No more a bonsai; I am a powerful tree – A wake up call for women

“Men are like the sun – they create their own light. Women, on the other hand, are like satellites; they get their light from the sun!”

By and large, this seems very true of Indian society. In order to have a social status, a woman must be backed by a man –be it the father, husband, son or brother.Who can match the arrogance and pride of a woman who has many sons? Similarly who can match the suffering, self pity and insecurity of a woman who produces one daughter after another!

However, women too can create and are creating, their own light through education.

There are many, very highly educated women pursuing excellent careers in various fields, especially in urban India. They are simultaneously balancing many roles – of a daughter/ daughter in law/wife/mother etc. The irony here is that her role in each of these- particularly as wife, daughter- in- law and mother, is taken for granted, leading to constant exploitation, whether overt or covert. She, in turn, lets this continue, as she has been brainwashed from childhood into thinking, that her role is entirely one of obedience and sacrifice.

From the above it is clear that a good academic education alone does not serve the purpose; a woman must learn to differentiate between a relationship based on love and mutual respect and one based on dependence, exploitation and injustice.Once she has understood this difference, she must have the clarity of thought and conviction to stand by it.

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In short, she must learn to be assertive (not aggressive or passive or manipulative). This attitude will help her to respect herself; and once that is a fact, other people around her too will learn to respect her.

A woman too lives, not by bread alone!

Here’s my poem for the woman of today.

NO MORE A BONSAI

Oh ! What a beautiful home was mine!

The blue sky with its twinkling stars was my roof;

The lush green grass my carpet.

The chirping of the birds and the gurgling of the river

was my music;

The whiff of the wet mud, the cool breeze

and the fluttering butterflies

were my constant companions.

You believed that small is beautiful!

So, one day, you came and took me away.

You put me in a small pot,

you cut my roots;

You pruned my stems,

you tied me up with strings;

you restricted my growth.

You were proud of me!

I adorned your living room with my colourful flowers and leaves.

You gracefully accepted all the compliments for my beauty;

you told everyone how much you loved your bonsai.

But wait, think again; do you love your bonsai or yourself?

 Your game is over my friend!

Even a worm turns, even a bonsai rebels.

I have awakened from my long slumber;

The truth has finally dawned on me.

I am a powerful tree,

You made a bonsai out of me.

But no – not any more!

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