Glorious Gloria

 Currently, 'her'(e)abouts, feminism is a much misunderstood wor(l)d, what with the trivialising bashing of the agency involved in the 'jauhar' of Rani Padmini and others of her ilk, and, as usual, without paying any attention to the context.

 Hindsight, in my opinion, is forever the easiest because you have nothing to lose except your prejudices, your half-baked knowledge, and the absolutely deafening claps from your very own echo-chambers. 

Neither is feminism the license to behave any which way. Feminism is empathy. Feminism is empowerment. Feminism is trying to understand a perspective absolutely different from your own so as to make existence fair and lovely! 

Gloria Steinem, who passed away recently, was an activist who tried to en-'live'-n such definitions throughout her career as a journalist, as a pacifist, as a 'reformer' of policies. Hence the title of our blog. 

What is most interesting in the current context is that this world-renowned campaigner for women's being-n-becoming granted that it was her stay in India in the late fifties that sensitised her truly. 

Arriving in India with a meagre scholarship but bloated on colonial notions, her first face-off with 'rank' poverty proved to her how simple women shared n cared for each other. It was India that taught her the art of "listening", which helped her with a "you-oriented" communi(cati)on. Her Indian exchanges with students, common women, Gandhian scholars and followers taught her that 'radical' need not be defined as direct and indirect vicious violence. 

Rather 'radical' means going to the very roots of any issue to truly explore/examine/expose it. As Steinem strengthened such a belief system, here is an Indian tribute to her memory. 

Pratima@ Apparently, she liked the saree because it helps, in her opinion, to stand straight, walk slowly, and hence worry less about time and efficiency. A truly refreshing idea, though difficult to follow today, given the totally transformed times! 

Quote of the day:                                                         "The first problem for all of us, men and women, is not to learn, but to unlearn," said Gloria Steinem. Yes, indeed! 

Word of the day: feminist                                           A feminist is anyone who recognizes the equality and full humanity of women and men. A good definition indeed!