender inequality, and limited choices that makes families helpless.

As in Thailand, some parents allow children to be sexually abused otherwise the only survival alternative for these children is to work for 12-hours picking through garbage.

All these show that we are still in a turbulent environment globally, when it comes to women.

Families need to change, societies must encounter transformation, and yes, Nations as well. We are now aware, that we need our women – who form most of the population - equally equipped and competent so that a nation can develop.

Now, it is the time for change. Let us start with Gender Neutral families.

(The author is an academic, author and social worker based in Bahrain)

B. Honor Killing: In some cultures, men’s honor is adjoined with the sexual purity and faithfulness of the women in their families.

Honor killings occur when a woman’s action is thought to be a shame for male relatives. Dishonor in these cultures can occur because of several reasons, as in refusing an arranged marriage, marrying outside the religion or an extra-marital relationship.

UN estimates around 5, 000 women as victims of honor killing (Afghanistan/ Pakistan/ Iran/Egypt/ Israel/ Lebanon/ and UK) In many countries, laws reduce or eliminate punishment for men who kill their wives. In Brazil, daughters or sisters can argue for the man for ‘legitimate defense of honor’ to avoid punishment.

C. Sex Trafficking According to UNICEF, one million children are trafficked into commercial sex work every year. In Thailand, children in urban slums are offered to Western tourists who are

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WOMEN ACROSS

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WOMEN ACROSS

TIPS ´N TRENDS FASHION trends among women keep changing, and this change adds colour to our life. Turn to India, especially Kerala – the tradition revolved around frocks, long and short skirts, long blouses, half saris to saris and the customary neryathu or chatta and mundu, and these went according to the age. Then came the sal war- kameez, formal wear including trousers and skirts, the stylish and modern jeans culture and alongside a myriad of experimented outfits were also the jeggings and leggings.

As a fashion designer, I would like to share my views on some of the common types of outfits, accessories, and shoes. Trust me, simple tips take you a long way in fashion – a shade or design can make a sea of a difference and the magic that a dangler could do to one could be replaced with a simple pearl ear stud on another. A stiletto could make you feel confident at a party while flat shoe could be okay during and office meeting.

SARI – The QUEEN Let me get to the saris first. Despite all other entries, expensive saris are still the undisputed queens and occasions like weddings stand tall a proof to this. Sari was the main costume for women everywhere, especially women after a certain age wore sari at home. But in the last few decades, a coverall called housecoat replaced sari as home wear, because of its full covering, loose fitting style, which made it safe and convenient.

Ask me, and I would say, when buying expensive saris, go for a silk and the Kanjeepuram is the best. Elegant and durable, with or without kasavu (the golden shaded border), the evergreen Indian ethnic wear has not lost its glory over the years.

Coming to the blouses, let the trend remain, but go for your comfort – be it the standard style, sleeves above the elbow, with a ‘u’ shape or round back neck, front open. Also do not forget to ask the tailor to put few parallel stitches on the sides, so that you can remove them in case you gain weight.

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covering the body, with ease in movement and suiting all weather, the suit and loose pant-like bottoms became the choice for women. The outfit fought its way into fields like teaching where sari was reigning as the official wear and the same was chosen amicably by choir groups at churches as well.

By AGI JOSHUA The latest trending blouses are those with the three-fourth or full sleeves, the boat-neck, and the back open ones among the multitude of creativity that we see around. You could try all of these with any kind of saris – be it chiffons, georgettes, tussars, khadi, jute – the list is long. A mix and match is another trend – get a common colour stylishly stitched and it can go with a choice of your sari. Do bear in mind when you drape yourself in a sari to wear matching proper underskirts and innerwear – it is about the class and style, irrespective of what is seen or unseen.

One general rule –narrow borders and vertical stripes help short women look taller. But remember, with the vertical striped designs, the sari on the chest covering part looks broader, whilst the horizontal stripes make the part look thinner. So, the decision should be based on the shape of your body.

Properly draped with pleated and pinned pallu (the part that hangs below over the shoulder) gives a formal look and letting the pallu loose over your arms down can be tried for informal occasions.

SALWAR-KAMEEZ, the trend-setter The trend setter - the salwar-kameez - which women of all ages welcomed and embraced made an entry with success. They could overcome all the so-called “inconveniences” of getting clad in the six meters of a sari. Fully

The style of salwars has undergone many changes - from normal bottom pants it changed to palazo and flared pants. Latest on the trend are ankle length cigarette pants and pencil pants.

The traditional salwar has loose pants which narrow at the ankle and the kameez or the top is above the knees.

Watch out on wearing tights, long tops go good with it. Allow me to say – ‘leggings’ are actually an innerwear, and many firms/colleges have restricted it in their premises.

Coming to tops or kurtas, an A - line (straight cut) kurta (tops) with flared bottom with equal to chest width and long side slits is very trendy and stylish on teenagers, but could be avoided for older women. Princess cut kurtas, with flared is also a great choice. On kurtas, three-fourths and full sleeves are getting trendy, while just above elbow sleeves is the latest, while I think the future could belong to the cap sleeves.

FORMALS – for the working lot On formals, trouser and shirt or top is ideal for working women, and a stole will add to the grace. Long or ankle length formal skirts are also great choices as they are easy to handle.

Jeans and wash and wear tops are very handy for students, and women while on shopping, travels etc. It helps to keep luggage to a minimum.

ACCESSORIES The yellow metal has indeed taken a back seat when it comes to accessories.

Replacing gold is terracotta, stone and metal, especially when it comes to long hanging earrings. It is suggested to avoid a neck chain with long danglers, while matching bracelets or bangles adds to the charm. If you choose to wear a showy and broad statement neck chain, a simple ear stud would be a great accompaniment.

WOMEN ACROSS

TIPS ´N TRENDS One of Ms Joshua’s designs from a wedding scene - the bride with the bride’s maids

Talk of weddings it is indeed the sparkle of diamonds that is on trend. A single necklace of uncut or shining diamond goes well with traditional or modern Christian bridal dress.

But with Kanjipuram saris at Hindu traditional wedding attire, gold chains, earrings, and bangles with or without stones looks better. Alongside the new trend of bronze and silver kasavu bordered saris, go the rose and white gold ornaments.

SHOES High-heeled shoes add extra glamour and confidence but impacts the health. Medics say that daily use of pointed high heels could lead to back pain ad yes, obviously they are not good while treading on rough terrains or on longer hours of

walking or standing. Sandals or slip-on footwear are comfortable, and they are available in a good range of colors and styles.

The final word on trend and fashion is Comfort.

Choose the material and fashion that suits you the best and do not blindly follow the “latest”. Unless you are comfortable in any dress, you will not feel confident. Dress for the occasion and chose your outfit to suit the weather and feel free to try different types of outfits.

The author is a designer and has a collection her own creations for sale in Bahrain. Contact 36790029.

ARE WE DEFINING IT RIGHT? powerment. The pressing questions that everyone needs to introspect on are – nobody tells men what to do, right? So why do you think is there a need to tell women? Who has put anyone in that authority to tell women what they can do, which in a way implies what they cannot do?

A take on Women Empowerment by

SHIPRA DHIR PASSI

THERE are enough articles written on women empowerment, dissecting it on every dimension. I am not going to repeat. Rather I prefer to have a practical approach to this concept, which is feasible and can be implemented by anyone, man or woman, in their daily lives.

“Women’s empowerment is to encourage women to feel strong by telling them that they can do everything that they want to do.”

This is what I get when I “googled” about women empowerment.

Well, is it a joke? Have you ever met a woman in life who doesn’t know what to do in a crisis situation? Ever wondered why mother-nature entrusted us woman with the responsibility of carrying forward the human race and not men? It’s absolutely scientific and realistic proof of woman being better capable at handling situations in sustainable ways. World over, all children are taught by child specialists that if you are in any trouble go and talk to a woman, mother, teacher, sister, friend. So firstly, allow me to say, this is the most twisted definition of women empowerment that I have read ever! Telling anyone what they can do is NOT empowering them. It’s actually the opposite of em-

If it is to encourage, you rather create an environment like equal performance based growth opportunities, easy access to resources to get educated, deserving recognition and most of all freedom to decide for themselves. This include placing women as leaders and giving them decision making roles; more job opportunities for women; investing in women’s entrepreneurial ideas, emotionally and financially, taking Action against unpaid labour and mentoring women professionally and personally.

Secondly, women empowerment is NOT a social project for millions of women in the world which you have to lead!

That sounds like something huge one has to do for the world. Let’s just simply see it as the right way to treat a woman around you, be it at work space, home, public place or social media. This is applicable to men and women alike, of all ages as well.

Even sheep moves in herds, we humans on the contrary are so divided today that we have forgotten what it is to be human! Standing up for saying the truth, in support of another woman is often the least we do. How much does it take to give respect to our domestic helps and to recognize their hard work and sacrifices?

Let us stop someone, man or woman, from being part of unnecessary gossip session, be it against any man or woman, speak volumes about how we respect our circle. Let’s applaud achievements of local business women and

MY FAVOURITE

song

JAYA CHAUDHARY MALIK

social workers in public – this may give them that little push they were looking for before giving up. Most importantly, not just talking, but actually let’s supporting them through whatever you can do to show her that “Hey Woman I have got your back!!” Lastly, let us not judge or categorize women into good and bad moms, based on a woman’s parenting style or good and bad wife/ daughter in-law based on her choice of career. Let her decide for herself!

Thirdly, empowering women is not a patronizing act that makes anyone superior. You treat a human like human if you are sane - there is no extra effort in that. Anyone saying that “I allow my wife to work” or “I allow my daughterin-law to wear jeans” or “I allow my sister to have a boyfriend” don’t sound anything like women empowerment.

Instead they reveal that you have already put yourself in a superior position where you think you are “allowing” is an act of empowerment, but in real, it is not.

As cited in a Patna University study, there are various steps in achieving women empowerment as in a personal level, where a woman herself develops feelings of personal power while in the next step empowerment takes place on an interpersonal level, with the woman influencing the decision making power of another woman through networking. In the third step, they bring about change through community development programmes and group efforts.

Such a collaborative approach will ensure that the human race continues to grow and serve the progress of gender equality and inclusivity on a global scale.

(The author is the Honorary General Secretary to Indian Ladies Association, Bahrain)

Ek pyar ka nagma (Hindi) from the movie Shor sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh.

“It inspires me - it depicts the depth and value of life.”

https://youtu.be/ST_WC13rNJo 31

WOMEN ACROSS

IhnX

]m¯p½ cïp hÀjambn AhfpsS, cïp apeIfpw ImWmXmbn«v .

AXntesdbmbn AhtfmSv , AhfpsS JÂ_v anïmXmbn«v .

]hn{X³ Xo¡p\n

]Xn¶mev hÀjs¯ Zm¼Xy¯n¶nSbn ]{´ïp XhW \nehnfn¨n«pïv AhfpsS KÀ`]m{Xw. sIt«ym³ asäm¶v sI«nsb¶mWdnhv .

Ip«nItfsdbpw b¯owJm\bnemWv .

Bcmsâ ASp¡fbnÂ, AhfpsS I®ocpw Xnf¨padnªp. kz´w Ibdn Ipcp§n N¯ BSnsâ I®pIÄt]mse, AhfpsS PohnXw apgp¯p angn¨p "]m¯p½m" F¶v , R§fmcpw Ct¸mfhsf, \o«nhnfn¡mdnà "]m..." F¶XnsemXp§p¶p AhfpsS temIhpw, R§fpsS hnfnbpw....

32

WOMEN ACROSS

amdnSw Xpc¶hÀ e£van ZmtamZÀ IpäymSn (bph Ihbn{Xn)

B{Kl§Ä IXncht\msSm¸apWcWsamcp Zn\w ]pecnbpsS ]pXpaWw s\©nÂ\nd¡Ww InfnItfmSv FXnÀ]m«p]mSn Pbn¡Ww ]q¼mätbmsSm¸w ]qhmSntXSWw ]ps¼mSnbm Npïn Nmbw\nd¡Ww, ]qt´³ \pIÀ¶Xn³ am[pcyap®Ww Nmb¡ehpw ]p«pIpShpw AÛpXw ]qï§v t\m¡n Nncn¡pw.

Xo Imªncn¡m³ Im¯p\nev¡msX Idp¼n ]nW§nbbÂ]¡w ]qInSpw NqepIsfÃmamizmkw sImïnSpw tZjyansXt¶mSv XoÀ¡pIbnÃtÃm..!

I¯nbpw, XhnIfpwNnchbpw tNÀ¶n«v au\PmY¡msbmcp sImSnIÄ XncªnSpw Ae¡pIsÃt´m sasà samgnªn«p tImgnsb t\m¡n¨ncn¡p¶p a[pcambn

_mey¯nsâ \njv¡f¦Xbn ho«n HmSn¨mSn Ifn¡p¶ {]mb¯n icocw Im«n \S¶ Ahfnte¡v Ifn¡q«pImÀ t\m¡nbt¸mÄ Ahsfms¡m¶pw tXm¶nbnÃ.

F¦nepw, A½ Ahsf s]änt¡m«v [cn¸n¨p.

PohnX¯nsâ Hgp¡n Iuamc Zibn EXpaXnbmbn aªÄ ]pc«n Ipfn¸n¡p¶Xn\nSbn hoïpahfpsS A½ D]tZin¨p.

Xsâ icoc¯n sI«n apdp¡nhbvtIï NneXpïv F¶v A¶mWhÄ¡v a\knembXv tImtfPv hcm´bneqsS \S¶v \o§pt¼mÄ IqsS ]Tn¨ ]¿·mcpsS t\m«hpw Xsâ amdnS¯ntes¡¶v Xncn¨dnª AhÄ Xsâ amdp adbv¡m³ ]mSps]«p. tImtfPv hn«v ho«nte¡pÅ hgnbn ]ÃpsIm¨p I®pw apJhpw Np¡n¨pfnª Hc¸q¸³ Xsâ--amdp t\m¡n \pW¡p¶Xv Iïv, Iï `mhw \Sn¡msX ho«nse¯n hmXneS¨p Ipsd Icªp..

IeymW\mfn AhfpsS amdnSw Ah\p elcnbmbn.

B elcnbn Ahfnse amäw ape¸m Xpfp¼pw A½bptSXmbn.

Xsâ Ipªnfw NpïpIÄ sImïv ape¡®pIÄ N¸n hen¡pt¼mÄ Ahfnse amXrXzw ]nSsªWoäp C¶se apeIÄ icoc¯n \n¶pw \o¡w sNbvXt¸mÄ XfÀ¶p InS¡p¶ Xs¶ ImWm³ h¶hscÃmw t\m¡p¶Xv I¨ sI«n apdp¡m¯ amdnS¯nte¡v Xs¶-! adbv¡ms\m¶panà F¦nepw, ASp¯v InS¶ tXmÀs¯Sp¯v AhÄ amdnte¡n«p.

IhnX

A¶wapS§n NnIbpw ]nSt¡mgn Iqhnt\m¡m\mbv ]qht\mtSmXp¶p

D½pA½mÀ (Ihbn{Xn)

XncnsI Rms\¯nbSp¡f ]qIpt¼mÄ In¶mcwsNmÃp¶p A½n¡Ãt¸mÄ, dmWnsb hcthäp ØoIcn¡m\mbn {]PIfmw ]m{X§ÄIhnXIÄsNmÃp¶p..

Nn´n¨p\ns¶mcm kabs¯ ]gnNmcn , ASp¡f AShpIÄ s]mcpXn¸bäpt¼mÄ I«nepIsfÃmw hnfn¡p¶p,Nmb¡mbv.. ]mtYbsaÃmsamcp¡nsbSp¡Ww apSnhmcns¡«n Rm³ AKv\ntb Xncbp¶p.

Fsâ {]nbs¸« Fgp¯pImcn e£van Kncojv Ipdp¸v A²ym]nI , BJymXmhv

Ip«nIÄ¡mbn, Rms\t¸mgpw {]n^À sN¿p¶Xv kp[m aqÀ¯nbpsS _p¡pIÄ d¡a³Uv sN¿m \mWv. PohnX bmYmÀ°y§tfmSv Hcp]mSv tNÀ¶p \n¡p¶hbmWv AhsbÃmw Xs¶. \½psS PohnXamsW¶v Xs¶ tXm¶p¶ Hcp Xcw Fgp¯mWv kp[maqÀ¯nbptSXv F¶XpsImïpXs¶ Rms\sâ Ipªn\v IYIÄ hmbn¨p sImSp¡m\mbpw AXv Xs¶bmWv XncsªSp¡mdv. Hmtcm IYbv¡pw Hmtcm satkPpïv F¶XmWv B _p¡pIfpsS {][m\ khntijX. 33

WOMEN ACROSS

KwK ssIemkv

I¬kÄ«nwKv sskt¡mfPnÌv

]pXp XeapdbnÂ

`ÀXrk¦ev]w

FÃm Imcy§fnepw kz´ambn Nn´n¡m\pw Xocpam\§Ä FSp¡m \pw IgnhpÅhcmWv C¶s¯ Xeapdbnse s]¬Ip«nIÄ. ASp ¡f am{Xaà hnam\w ]d¯epw, _lncmImi bm{Xbpw, cmP`cWhpw Hs¡ kv{XoIÄ¡v ssI¸nSnbn HXp§p¶hbmsW¶v AhÀ sXfnbn¨p Ignªp. AXpsImïpXs¶ kz´w PohnXs¯¡pdn¨pw PohnX]¦mfnsb¡pdn¨pw IrXyamb ImgvN¸mSpIÄ DÅhcmWv AhÀ.

Hmtcmcp¯cpsSbpw {]mbw, hnZym`ymkw, IpSpw_ kmlNcy§Ä, hyànXzw Hs¡ A\pkcn¨v ImgvN¸mSpIfn Nne amä§Ä DïmIpsa¦nepw, FÃm kv{XoIfpw `À¯mhnÂ\n¶v B{Kln¡p¶ s]mXphmb Nne Imcy§Ä t\m¡mw.

1. kvt\lhpw ]cnKW\bpw kvt\lw a\Ên Hfn¸n¨p hbv¡msX Xpd¶p {]ISn¸n¡p¶ `À¯mhns\bmWv kv{XoIÄ B{Kln¡p¶Xv. tPmensNbvXv £oWn¨v Ccn¡pt¼mgpw kpJanÃmsX Ccn¡pt¼mgpw Hs¡ \ÂIp¶ IcpXeneqsSbpw, ]cnNcW¯neqsSbpsams¡bmWv Cu kvt\lw AhÄ a\knem¡p¶Xv. AXpt]mse AhÄ¡v thïn Ipd¨v kabsa¦nepw Nnehgn¡m³ {ian¡p¶ Bfmbncn¡Ww At±lw F¶hÄ B{Kln bv¡p¶p. Hcpan¨pÅ kzImcy\nanj§Ä, bm{XIÄ, tjm¸nwKv, amk ¯nsemcn¡se¦nepw ]pd¯p\n¶pÅ `£Ww CsXms¡ GXp kv{Xobpw B{Kln¡p¶h Xs¶bmWv.

2. ]¦mfnsb Ipdn¨pÅ hnizmkw ]pcpj³sd hnizmkyX Hcp kv{Xo Gähpa[nIw hneI¸n¡p¶ H¶mWv. X\ns¡m¸w asämcp kv{Xo AbmfpsS PohnX¯n DïmIp ¶Xv Hcp kv{Xo¡pw AwKoIcn¡m³ Ignbp¶XÃ. aäpÅ kv{XoI tfmSv am\yambn, _lpam\t¯msS s]cpamdp¶ ]pcpjs\bmWv GXp kv{Xobpw B{Kln¡pI.

3. t]gvkW kvt]kv X\n¡v X³sdXmb Hcp CSwþ t]gvkW kvt]kv þ \ÂIp¶ `À¯mhv C¶s¯ kv{Xo k¦Â¸§fn {][m\s¸«XmWv. X³sd Cã§Ä, ioe§Ä, cm{ãob ImgvN¸mSpIÄ, hnt\mZ§Ä, kulr Z§Ä Hs¡ DÄs¡mÅm\pw Chbnsem¶pw AanXamb \nb{´Wtam, IS¶pIbäw `À¯mhnÂ\n¶pw DïmIcpXv F¶v AhÀ B{K ln¡p¶p.

4. ZpÈoe§Ä ]mSnà hÃt¸mgpapÅ aZy]m\w Hs¡ Hcp henb sXäà F¶ coXnbn ImWp¶hcmWv ]pXnb Xeapdbnse `qcn`mKw s]¬Ip«nIfpw . F¦n t]mepw aZy]m\w, ]pIhen XpS§nb Zpioe§Ä H¶pw Xs¶ CÃm¯hÀ

Fsâ {]nbs¸« Km\w

Bbncn¡Ww PohnX]¦mfn F¶v Xs¶bmWv AhÀ B{Kln¡p¶Xv.

5. sk£z dntej³jn¸v ssewKnIXsb¡pdn¨v Úm\w DÅhcpw AXv F§s\bmbncn¡Wsa¶ ImgvN¸mSpIÄ DÅhcpamWv C¶s¯ s]¬Ip«nIÄ. AXn\m InS ¸dbn AhcpsS XmÂ]cy§Ä IqSn Adnªp {]hÀ¯n¡p¶ ]¦mfnbmIpw AhfpsS k¦ev]¯n DïmhpI.

6. amXrI kz´w a¡Ä¡v `À¯mhv \sÃmcp amXrIbmbncn¡Ww F¶v B{Kln ¡p¶hcmWv IqSpX kv{XoIfpw. AXpt]mse Xsâ ho«pImtcmSpw _Ôp¡tfmSpw Hs¡ \¶mbn CS]gIm\pw Ahsc kvt\ln¡m\pw a\ ÊpÅ `À¯mhns\ kv{XoIÄ IqSpX Cãs¸Spw.

7. kÀss{]kpIfpw klmb§fpw hntijZnhk§fn `À¯mhv kÀss{]kv Kn^väpIÄ \ÂIWsa¶pw ho«ptPmenIfn ]äp¶ coXnbn klmbn¡Wsa¶pw Hs¡ B{Kln ¡p¶hÀ Xs¶bmWv `qcn`mKw ]pXpXeapd¡mcpw.

8. sjbdnwKv kz´w kt´mj§fpw k¦S§fpw ]ckv]cw ]¦phbv¡m³ Ignbp¶h cmIWw PohnX]¦mfnIÄ F¶v Nn´n¡p¶hcmWv C¶s¯ s]¬Ip«n IÄ. F´pw Xpd¶p ]dbm\pÅ kzmX{´yhpw GXv B]¯nepw In«p¶ IcpXepw AhÀ `À¯mhnÂ\n¶v B{Kln¡p¶p.

9 km¼¯nI `{ZX \à hnZym`ymkw, tPmen, hcpam\w CsXms¡bpapÅ `À¯mhns\bmWv GsXmcp s]¬Ip«nbpw B{Kln¡p¶Xv. hoSv, hml\w, AXymhiyw k¼mZyw CsXms¡ `À¯mhn\v Dïmbncnt¡ï Ahiy LSI§Ä Xs¶bmWv, `qcn`mKw kv{Xo k¦Â]§fnepw .

10. hyànXzs¯ AwKoIcn¡Ww mAXmbXv Ip«nIfpsSbpw, hoSnsâbpw Imcy§fn kv{XoIfpsS A`n{] b§Ä IqSn ]cnKWn¡p¶hÀ BIWw ]¦mfnbmIp¶hÀ F¶v s]Ip«nIÄ B{Kln¡p¶p. AXpt]mse Xs¶ aäpÅ kv{XoIfpambn XmcXayw sN¿pItbm aäpÅhcpsS ap³]n h¨v Ifnbm¡pItbm Ipä-s¸Sp-¯p-Itbm sN¿p¶ `À¯mhns\ kv{XoIÄ Cãs¸Sp¶nÃ. `À¯mhn Hcp ' best friend' s\ ImWm³ B{Kln¡p¶hcmWv s]¬Ip«nIÄ F¶v Npcp¡n¸dbmw.

tcJ tat\m³

sSenhnj³ AhXmcI, Fgp¯pImcn Fsâ {]nbs¸« Km\§Ä ]eXmWv, ]t£ Hcp {]tXyI Km\w Fsâ a\Ên XpScp¶p, AXmWv "AÃnb¼Â IShn A¶mc¡p hÅw" þ Hcp ]gb aebmf Km\w. Cu Km\w Fsâ {]nbs¸«XmWv, ImcWw Cu at\mlcamb Km\¯nsâ Km\cNbnXmhv.... Fsâ `ÀXr ]nXmhv, ]tcX\mb ]n `mk-vIcs\¡pdn¨pÅ HmÀ½IÄ \ÂIp¶p. https://youtu.be/bD5FShPZdpw

34

WOMEN ACROSS

BZyambn te_Àdqan Ibdn-b-t¸mÄ s{]Kv\³kn ImÀUnsâ cïv hc \½psS PohnXw C{Xtbsd kt´mjhpw _p²nap«pw kmlkn IXbpw \ndªXmIpsa¶v {]Xo£n¨tXbnÃ.

BZys¯ s{]Kv\³kn BbXpsImïv FÃm ¯nepw kwibhpw BImwjbpw Ipd¨p IqSp XÂ Bbncp¶p.

Fsâ Ipªn\v temI¯pÅ hnäman³ FÃmw In«Ww Ft¶mÀ¯p FÃm `£W-km-[-\§fpw DÄs¸Sp¯n Hcp ssSw tS_nÄ Xs¶ Dïm¡n. ]s£ ]n¶o-St- §m«v IY amdn OÀZn £oWw hmbn Ibv]v F¶ Iem]cn]mSnI fmbncp¶p. Dd¡w F¶pÅXv Ignªpt]mb Ime¯nse at\mlcamb AhØ BsW¶v HmÀs¯Sp¯p. KÀ`mhØbnse ]m«pw Um³ kpsams¡ kn\nabnepw _p¡nepw am{Xta DïmIp F¶v a\knembn. ssZhm\p{Klw sImïv \mep amkw Bbt¸mtg¡pw CXns\ms¡ Hcp Ipdhpïmbncp¶p.

Hm^okn t]mIp¶Xmbncp¶p BsIbpÅ B izmkw. `À¯mhnsâ Hm^okv Xs¶ BbXn\m  FÃmhcpsSbpw ]cnKW\ Ipd¨v IqSpX Dïmbncp¶p. AXv ]camh[n D]tbmKn¨p F ¶v thWw ]dbm³. Hmtcm XhW tUmÎdns\

ImWm³ t]mIpt¼mÄ kwib¯nsâ Iq¼mcambncp¶p. temIs¯§panÃm¯ kwibw tI«n«mIWw tUmÎÀ R§tfmSp, "FsSm X\n ¡v {]tXyIn¨v Ipg¸§Ä H¶panà C\n Btem Nn¨p hcpt¯ï."! F¶v ]dªXv. A©mw amkt¯msS Ipªp Ipªp A\ ¡§Ä In«n XpS§n. kwibtIip Bb Rm\pw `À¯mhpw hnNmcn¨Xv Ft¸mgpw A\§nsImïncn¡pw F¶mWv. AXp IrXyambn Rm³ Ft¸mgpw t\m¡n sImtï Ccp¶p.

Bdmw amkw Ahkm\w Hcp cm{Xn apgh³ Hcp A\¡hpanÃmsX R§sf t]Sn¸n¨p. ]ntä ¶p cmhnse Xs¶ tUmÎsd ImWm³ t]mbn.

B tcmsS¦nepw ]dªm hïnbpw hnfn¨p h¶mtem F¶mtemNn¨v BtcmSpw ]dªnÃ.

Izmjzmenänbn t]mbn AhnSs¯ tUmÎtdmSv Ipªn\v A\¡ansöp ]dªsX HmÀa DÅp.. tUmÎÀ NmSn Fgpt¶Â¡p¶p t\gvkv hoÂsNbÀ FSp¡p¶p . Fsâ tUmÎdns\ hnfn¡p¶p, FaÀP³kn tIkv F¶v ]dªp en^väv ]nSn¨p \nÀ¯n te_À dqante¡p sImïp t]mbn. Rm\pw `À¯mhpw t]Sn¨p hnd¨p. te_ À dqan tIdnbXpw AhnsS DÅhcpsS Ic ¨n IïtXmsS Fsâ \à Poh\§p t]mbn. C

{]ko-X.]n.Pn

Xn\nsS \gvkv h¶p lrZ-b-an-Sn-¸v t\m¡p¶p ¥q-t¡mkv shÅw IpSn¸n¡p¶p sNcnªp InS¡m³ ]dbp¶p.. AcaWn¡qdn 3 A\¡w In«Wsa¶p tUmÎÀ. CXn\nsS ss[cyhm\mb `À¯mhv ho«pImscbpw \m«pImscbpw Hs¡ A dnbn¨p. 20 an\p«v Ignªt¸mtg¡pw 2 A\¡hpw AcaWn¡qdn\p tijw aq¶maXv Hcp Nhn«v In«nbtXmsS R§Ä ho«nte¡v. kw`hw AdnªtXmsS FÃmhcpw "AXnt¸m Ipd¨p a[pcw Ign¨p sNcnªp InS¶m t]msc" F¶v.!. R§Ä ¹nwKv!.. ]s£ B kab¯v R§Ä A\p`hn¨ am\knI kwLÀjw Hcn¡epw hm¡pIfneqsS hnhcn¡m \mInÃ. Hcm-gv-N-t¯-¡v, Dïmbncp¶ Dd¡w IqsS t]mbn In«n. ]n¶oSt§m«v henb _p²nap«nÃmsX t]mbn. ]t£ Hcp 20 Znhkw apt¶ Bfn§v t]m¶p.

CsXms¡ Hgn-¨p-\nÀ-¯nbm B Hcp kabw R§fpsS PohnX¯nse \à HmÀaIfmWv.F ¶pw HmÀ¯ncn¡m³ ]änb \à HmÀ½IÄ. B HmÀaIsf C¶pw Xmtemen¨p sImtïbncn ¡p¶p....

au\w HmÀ½X³ Xmfn C¶pw \ndbp¶Xv ]gb \mfpIfnse an¶man¶n Nncn Inep¡w..

A\nX A½m\¯v

IhnX

(bph Ihbn{Xn)

35

C¶Xv ImepIfnse N§e¡nep¡w..

Ime¯n³ \oXn ]oTan¶hÄ¡v \ÂInbXv GIm´XbpsS aSn¯«msW¦nepw kt´mjhpw k¦ShpsaÃmw I¬Ifn HXp¡n kzbw tNmZn¡p¶p {]mW thZ\bnÂ, au\t¯mfw {]nbs¸« Iq«pImcn BcmWv F\n¡pÅXv? H¶pds¡ Icbphm³ t]mepw BhnsöhÄ a\kn ]dbpt¼mgpw au\¯n³ ]pg HgpIphm³ XpS§p¶p. t\À¯ KZvKZt¯msS IhnįS¯§fneqsS. BIpeXIÄ CÃm¯ PohnXs¯ GIm´XtbmsSm¸w AhÄ {]Wbn¡p¶p, {]mWXpeyw kvt\ln¡p¶p, samgnIÄ¡¸pdw angnIfn \ndbp¶ kpµcnbmw au\w.

WOMEN ACROSS

AXnPohn¨hcpamb Ipsd a\pjyÀ- AhcpsS PohnXw ]qPyambncp¶nÃ! "F¶v hmbn¡pt¼mÄ DÅp s]mÅp¶p . Fgp ¯pImcnbpsS Fgp¯pthfbn F{Xam{Xw kwLÀjw Dïmbncnbv¡mw F¶ tNmZys¯ F§ns\ ImWp¶p ?

2019 se tIcf kmlnXy A¡mZanbpsS Pn F³ ]nÅ F³tUmhvsaâ v AhmÀUv t\Snb `uaNm]w F¶ IrXnbpsS krãmhmb {ioaXn kn Fkv ao\m£nbpambpÅ tNmtZym¯cthf. `q]S \nÀamW¯nsâ hnkvab Ncn{Xw ] dbp¶ Cu {KÙw tIcf imkv{X kmt¦ XnI ]cnØnXn Iu¬kn GÀs¸Sp ¯nb 2016se P\{]nb imkv{X {KÙ ¯n\pÅ AhmÀUv , 2018 se Hm. hn. hnPb³ ]pc-kv-Imcw F¶nhbpw t\Snbn«pïv . tNmZyw : `q]S \nÀ½mW¯n³sd hnkvab Ncn{Xw Ipdn¨ `uaNm]s¯¡pdn ¨p Nn´n¨t¸mÄ BZyw tXm¶nb kwibw, {]nb Fgp¯pImcnsb AXntebv¡v \bn¨Xv Ncn{Xtam kmlnXytam AtXm {]hÀ¯\taJetbm F¶XmWv. F¶m hm-b-\-¡m-cpsS a\Êdnªv AXn\p¯cw X¶p sImïmWv XpS¡w, F³Pn\obdnMv tImtfPnse kÀth Iym¼n \n¶pbÀsImï PnRvPmk ap¸Xv sImïn\n¸pdw `uaNm]sa¶ hnkvabambn AsÃ? F{X \msfSp¯p Cu {KÙw ]qÀ¯nbhm³? adpsamgn : `uaNm]w F¶ ]pkvXIw kw`hnbv¡p¶Xv Hcp]mSp PnÚmkIfn eqsSbmWv, B PnÚmk At\zjW ¯ntebv¡v F¯ns¸SpIbpw AXphgn `uaNm]w kw`hnbv¡pIbpambncp¶p. ]T\Imew apX kÀthIfnepw `q] S§fnepw DÅ Xmev]cyw Xs¶bmWv CXn\p \nZm\w. F¦nepw CXnsâ {SnKdn Mv Fesaâ v F¶v ]dbm\mhp¶ Hcp kw`hapïmbn«pïv, AXmbXv tImgnt¡mSv Hcp sk¡â v lm³Uv _p¡v Ìmfn \n¶pw F\n¡v In«nb tPm¬ Io F¶ bqtdm¸nb³ Ncn{XImcsâ, icnbv¡pw At±lw `mcX Ncn{X¯nemWv 36

{ioaXn kn Fkv ao\m£n kvs]-jy-ssekv sNbvXn«pÅXv, At±lsagpXnb 't{Käv BÀ¡v ' F¶ ]pkvX IamWv kXy¯n `uaNm]¯nsâ B {SnKdnMv Fsesaâmbn {]hÀ¯n¨Xv. B IrXn hmbn¨t¸mÄ Hcp aªpaebpsS Aäam bn«mWv F\n¡v tXm¶nbXv. AXn kÀthbpsS hnhc§Ä A{Xta Npcp¡nbmWv hnhcn¨ncp¶Xv AXpsImïpXs¶ AXnsâ Hcp XpSct\zjWw F¶ \n ebn PnÚmktbmsS B IrXnbv¡p ]n ¶mse t]mhpIbmWpïmbXv. CXnsâ dntkÀNv hÀ¡n\pw bm{XIÄ¡pw H s¡¡qSn aq¶chÀjsaSp¯p. ]n¶oSv ]»njn§n\pw CXnte¡pÅ am¸pIÄ tNÀ¡Â DÄs¸sSbpÅ Imcy§Ä¡m bn sam¯w A©p hÀjw FSp¯p `ua Nm]w ]pd¯p hcm³. tNmZyw: ]et¸mgpw t]cpIfnÃm¯ A¡ §tfm shdpw te_epItfm Bb kz tZi _u²nIXIfpw {io B\µv BapJ¯n Ipdn¨Xp t]mse "kÀthbpsS `mKambn kÀtÆbÀ P\dÂamÀ sXm«v JemknIÄhsc Adnbs¸Sp¶hcpw Adnbs¸Sm¯hcpamb, ]\n¡pw ]p en¡pw T¤pIÄ¡pw ]nïmcnIÄ¡pw A]IS§Ä¡pw shdpw £oW¯n\pw CcIfmbn acn¨pt]mbhcpw

adpsamgn : icnbmWv Fgp¯p thfIfn  kab¡pdhpw HutZymKnI Imcy§fp ambn _Ôs¸« tPmen¯nc¡pIfpw ]n s¶ FÃmhscbpw t]mse IpSpw_] camb ]e Imcy§fpw FÃmw IqSnbpÅ ]ehI Xnc¡pIÄ. AXn\nSbn kXy ¯n Cu hnjb¯nepÅ Xm¸cyamWv Fs¶ apt¶m«p \bn¨Xv. ]et¸mgpw Fgp¯v \n¶pt]mhpambncp¶p. ctïm aqt¶m amk§fpsS CSthfIÄ Fsâ XmXv]cy{]Imcasæn IqSn, Rm³ A¯cw CSthfIÄ FSp¡phm³ \nÀ _ÔnXbmhpambncp¶p. At¸mgpw \nÀ ¯nsbSp¯p \n¶pw Rm³ XpScpw.

At¸msgms¡ Rm³ BtemNnbv¡pam bncp¶p, C{Xbpw _rl¯mb Hcp k Àth, AXmbXv ^nkn¡embpw am\ knIambpw Hs¡ Hcp]mSv k½ÀZ§fpw ITn\m[zm\hpw hnÂ]hdpw Hs¡ Bh iyamb Hcp kwKXnbmWv Cu kÀth.

AXhÀ sNbvXp. AXpw A]cnNnXamb Hcp cmPy¯v B \m«pImÀ t]mepaÃm¯, {_n«njpImÀ sNbvXp. [mcm-fw sXm-gn-emfn-Ifpw aäpw cm¸-I-ep-I-fnÃmsX Iã s¸«p. A{Xbpw Iãs¸«v AhcXp sNbvXpsh¦n F\ns¡´psImïv Iã s¸«nsXgpXn¡qSm F¶ Hcp hnNmcw Rm³ kzbw Dïm¡nsbSp¯p\n¶pamWv \nÀ¯nh¨ B Fgp¯p Rm³ XpScp ¶Xv. tNmZyw :GXp Xcw kmlnXyamWv {ioaXn ao\m£n F¶ hmb\¡mcnsb Xr]vXbm ¡p¶Xv? adpsamgn : sNdp¸w apXte I¿n In«p¶sX´pw hmbn¡p¶ Hcp kz`mhambn cp¶p. imkv{Xhpambn _Ôs¸« ]pkvXI§fpw imkv{XkmlnXy]cnj¯v ]pd¯nd ¡p¶ ]pkvXI§fpw XpS§n FÃm¯cw ]pkvXI§sfbpw WOMEN ACROSS

hmbn¨ncp¶p. F¶m Ct¸mÄ hmb\ Ipd¨p t^m¡kvUv BWv. imkv{Xhp ambn _sÔs¸Sp¶ {KÙ§fpw Pntbm s]mfnänI-vkv t]msebpÅ {KÙ§fpamWv Ct¸mÄ Fs¶ BIÀjnbv¡p¶Xv. tNmZyw : kmlnXy temI¯v ImWp¶ apjn¸v coXnIÄ Fs´¶mWv tXm¶nbn«pÅXv ? adpsamgn : kmlnXytemIs¯ apjn¸pcoXnIÄ F¶v ]dbpt¼mÄ, ]dªXv Xs¶ ]dbpI Hcp ]pXpabpanÃmXncn bv¡pI F¶XmWv. AXv hmb\¡msc thKw apjn¸nbv¡pw. BhÀ¯\ hnckX H¶nepw \ÃXà . H¶pIn hnjb¯n ]pXpabpïmhWw Asæn AXnsâ AhXcW¯n ]pXpabpïmhWw. AXv IYbmhs«, IhnXbmhs« atäXp kmlnXyamhs«. Ahsc ssI]nSn¨v ap t¶m«p sImïpt]mhpw XcapÅ Hcp kmlnXyamhWw, hnjbamhWw. H«pw apjn¸nbv¡msX Ahsc B krãnbpsS Ahkm\w hsc F¯nbv¡pw hn[apÅ H¶mhWw kmlnXyw F¶XmWv Fsâ Hcp Cãhpw Xmev]cyhpw . tNmZyw : ¢otj tNmZyamWv , CXn\p¯cw Fgp¯pImcn `uaNm]¯n³sd XpS¡ ¯n tNÀ¯n«pÅXpamWv, F¦nepw tNmZn¡s«, `ua Nm]¯n³sd {SnKdnMv kv]mÀ¡v C{X Imehpw F§ns\ Im ¯p hbv¡m\mbn ? adpsamgn : kXy¯n `uaNm]w F¶ ]pkvXIw FgpXn XpS§pt¼mÄ t]m epw AtXXp cq]¯n hcpw F¶v Hcp hyàXbpanÃmbncp¶p . AXmbXv Hcp]mSp hnjb§Ä, AXmbXv Ncn {Xw, cm{ãobw, `qanimkv{Xw, A[n\n

37

thiw, A\p`h¡pdn¸pIÄ CsXms¡ DÄs¸Sp¶, Asæn Cu KW¯nsems¡s¸Sp¯mhp¶ Hcp {KÙamWv `uaNm]w. AXpsImïpXs¶ Ahkm \w CXv GXp Xc¯n cq]w {]m]n bv¡pw F¶pÅ Imcy¯n Hcp hyàXbpw Dïmbncp¶nÃ. F¶m CXnsâ Hcp hn¯p sNdp¸w apX DÅn InS¡p¶XpsImïmhWw AXn\p kabw h¶t¸mÄ ]qÀW cq]¯n ]pd¯p hcm\mbXv. tNmZyw : IpSpw_w ? adpsamgn : IpSpw_sa¶p ]dbpt¼mÄ hnhml¯n\v ap³s]mcp IpSpw_apïv hnhml tijw asämcp IpSpw_apïv. hnhml¯n\v ap³]v Aѳ A½ Fsâ A©p ktlmZc§Ä F¶nhcS§p¶ Hcp IpSpw_¯nemWv Rm³ Pohn¨Xv. kmlnXyw kwKoXw XpS§nbhbnsems¡ Hcp hmk\ Dïmhm³ ImcWambXv Fsâ B IpSpw_w Xs¶bmWv . Fs¶ hnhmlw sNbvXncnbv¡p¶Xv F³sFSn ]qÀh hnZymÀ°n IqSnbmb APnXv IpamÀ, knhn F³Pn\obdmWv. ]ns¶ F\n¡v cïp s]סÄ. aq¯aIÄ KoXnI AUz¡ämbn«p tPmensN¿p¶p. imcZ FÂFÂ_nbv¡v ]Tnbv¡p¶p. tNmZyw : `q]Ssa¶m shdpw ISemkÃ, AXn\pw tNmc hänb Hcp Ncn{Xw ]dbm \psï¶v HutZym-Kn-I-ambn IqSn AwKoIcn bv¡s¸Sp¶ Cu thfbnÂ, F´mWv {KÙImcnbv¡v ]dbm\pÅXv ? adpsamgn : Hmtcm `q]S¯n\pw tNmcbpw \o cpsamgp¡nb IY ]dbm\pïv AXpambn _Ôs¸« `uaNm]w F¶ ]pkvXI¯n \n¶papÅ Hcp `mKw Xs¶ hmbn¡mw.

"AÚmXamb At]£nIm¦§fS§nb

\oïXpw k¦oÀWhpamb kahmIy§Ä \nÀ[mcWw sN¿m³ cm¸I Xe ]p®m ¡p¶ a\pjy I¼yq«ÀamÀ. AXpt]mse `qanbn tiJcn¨ hnhc§Ä am¸nsem Xp¡p¶ F¶m a\Ênem¡m³ ]äp¶ tXmXn hcIfpw IpdnIfpw hÀW§fpw NnÓ§fpw \ndª hcsamgnIfm¡m³ ]mSps]Sp¶ Nn{XImc·mÀ, t^mt«mÌmdv ]qÀhbpK¯n Hmtcm tcJbpw Fgp XnsbgpXn hc¨p hc¨p ]IÀ¸pïm¡nb ssdäÀamÀ, ae¼\nbpw hkqcnbpw h\y arKm{IaWhpw, hnjw Xoïepw ]«nWnbpw, AXy[zm\hpw, ZpÊlamb ImemhØbpw ZpjvIcamb bm{XbpsaÃmw ImcWw acn¨pt]mb sXmgnemfnIÄ, hnP\amb GIm´XIfn Pohn¨ am\ knI A]{`wiw _m[n¨ kÀthbdpamÀ XpS§n At\Imbnc§fpsS {ia^eamWv \½Ä ImWp¶ Hmtcm `q]S§fpw.

Cu `q]S§fp]tbmKn¨p C´y t]mse sshsshhn[yapÅ Hcp cmPyw IogS¡m \pw hn`h§Ä NqjWw sN¿m\papÅ X{´§Ä {_n«ojv km{amPyw F§ns\ BhnjvIcn¨p \S¸m¡n F¶Xnsâ Hcp \JNn{Xw hc¨p Im«m³ Cu cN\bn {ian¨n«pïv .

GIm´XbpsS A]mc Xoc§fnepw Dbc§fnepw kabw Ignbv¡m³ hn[nbv¡s¸« kÀshbdp amcpw sXmgnemfnIfpw Bcmepw Adnbs¸SmsXbpw AwKoIcnbv¡s¸SmsXbpw acn¨p a®Sn ªp. a\pjym[zm\¯nsâ, IÀt½mÂkp IXbpsS, kl\tijnbpsS, a\xiànbpsS, D¯pwKXIÄ ImWn¨p Xcp¶p Cu imkv{X kwcw`§Ä. agbnepw shbn enepw Im«nepw ta«nepw Aeª Hcp]mSp kÀshbdpamcpsS hnbÀ¸nsâ bpw Iã¸mSnsâbpw càs¨mcn¨nensâ bpw ^eamWv Hmtcm kÀth {]hÀ¯\hpw.

WOMEN ACROSS

aebmf `mjbpw Xp©³]d¼pw Aebv-\ k-PmZv

AhÄ hcnIbmWv

knÔp KmY (bph Ihbn{Xn )

ASp¡fs¡«n\pÅnse s\SphoÀ¸pIsf¡¯n¨v t\mhn³¨«nbn D¸p]mS§fneqsSsbmgpIn h¶ angn\ocn Xfbv¡s¸« s]×\an«p In\mt¨mdpïm¡n kz]v\§fpsS NndIpIfcnªv AhImi§sf sh«n\pdp¡n e£y§sfbcs¨Sp¯v ]p©ncn s]mSns¨Sp¯v kzmX{´ys¯ ]ngnsªSp¯v s]®nesb Xnfbv¡pw hnfs¡®bn hdps¯Sp¯v Idn¡q«psamcp¡n Im¯ncp¶ B Imes¯ ]¨bv¡p I¯n¨m Nmcs¯ s\änbn ]qin AhÄ hcnIbmWv

IhnX

ASn¨aÀ¯ens\ IodnbSp¸n sh¨v I¯n¨v `bs¯ HuZmcy¯n Ipg¨Xn\nSbv¡nS¡v kZmNmcs¯bpw I]Skwk-vImcs¯bpw {]Xymisb¶ ]p«pIpänbn thhns¨Sp¯hÄ hcp¶pïv...

39

Xobn Ipcp¯v I\en hncnbp¶ AKv\n]q¡fmbv... ]gIpt´mdpw hocyw IqSp¶ PohnXsa¶ elcnsb hmcn¸pWcphm\mbv am\m`nam\§Ä ASnbdshbv¡msX aghnÃn³ \ndw a\Ên Npa¶hÄ hcnIbmWv....

Hcp Ip«n BZyambn DÑcnbv¡p¶Xv Ahsâ / AhfpsS amXmhnsâ `mjbmWv AXn\m Xs¶ AXp amXr`mjsb¶ t]cn Adnbs¸Sp¶p. GXv \m«nembmepw \½psS Ip«nIsf aebmfw ]Tn¸n¡pI F¶Xv \½psS ISabmWv. `mj ]Tn¡p¶tXmsSm¸w AXnsâ {]m[m\yhpw DÂ`hhpw ]Tn¸n¡m³ \½Ä XoÀ¨bmbpw {i²nbvt¡ïXmWv. F´mbmepw amXr`mjbn kwkmcn¡p¶Xnsâ Hcp kpJw H¶v thsd Xs¶bmWv. AXv hfsc IrXyambn a\ knembXv tPmenbpsS `mKambn 4 hÀjw _mw¥qcn \n ¶t¸mgmbncp¶p. XpSÀ¶v hnhmltijw FdWmIpfw ØncXmakw BIpIbpw sNbvXp. FhnsS Xmakn¨mepw \½Ä P\n ¨p hfÀ¶ Øew \ap¡v F¶pw {]nbs]«Xm Ipw. AXv F{X Xs¶ hÀWn¨mepw aXnbmIpIbpanÃ.

AXn\¸pdw Fsâ P·\mSn\p aebmfnIfmb \ap¡v Hmtcm cp¯À¡pw A`nam\n¡m\mhp¶ Hcp {]tXyIX IpsSbp ïv. aebmf `mjbpsS ]nXmhv F¶dnbs¸Sp¶ Xp©s¯-gp-¯Ñsâ P·ØeamWv. AXv ae¸pdw PnÃbnse Xr¡ïnbqcn\S¯pÅ A¶mc F¶ Øe¯mWv. AhnSw Ct¸mÄ Xp©³]d¼v F¶ t]cnemWv Adnbs¸Sp¶Xv. AtZl¯nsâ bYmÀ° \maw cmam\pP³ F¶pw, ]n¶oSv Xp©¯p cmam\pP³ Fgp¯Ñ³ F¶pw Adnbs¸«p. ] Xn\©mw \qämïnsâbpw ]Xn\mdmw \qämïnsâbpw CS bnemWv At±lw Pohn¨ncp¶Xv F¶v IcpXs¸Sp¶p. 1964  BWv AtZl¯nsâ kvamcIw Xp©³]d¼n ]Wnbp¶Xv. Ip«n¡me¯p FÃm hÀjhpw hnPbZian \mfn lcn{io Ipdn¡m³ Xp©³]d¼n t]mImdpïmbncp¶p.

BbncIW¡n\v BfpIfpsS CSbneqsS hfsc _p²nap«nbpw Iyp ]men¨pamWv AIt¯¡p F¯ns¸Sp¶Xv. Hcp `mK¯p aWen lcn{io KW]Xsb \ax F¶v Ipdn¡m³ sNdnb Ip«nIÄ apX Im¯p \n¡p¶pïmhpw. adp `mK¯mhs« BZym£cw Ipdn¡p¶ Ipcp¶pIfpsSbpw A½amcpsSbpw Xnc¡mbncn¡pw. R§Ä \m«pImÀ¡v A¶v Hcp DÕhamWv . \½psS e£yw Xncn¨p hcpt¼mÄ ]pd¯p hn¡p¶ Ifn¸m«hpw kÀ_¯p s]mcn, Icn¼p F¶nhsbms¡bmbncnbv¡pw. ]s£ ]n¶oSv hepXmIpt´mdpw Xp©³]d¼nsâ almßyw Fs¶ AXnib¸n¨p sImïncp¶p.

FdWmIpf¯p h¶v Fsâ \mSns\ ]än hÀWn¡pt¼mÄ Ft¸mgpw Xp©³]d¼v IS¶phcpw ]s£ ChnsS `qcn`mKw BfpIÄ¡pw Cu Øes¯ Ipdn¨v AdnbnÃ. \½psS Cu sIm¨p tIcf¯n C{Xtbsd Ncn{X {]m[m\yapÅ Øew Dïmbn«pw aebmfnIfmb \½Ä¡v thï{X Adn hnà F¶pÅXv At§bäw hnjan¸n¡p¶XmWv. Hcp]s£ Fs¶ Cu teJ\w FgpXm³ t]mepw t{]cn¸n¨Xv B LSIambncnbv¡mw. Fsâ Cu sNdnb teJ\w sImïv Ipd¨p t]scsb¦nepw Xp©³ ]d¼nsâ alXzw Adnbn¡m³ IgnªmÂ, AXv henb Imcysa¶p Xs¶ Rm³ hnizkn¡p¶p.

CXv sImïpÅ Fsâ Dt±iw aäp `mjIÄ ]Tn¡p¶Xv sXämsWt¶m tamiamsWt¶m F¶Ã. aäp `mjIÄ 100% ]Tn¡pt¼mÄ \½psS aebmfw 101% ]Tn¡s«. Adnbs« \½psS Ipcp¶pIÄ `mjbpw DÂ`hhpw {]m[m\yhpw. Ipcp¶pIÄ Adnbp¶Xn\v apt¶ Adnbs« AhcpsS A½amcpw Aѳamcpw.Adnbs« Hmtcm aebmfnIfpw "aäpÅ `mjIÄ tIhew [m{XnamÀ aÀXy\v s]ä½ X³ `mj Xm³" almIhn hÅt¯mfnsâ Cu cïv hcnIÄ HmÀan¸n¨p sImïv Rm³ \nÀ¯s«..

WOMEN ACROSS

kn\na \ncq]Ww

{Xn`wK

Hcp

sskt¡m {]Wbw

t{]wPn, kn\nam t{]an hnZy atljv

(bph Fgp¯pImcn)

kvt\l ]qÀÆw Fsâ {]nb\v, Fs´gpXWsa¶v F\n¡dnbnÃ.Rm³ FgpXp ¶sXm¶pw ]Xnbm¯Xv t]mse tXm¶mWv F\n¡v.

FgpXp¶ t]\bnse ajn sXfnbm¯Xv t]mse.

Fsâ ssIIÄ hndbv¡p¶Xv t]mse, lrZbanSn¸v IqSpIbmWv. F¦nepw F\n¡nXv FgpXmsX h¿. \½Ä C§s\ ImWmXncn¡pw tXmdpw AIeaà adn¨v Hcp]mSv ASp¸w IqSn IqSn hcnIbmWv. \n\ t¡mÀ½bptïm? C¶v Cu {]WbZn\¯nemWv, \½Ä BZyambn ]ckv]cw IïXv. \nsâ I¿pw tImÀ¯v, IS Xocs¯ XncameIsf XtemSns¡mïv Hcp ]mSv Zqcw \S¶Xv.. \o h¶Xn\p tijamWv F¶n Hcp]mSv amä§Ä DïmbXv. Fsâ apSn¡v \ofansöp ]dªp \o Fs¶ As¶mcp]mSv Ifnbm¡nbn«ntÃ? Ct¸mÄ Fsâ apSn H¶v Iïp t\m¡p. \n\¡v thïn Rm³ \o«nhfÀ¯nbn«pïv.. C\n F¶mWv Fsâ {]nbt\ \ns¶sbm¶v ImWp¶Xv? Ignª amkw \ns¶ ImWWw F¶v ]dªv Rm³ Hcp I¯v FgpXnbncp¶p. H¶v t]mÌv- - sNs¿m¶p Rm³ Fsâ sNdnb½tbmSv tNmZn¨t¸mÄ Ft¶mSv tZjys¸«p. " acn¨p t]mb HcmÄ¡pthïn Ipsdbmbn Rm³ CXv hm§n¡p¶p, F\n¡v h¿, F¶pw ]dªp AXv IodnIIfªp. F\ns¡´p k¦Sam sb¶dntbm ?

aq¶v kv{XoIfpsS IY]dbp¶ kn\nabmWv s\äv ^venI-vkn dneokmb lnµn Nn{Xw {Xn`wK. ane³ F¶ Ndp¸¡mc³ AbmfpsS ]n G¨v Un bpsS BhiymÀYw \b³ F¶ adm¯n Fgp¯pImcnbpsS PohnX IY ]IÀ¯p¶bnS¯p \n¶mWv Cu kn\na XpS§p¶Xv. \bsâ aämcpw AdnbmsX t]mIp¶ PohnXm\p`h§fmWv ane³ Xsâ IymadbneqsS ]IÀ¯p¶Xv. PohnX¯nse Ibv-t- ¸dnb A\p`h§fn eqsS am{Xw \ bs\ Iï aIÄ A\p, Xsâ A½sb At§bäw shdp¡p¶hfmWv. F¶m A½bpsS Cã§fpw kvt\lhpw aäp {]iv\§fpsaÃmw ane³ ]dbpt¼mÄ am{XamWv A\p a\knem¡p¶Xv . AtX kabw A\phn sâ aIÄ amj aäp cïp t]cpsSbpw PohnX¯nse ]mfn¨IÄ Iïp sImïv "Ipekv{Xo " ]«w AWnbpIbmWv. FÃm {]iv\§fpw a\ knem¡n, A\p \b\pambn H¶v kwkmcn¨ncps¶¦n F¶v kn\na ImWpt¼mÄ t{]£IÀ AdnbmsX B{Kln¨p t]mIpw. Erotic kvssäen epÅ kn\naIÄ \nc´cambn t_mfnhpUn Cd§p¶psï¦nepw {] kvXpX kn\naIfn \ns¶Ãmw hyXykvXambn tXm¶n Cu Nn{Xw. A\p hnsâ IYm]m{Xw ]dbp¶Xv t]mse ehv F¶v ]dbp¶Xnt\¡mfpw F{Xtbm apIfnemWv "^¡v" F¶ {]tbmKw . kµÀ`¯n\\pkcn¨v B IYm]m{Xw B hm¡ns\ ]eXc¯n D]tbmKn¡p¶papïv . tcWpI jlms\ BWv Nn{Xw kwhn[m\w sNbvXncn¡p¶Xv. ItPmÄ , anYne ]m¡À , X³hn Bkvan F¶nhcmWv bYm{Iaw A\p , amj , \b³ F¶o IYm]m{X§sf AhXcn¸n¨ncn¡p¶Xv. F´mbmepw one time watchable movie Xs¶bmWv {Xn`wK . kn\nabn CSbv¡v hcp¶ adm Tn kw`mjW§Ä a\knem¡m³ ]änsb¦n kn\na Ipd¨pIqSn A\p `hthZyamtbs\ . hmÂIjvWw : admTnImcmb IYm]m{X§Ä hoSpIfn admTn Xs¶ kwkmcn¡Ww F¶v kwhn[mbnI B{Kln¨ncn¡Ww. AÃmsX Xangv kn\nabnse t]mse Atacn¡¡mc\pw Xangn UbtemKv ]dbWw F¶p ]dªm F´v t_mdmbncn¡pw.

F\n¡dnbmw, AXv In«m¯Xv sImïmWv \o Fs¶ ImWm³ hcm¯sX¶v. FÃm {]WbZn\¯nepw \n\¡mbn Rm³ FgpXmdpÅ Cu I¯v, C¶pw F\ns¡gpXmsX h¿. F\n¡n\n ImWmXncn¡m³ ]äpsa¶p tXm¶p¶nÃ. Rm³ Ct¸mÄ FhsS BsW¶dntbm \n\¡v ? AsX, \½Ä t]mImdp Å B XncameIÄ¡Sp¯v. Cs¶sâ Imense N§eIÄ Agnªp. Rm³ \ns¶ ImWm³ hcnI bmWv. \o sImïv t]mb Fsâ lrZbw, AsX\n¡v Xncn¨p thWw. Fsâ {]nb\v Hcmbncw kvt\l Npw_\§Ä. kvt\l]qÀÆw Rm³ \n\¡b¡p¶ lrZb¯n³ hcnIÄ

hn\p BÀ-«n-kväv AhfpsS B I®pIÄ ]dª A{Xbpw IYIÄ t]mepw AhÄ ]dªn«nÃ.. !

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kn\na \ncq]Ww

kpa kXojv

Fgp¯pImcn, tImfanÌv þ _ldn³

t]cp t]mse at\mlcnbmbn \mSy¯nepw B«¯nepw F¶v thï kIe taJebnte¡pw Xncn¨ph¶v sh«n¯nf§p¶ teUn kq¸ÀÌmÀ aRvPp hmcnbcpsS 'NXpÀapJw' thdn« A\p`hambn. Ct¸mgmWv ]gb aRvPphns\ t{]£IÀ¡p Xncn¨p In«nbXv. \nÀ½mW¯n ]¦mfn IqSnbmb aRvPp, DS\ofw tI{µIYm]m{Xambn \n¶v tim`n¨p. AXn`mhpIXzw CÃmsX, t{]£Isc Nn´n¸n¡p¶, kzbw c£IbmIp¶ \mbnI F¶ anIthmsS, ]pXnb ImeL«¯nsâ Nne A] IS kmlNcy§sf sSIvt\mfPnbneqsS AhXcn¸n¨v, t{]£Isc ssIbnseSp¯n«pïv.

AacXzhpw {]Wbhpw {]Wb Km\§fpw hnÃ\pw Ìïpw aZy]m\hpw C¯ncn AÇoeXbpw B`mkhpw ss]¦nfnbpw sXdnbpw AXnam\pjnI\mb \mbI\pw Csæn kn\n abnsö B taJebnse NnecpsS henb [mcWsb BWv NXpcapJw Xncp¯n¡pdn¨Xv. aebmf¯nse BZy sSIvt\m slmdÀ Bb Cu Nn{X¯nsâ Bibw Ime¯ns\m ¸amsW¶v ]dbmsa¦nepw Ir{XnaXzw Aev] sam¶p IqSnt]mtbms¶mcp i¦ CÃmXnÃ. IY, kwhn[m\w, iÐ an{iWw, Iymad, ]Ým¯ew XpS§n FÃm taJebpw anI¨p \n¶p. hnÃ\msb¯p¶ samss_epw F\ÀPnbpw Nn´nt¡ï hnjb§Ä Xs¶.

BtcmKyIcamb kulrZ¯nsâ DujvafXbpw BßmÀ° Xbpw B¬ kplr¯nsâ IcpXepw HcnS¯p t]mepw A \mtcmKyIcamb tNã-I-fnÃmsX kn\na sImïpt]mbXpw kv{Xosb apXseSp¡p¶nS¯v iàambn {]XnIcn¨Xpw \sÃmcp ktµiambn. kvt\lw \ndª IpSpw_m´co£ hpw s]®nsâ Icp¯pw Hs¡ tXPkzn\nbn \ngen¨p.

HcnS¯p t]mepw anÊv- - BhmsX AZymhkm\whsc aRvPp, IYm]m{Xs¯ a\Ên {]XnjvTnIm\mhp¶ coXnbn Pohn¸n¨p. tXPkzn\n \½fnepsï¶p tXm¶n¸n¡pw hn[w ]gb aRvPphmcnbcpsS XIÀ¸³ s]Àt^ma³kv Iïp.

Cu kn\nabpsS sslsseäv AXv Xs¶bmWv. tXPkzn\nbpsS PohnX¯n \S¡p¶ Nne kw`hhnImk§sf kmt¦XnIXbneqsS t]Sn¸n¡p¶ kmlNcyw Dïm ¡n sImïpt]mIp¶XmWv IY. AhfpsS hyàn]camb \ne]mSpw Nn´bpw A\p`hI§fpw CS¡v 'A¬ Uq' Hm]vj³ Dïmbncps¶¦n F¶ kw`mjWhpw, t]Sn¨ncn ¡pt¼mgpw At\zjW¯nte¡pÅ Hm«hpw Isï¯epI fpw t{]£Isc Hcp]mSv kzm[o\n¡m\nSbpïv. tXPkzn\n a\Ênem¡nb Iuïv sUuWnsâ Imcyw t{]£ I\v Xs¶ ]nSnIn«p¶ ØnXn¡v BâWn¡v ]dbmambn cp¶p F¶v tXm¶n. hcIÄ {]ZÀi\¯n\v Hcp¡nbnS¯v `mcysb AS¡w amänbXv A\uNnXyambn A\p`hs¸«p.

C{Xbpw Isï¯nb \mbnI¡v ]cp¡pItfmsSsb¦nepw AbmfpsS Poh³ c£n¡mambncp¶p F¶pw Bin¨pt]mbn.

41

]ns¶ t]mknäohv F\ÀPn {Kmam´co£¯nte¡p t]m bn t\Smhp¶ Hcp kmlNcyambncps¶¦n F¶pÅXpw Nn´\obw. Fs´ms¡bmbmepw t{]£Isc DtZzKt¯msS ImWm³ t{]cn¸n¡p¶ \sÃmcp {iaw Xs¶ Bbncp¶p Nn{Xw. \½tfmtcmcp¯scbpw henªp apdp¡n sImïpt]mIp¶ C¶s¯ kmt¦XnIhnZybpsS Hfnªncn¡p¶ `oIcX, kzm `mhnI IYbneqsS sSIvt\mfPnbpsS anIthmsS ImWn¡m \pÅ kn\nabpsS {iaw hnPbn¨n«pïv. Isï¯m\m hm¯ ]e \nKqVXIfpw \ap¡v Npäpapsï¶Xv ]c amÀ°w Xs¶bmWv. ChnsS kmt¦XnIXbpsS ]nghv imkv{X¯nsâ _e¯n ]cnlcn¡m\pÅ {ia¯neqsS t{]£Isc ]nSn¨ncn¯p¶pïv. Aev]w Nne t]mcmbvaIÄ amän \nÀ¯nbmÂ, tamfnhpUnse C¯cw kwcw`w \ sÃmcp hgnXncnhv Xs¶ BWv. kmt¦XnIXbnte¡pw kaqlam[ya§fnte¡pw PohnXw hgpXn amdns¡mïncn ¡p¶ C¶s¯ Xeapd¡v AXn\pw A¸pdamWv IpSpw_ PohnXsa¶pw H¸nsbSp¡p¶ Xsâ Hmtcm kzImcy \nanjhpw kaqlt¯mSv ]¦p sht¡ïXnsöpw, ssZhn Iambn sImïp \S¡p¶nS§Ä A\mhiyambn t^mt«m ]IÀ¯m\pÅXsöpw Hs¡ kn\na HmÀ½n¸n¡p¶pïv.

Ah\hsâ PohnXs¯¡mfpw henb {]m[m\yw kmaqly am[ya§Ä¡nsö t_m[w CXn AUnIväv Bb NneÀs¡ ¦nepw Xncn¨p In«nbm AXmWv kn\nabpsS hnPbw. IYm ]m{X§fpw kn\nabpsS t]cpw AhXcWhpw kmlNcy§sf Iq«nbnW¡nbXpw {it²bambn. F¦nepw \mbnIbpsS ]pXnb cq]`mh§Ä Iï t{]£I F¶ \nebn Hcp k-vIqÄþtImtfPv PohnX kmlNcyw IqSn {]Xo£n¨ncp¶p.

AXv \ncmibmbn. ss¢-am-Iv-kn\p apt¶ tXPkzn\nbpsS Hä¡pÅ s]mcpX Hgnhm¡mambncp¶p. kbâ nÌv CS¡v NnebnS§fn Hm^v- - aqUv Dïm¡nbXmbn A\p`hs¸«p. ^nenw XpS§p¶Xv acW¯n\p ]Icw Iym¼nse Ip«nIsf sh¨m bncpsW¦n F¶pw tXm¶mXncp¶nÃ. imkv{XÚ³ Iptd IqSn DjmdmhWambncp¶p. 'samss_ t{]X's¯ ad¡m\mhnÃ, BâWnsbbpw. t{]£IÀ Dd¸mbpw "NXpÀapJw" GsäSp¡pw .

CXpt]mse \mSn\p D]Imc{]Zhpw Nn´\obhpw A`n\b km[yXIfpÅXpw KuchapÅXpw Bb Ne¨n{X§fmWv DïmtIïXv. cNbn Xm¡Ä¡v C\nbpw Dïmhs« \Ã `mh\ IÄ. FÃm BiwkIfpw t\cp¶p.

WOMEN ACROSS