FIVE WOMEN –ONE VOICE

ON THE OCCASION OF OUR INDEPENDENCE DAY, TODAY'S LIBERATED WOMEN SPEAK THEIR HEARTS OUT TO MEGHANA KURUP ON THE ROLE INDEPENDENCE PLAYS IN THEIR LIVES

Meet Mandeep Maitra, Country Head (HR), HDFC Bank. She worked in MNCs for the initial part of her career, before moving over to an Indian private sector bank as a youngest Head of HR, nine years back. Today, she has broken the glass ceiling to be the only woman to be appointed as part of the bank's top brass. Born into a Sikh family and later married to a Bengali Brahmin, Mandeep says, "I was fortunate to be born in a family which was very liberal in its views regarding education, religion and traditions. This shaped my personality and the choices I made in my life." Like Mandeep there are so many women out there
    – successful and those who are seeking the path of
    success – for whom the significance of independence
    takes on a whole new meaning.
    Come to think of it, over the years, the significance of the word 'independence' for women has evolved. Earlier, an Indian women's world revolved around the home and the hearth alone. Looking after their family and being the homemaker was the default choice presented to them. Slowly but steadily, women found freedom in tiny decisions such as pursuing their studies, learning to find their voice and gaining approval from their near and dear ones before setting out to do what they aspired to do. And now there is today's 'Gen Y' women, who have finally come into their own and are ready to face the consequences of making their own choices.
    Today's surging economy has created new jobs. In turn it has prompted young women professionals to leave home and live on their own terms. This has gradually paved the way for the traditional society to accept new freedoms for women. For enterprising Nadia Chauhan Kurup, Director (marketing), Parle Agro, the concept of independence cannot change. "However, its interpretation has always been and will always be relative. Decades ago, independence to woman could've meant having the right to vote. Today, independence is about having an opinion, voicing it, and being a leader," she declares.
    In the span of her two-decade long career, Mandeep has seen the changing outlook of people towards the concept of independence. She observes, "Since my childhood and now my career, I've seen a lot of change all around. I think for one there are a lot more opportunities for everyone. There is respect for personal choices, far more acceptance and tolerance to diversity, and boundaries of caste, creed, language and religion is blurred amongst today's generation. There is freedom in expressing views and opinions, and an openness and liberal mindset in accepting different socio-political and cultural ideologies."
    But as the path to freedom from the earlier interpretations of freedom is not an easy one, women are tackling new uncertainties and new choices. The changes are most apparent in the lives of women who have found a foothold for themselves and who are for
the most part middle-class, college-educated professionals exploring jobs that simply did not exist a generation ago.
    Ask I A Kundan, Collector (city), Mumbai, about the role of women and their importance in help breaking the stereotypical norms. She says, "Today's woman dons many hats – a mother, wife, sister and daughter. She is also juggling another one – that of a modern woman. With all the challenges thrown her way, she has indeed emerged much stronger than men and her ability to strike a balance between home and work bears testimony to this fact."
    Believing in the concept of striking a perfect balance, Dr Sujaya Banerjee, Chief Learning Officer, Essar, says, "In the good old days, women seldom had a goal as to what to do in life. Their goals depended upon validation from the people close to them. Earlier, permissions – from parents, husbands, family – mattered more than it does today." Going on to explain the current scenario, Dr Sujaya says, "In the present scenario, it is the emancipated 'Gen Y' women who are coming into their own, to aspire and achieve their goals in life irrespective of what others feel. Today, women have the courage and drive to be go-getters and are ready to brave the consequences of their choices."
    Women are finally finding their voice, and what power the voice has! Shaina N C, fashion designer and politician emphatically says, "The biggest empowerment for women in India today is the freedom of expression we get. There are exclusive women's rights and a judicial system in place not just to protect women from dowry abuse, domestic violence, but other gender issues as well. Take for instance the issue of abortion. Earlier no one would have brought the matter of a right to have an abortion in court, but now women are finding their voices and have no qualms in expressing it out loud."
    And then, there is the flip side. "Freedom does have its negative impacts too. In the current scenario, the patience levels of people have reduced. The more the freedom the more responsibility it brings. It is a test of times and it is the price you have to pay for being free spirited." But looking at the positive side, she adds, "The positives outweigh the negatives in the matter of independence." On the same lines, Dr Sujaya feels, "Independence does not mean mindless freedom; it has to be enjoyed within the framework of responsibility. The more independence you enjoy, the more responsible you should be. This in turn shows how much in touch you are with yourself internally."
    When you are perfectly in tune with yourself, independence takes on a whole new meaning. Each individual has their own interpretation of freedom. For Dr Sujaya, independence means doing what she loves. "It is all about being able to actualise and live your life on your own terms as you have only one life to live," she feels. For Mandeep, independence means the freedom to follow her personal and professional dreams. "It means emancipation for women in every sense of the term. It means freedom to make choices on your own and not just live with those that are thrust upon you because of your gender, economic and financial situation etc," says Mandeep.
    Summing it all up, Nadia feels, "I could be a hundred things to a hundred different people. I could be a daughter, a wife, a sister, a friend or a colleague. But beyond all, if I can be myself, that's independence."