Women’s Day

It’s Women’s Day today… and here’s my wishlist for the day.

I wish that

- I could walk on the street without having someone wink/ whistle/ hoot/ start humming/ stare.

- the Women’s reservation Bill gets passed tomorrow.

- that i could get into the body of every woman who dreams of walking out of an abusive relationship. And do the walking out for them.

- that all the ideas of ‘purity’ and ‘innocence’ and modesty and the idea that a woman is the heart of any society are crushed, and we are just left to be what we want to be.

- that i could cycle down a long quiet road, whistling in the rain, enjoying the drops on my bare arms and legs, without worrying that it’s getting dark, and i’m not safe out alone.

- that i could wear what i want, without aunties looking at me like i’m a bad indecent girl and without almost every guy on the road staring, thinking i have loose morals or worse, that i’m available.

- i wish that if someone whistled or ‘looked impressed’ at how i looked, i could look back at the person and smile. Because it’s a compliment.

- that i could say what i want, when i want, without people going ‘haaawwww!’

- that text books would stop saying ‘man’ and ‘he’ and keep ignoring/ sidelining half the population.

- that there wouldn’t be some things that are ok for boys (girlfriends, pre-marital relationships/ sex, an education, the right to work) but not ok for girls (boyfriends, pre-marital relationships/ sex, an education, the right to work)

- that people would stop thinking of Sita as the ‘perfect woman’ and instead, realise how unfortunate she was to have a husband like ram.

So here’s wishing all the women out there, a very Happy Women’s Day.

And i hope everything you’ve ever wished for comes true!

I was going to write something on the messages i received today, but i read THIS by Preeti Dutta and i went ‘wow…!’

And here’s a video i think most women would love! I do!