Maitrayee B's blog

By now most people know the name of Yousufzai Malala. When I narrated her brave story to my daughter, she looked at me and asked “Will you allow me to do the same thing if I wanted?” her question set me thinking.

'I am every woman',

It  is my  expression and way of telling the world and women in particular that it is ok to be in their own skin and comparisons are not necessary. Throughout history, women have been judged, compared and put to test in numerous ways..it is time to put an end to that before the voice of the woman is stifled forever..let a woman be who she is.

 To meet Kirtana, is to be in the presence of warmth and a certain amount of happiness that she exudes as a person. Whenever I have met this very special lady, she has come across as someone happy and sophisticated and yet full of an earthy glamour. For those who haven’t heard of her, Kirtana Kumar is Bangalore based theatre personality, actor and director, who runs Little Jasmine, a theatre Lab for children and Infinite Souls -a rural artists' retreat, a sort of artist's residency, where artist’s from all spheres try to achieve a balance between funded projects and those that sustain themselves.

A friend staying in the US narrated an incident to me recently; she has two children and had chosen to be at home. Now that they are older, she has taken on a full time job. The younger of her children while describing his mother’s new change in lifestyle mentions, ‘Now she has a job’. The loving mom explains to her son that she had a job of looking after him, his sister and the house before too, just that she wasn’t paid for it! This is shocking news to the youngster as he nods his head wisely. As she tells me the incident and we laugh over it, I am reminded of the bill that the minister for Child and Development, Krishna Tirath is planning to introduce.

On September 9th 2012, the newspapers all across India screamed almost similar headlines to this one-
"Assem Trivedi was arrested on Saturday on charges of sedition for displaying cartoons during the Anna Hazare protest in the Bandra-Kurla complex (BKC) in November 2011. The arrest was carried out on the basis of a complaint filed by Amit Katarnayea, a legal advisor for a Mumbai-based NGO." (http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/anti-corruption-cartoonist-aseem-triv...)

 Maria, my friend has had a late marriage, as per Indian standards, she married at 34. Three years into her marriage, everyone in her family is extremely worried. Reason being, she is not yet a mother. Maria wants to be a mother too, but she wants to settle her career and certain other priorities in life before she brings in a child into the world.
It all started two years into the marriage where her in-laws started giving vague hints, about going to the neighbor’s child birthday party, and how in spite of being married for only one year, the girls is ‘well settled into matrimony’.

 There are certain things that happen in people’s lives that can be termed in no other words apart from ‘destiny’. When as a financial services professional, Anubha Sharma took a sabbatical from her profession of twenty years little did she realize that she was ready to plunge into something else, something so dramatic and all enveloping that it would change her life forever! Meet Anubha Sharma, founder of Angel Xpress a Mumbai based institution that helps less privileged children on the street gain education, guidance and in more ways than one a happier life.

 Many of us have heard of dancer Alokananda Roy and her work with prisoners. The dancer who visited the prison for the first time in 2007 has earned the distinction of bringing about a change in many of the lives of these prisoners. She uses dance to bring about a change in their mentality, her mantra being, no one is born as a criminal and hence all of them deserve a chance at reformation.
A prime example of this transformation is Nigel Akkara, an undergraduate from the prestigious St Xavier’s College, Kolkata, who was serving prison time because of having strayed into crime and ended murdering a man.

The year is 2012- ‘Have you heard of Mary Kom?’  Of course you have! Yaar she’s on the Amul Butter Ad also, how can one not hear of her? Fast forward 2013 or 2014, ‘Have you heard of Mary Kom? Kaun sa Koum?  Never mind, welcome to India, the land of ‘We are like that only’
 At the London Olympics when every nation is out to put their best foot forward right from the opening ceremony, the circus has already begun for us.

 There are many of us who as parents worry that their children are fast losing out on their culture and unlearning whatever little that they pick up from their home. This pressure is perhaps felt further by those who live away from India and are often worried about how to at least make their children understand their roots, if not follow them. To such people Mona Vijaykar would be an interesting name.