On 15th Aug, we asked readers to send us their views on ” As a Woman What does Independence mean to you” we got an amazing response. We got many entries. So in August issue we published few and in this issue we are publishing the three next good ones …. enjoy reading the thoughts from Sunidhi, Vinayana & Jyoti.
Sunidhi Trivedi
If you give attention to detail, they will say, “you can’t adjust or sacrifice”.
If you adjust or sacrifice, they will say, “you’re easy to catch”.
If you do not adjust, they will say, “you’re impossible to understand”.
If you’re passionate about something, they will say, “you’re crazy”.
If you act patiently even in bad times, they will say, “you’re casual about things”.
So, let them judge you because they were born to motivate you.
Let them talk because people get curious about important things.
and ‘we’ are ‘precious’!
Independence isn’t about making women strong; women are already strong enough. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength. It is an acknowledgement to become so confident in who you are that no one’s opinion or rejection can rock you. It is the power to deserve to feel respected, trusted and loved. It’s the liberty to feel yourself because there’s no expiration date to reinventing yourself. It is the encouragement to learn from the mistakes because those mistakes are lessons, not failures.
Independence is the enthusiasm to do, think, talk, choose, decide, be happy in your ways and feel contented. It comes within you from you by chasing your dreams fearlessly, thinking about the possible opportunities, talking about your ideas to the world, choosing to be not ordinary, deciding who you want to become and loving what you have because love is limitless but time is not.
So before it’s too late, give a chance to feel like a free bird. And always remember, no one is judging and counting on you but ‘you’.
Be proud to be a woman. Embrace it every day!
Vinayana Khurana
I am a woman with a disability living in Delhi, India. Independence often means different things for different people; for some, it’s about financial independence and for some, going on a night out is independence. For me, independence means to travel on my own. You might be thinking that what is so difficult about travelling. In the Constitution of India, the right to travel is an important component.
What if I tell you that, I can’t implement the right to travel in my own country because of the inaccessibility. In India, there are potholes and uneven footpaths that could a danger for a common man. As for a person with a disability, they are nightmares. Imagine you are in a motorized wheelchair and you have to go to your college. It is a tiring and impossible task. You won’t be able to make through the gate of your colony, let alone the way ahead. There are eyes on the road that stare at us, every time we step out on our wheelchair. Sometimes, I need independence from those looks and stereotypes.
Travelling is one of the many passions I have. I like to see new places and visit exotic routes with my family. We have a nice car and that is how we travel through the faraway lands among the mountains. We can not even imagine travelling by a local train or bus because they’re inaccessible for a person in a wheelchair. Though, I would love to travel by train if I would get a chance. I think that one day, my country would be more accessible and open-minded for people like me and I’ll go wherever my heart will take me.
Prof Jyoti Rana
This human mind has a rootless quality. If we identify this and get rooted in it, then we can enjoy the inner experience. On the other side, if we allow the mind to grow in roots, it starts thinking in the same pattern and becomes the prisoner of thoughts, events and happenings. That makes our happiness dependent on external circumstances. Our mind gets stuck in the rigid views and our ego gets easily upset. So being rooted in the rootless, shapeless and thoughtless is independence. It brings inner experience. When one is blessed with inner experiences, he or she becomes oblivious of his existence. This gives a thought of self-appreciation. Self-appreciation fills us with love and love is the centre of every creation. Moreover, a self-appreciated heart spreads happiness. Loving who we are and being comfortable with ourselves liberates us fully. We can experience life around us and become sensitive to life. That results in ease and creates a meaning of independence for me.