Why women in corporate world keep short hair?

Mayawati More Pictures NEW DELHI: In the world of fairy tales, princess Rapunzel may have used the power of her long tresses to meet her prince charming, but today's powerful women seem to prefer keeping their hair short, mostly. In the latest list of 100 most powerful women in the world, compiled by US business magazine Forbes, close to two-third of them have short hair, including the Indian debutant Mayawati — Bahujan Samaj Party president and chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. Among those with short hair, Mayawati has company in names like German chancellor Angela Merkel, US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation's head Sheila Blair and Pepsico's Indian origin chief Indra Nooyi — the three most powerful in the world. Other such famous personalities, who are short on hair but long on power list, include American senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, US first lady Laura Bush and 82-year Queen Elizabeth II of UK. In addition, the likes of health insurance major Wellpoint chief Angela Braly and Cynthia Carroll of mining giant Anglo-American have also opted for cropped-hair look. In the top-ten of the 100 most powerful list itself, as many as nine have short hair, while nearly 75 have tresses falling up to or above shoulders. However, presence of such a large number of short-hair women on the list might just be coincidental, as the measure of power has noting to do with tresses for this list. The US magazine has measured "power" as a composite of public profile, calculated using press mentions, and financial heft. Those with long hair in the Forbes list include Argentina President Cristina Fernandez, Areva CEO Anne Lauvergeon, Australian mining firm Hancock Prospecting's chairman Georgina Rinehart, Rite Aid CEO May Sammons and Casablanca Stock Exchange director General Hynd Bouhia. Besides, US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, India's Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi and Biocon CEO Kiran Mazumdar Shaw have hair touching to their shoulders. The hair-length could not be ascertained for a few like Harvard University President Drew Gilpin Faust and Liberia President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, as either their pictures were not available or the head was covered on their photographs on Forbes website. Generally, people associate long hair with beauty, as shown by most film actresses preferring such look, while many believe that some prefer to keep them short just for the sake of convenience. As long hair requires more maintenance, the women in corporate world and politics seem to prefer it short. As per a German fairy tale, a prince was riding through a forest when he heard long-haired Rapunzel singing from her tower room, where she was kept captive by a witch. Finding no way to reach her, the price asked Rapunzel to let her hair down from the window of her room, climbed up on her tresses and asked her to marry him. However, the power of Rapunzel's long hair proved short-lived as witch cut it short after finding about the prince.

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Angela Merkel tops Forbes list of powerful women

Angela Merkel. More

NEW YORK: German Chancellor Angela Merkel is the world's most powerful woman for the third straight year, topping Forbes magazine's 2008 list of the top 100 women based on their career, economic impact and media coverage.

Sheila Bair, who chairs the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corp that insures bank deposits, debuts at No. 2 due to her increased prominence amid a stumbling US economy. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is the only other government official in the top 10, although she dropped three spots from last year to No. 7 as the Bush administration prepares to leave office in January after the US election in November.

The rest of the top 10 is made up of the chief executives of PepsiCo, WellPoint, Anglo American, Kraft Foods, Temasek Holdings, Areva and Xerox. "It's inspiring to look at what some of these women have done and to listen to some of their life stories," Chana Schoenberger, Forbes' associate editor, said in an interview.

There are 54 business executives and 23 politicians on the list, with media personalities and heads of non-profit organizations rounding out the top 100. Forbes said 45 percent of the women are based outside the United States. One third of the women are new to the list, including Argentina's first popularly elected president Cristina Fernandez and Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, chief executive of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

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"A lot of the women who dropped off the list this year were for job-related reasons," Schoenberger said. "In some cases it's simply a matter of the woman still has a powerful position but other women are relatively more powerful and pushed her down and off the list." Among the women to drop off the list this year are Zoe Cruz, former president of Morgan Stanley, Patricia Russo, former head of Alcatel Lucent and Meg Whitman, who stepped down as eBay's chief executive.

Democratic US senator and former presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton dropped three spots to No. 28 but gained the most media attention of any woman on the list this year. "Certainly had she been the Democratic nominee that probably would have catapulted her higher," said Schoenberger.

"She's still an incredibly powerful force, she's way more powerful than any other female senator." Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the US House of Representatives, came in at No. 35, French Minister for Economy, Finance and Employment Christine Lagarde nabbed No. 14, Sonia Gandhi, president of the Indian National Congress Party, is ranked No. 21, and Queen Rania of Jordan is No. 96. Gail Kelly, head of Australian bank Westpac, lands at No. 11 as Westpac is making a $15.6 billion takeover of St George Bank in Australia's biggest-ever bank deal. Yahoo President Susan Decker is No. 50 and talk show host Oprah Winfrey comes in at No. 36.

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Change in attitude towards women's education welcomed

PESHAWAR: Change in attitude towards women's education welcomed

PESHAWAR: NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah on Tuesday welcomed a change in the behaviour of people who are demanding education for their daughters.

"The story in the NWFP is similar to that of the other provinces where social taboos confined women to their traditional roles. We are enlightened people, but how many of us allow our womenfolk to participate in decision-making other than bringing up children. Now, the winds of change are blowing across the NWFP, people are demanding education for their children," he said at a reception.

The function was organized to mark the preview screening of a documentary on mountain women Taller than the Mountains arranged by the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme at a hotel here.

Based on the hardships women face in the northern region of Pakistan, the 22-minute documentary goes to show how things are changing for them for better as Stephen F. Rasmussen, the general manager of AKRSP, remarked: "We have seen a lot of change in the past 20 years. Many of these changes have been positive".

The governor emphasized the need for an effective participation of women in decision making, especially about the socio-economic uplift activities. He said that by ignoring more than 50 per cent of the country's population, the country could not bring about any real change.

The reception was held to mark the "International Year of Mountains" and was attended among others by US Ambassador Nancy Powell and US Consul Angy Brien. Earlier, the AKRSP general manager said his organization was engaged in the social activities for the last two decades and added that the AKRSP would continue to contribute in capacity building of people at the village level, encouraging women participation through organized communities.

Law and order:The governor on Tuesday reaffirmed the government's intention to root out the criminal elements and smash their hideouts at all costs.

"There is no going back in the campaign against criminal elements," he told a meeting that reviewed the law and order situation in the province.

The Political Agent of Khyber Agency informed the meeting about the clean-up operation being carried out in the area under his jurisdiction.

The governor said that those involved in kidnapping for ransom would not only be nabbed but also awarded exemplary punishment.

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Women power all the way!

Women from all walks of life gathered under Kaanchan Adhikari's roof on Tuesday evening. What for you ask? Well, the enterprising lady decided to have a party to celebrate women power and everyone from politicians to Bollywood to socialites were seen enjoying themselves to the hilt here!
    A huge cake with 'Women Power Zindabad' icing on it was ceremonially cut to a thunderous applause. And once the pleasantries were exchanged, it was time to hit the dance floor! It was indeed a pleasant surprise to see Jaywantiben Mehta shake a leg. Rajlaxmi Bhosale, Mayor of Pune specially came to Mumbai to celebrate women power. Also seen was yesteryear actress Jayshree T whose performance on Kajra Re was widely appreciated. Poonam Dhillon and Sonali Kulkarni also made their presence felt here.
    The evergreen Bhagyashree looked radiant, set for a second innings in Bollywood we hear. Deepshhikha, former Mayor Nirmala Sawant Prabhavalkar, Deepa Awchat were also amongst the special invitees for the evening. Also seen were Kishori Shahane, Manali Vengsarkar, Renu Bhandarkar, Vaishali Sawant, Mrinal Kulkarni and many others. Mayor Shubha Raul also took time off her busy schedule to attend this special party. Chef Nilesh Limaye was the only man to be invited to an otherwise all womens' party. Some guys are just plain lucky we guess!

Shubha Raul with Rajlaxmi Bhonsle

Kanchan Adhikari with Jaywantiben Mehta

Kishori Shahane

Jayshree T

Varsha Tawde with Bharti Lavhekar

Bhagyashree and (above) Sonali Kulkarni

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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."

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The woman in your life...very well expressed...

 Tomorrow you may get a working woman, but you should marry her with these facts as well.

Here is a girl, who is as much educated as you are;
Who is earning almost as much as you do;

One, who has dreams and aspirations just as
you have because she is as human as you are;

One, who has never entered the kitchen in her life just like you or your
Sister haven't, as she was busy in studies and competing in a system
that gives no special concession to girls for their culinary achievements

One, who has lived and loved her parents & brothers & sisters, almost as
much as you do for 20-25 years of her life;

One, who has bravely agreed to leave behind all that, her home, people who love her, to adopt your home, your family, your ways and even your family ,name

One, who is somehow expected to be a master-chef from day #1, while you sleep oblivious to her predicament in her new circumstances, environment and that kitchen

One, who is expected to make the tea, first thing in the morning and cook
food at the end of the day, even if she is as tired as you are, maybe more,
and yet never ever expected to complain; to be a servant, a cook, a mother,
a wife, even if she doesn't want to; and is learning just like you are as
to what you want from her; and is clumsy and sloppy at times and knows that you won't like it if she is too demanding, or if she learns faster than  you;

One, who has her own set of friends, and that includes boys and even men at her workplace too, those, who she knows from school days and yet is willing to put all that on the back-burners to avoid your irrational jealousy, unnecessary competition and your inherent insecurities;

Yes, she can drink and dance just as well as you can, but won't, simply
Because you won't like it, even though you say otherwise

One, who can be late from work once in a while when deadlines, just like yours, are to be met;

One, who is doing her level best and wants to make this most important,
relationship in her entire life a grand success, if you just help her some
                   and trust her;

One, who just wants one thing from you, as you are the only one she knows in your entire house - your unstinted support, your sensitivities and most importantly - your understanding, or love, if you may call it.

But not many guys understand this......

Appreciate Women

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Scour.com invite from Akbar Jiwani

Hey,

Did you hear about Scour? It is the next gen search engine with
Google/Yahoo/MSN results and user comments all on one page. Best of all we
get paid for using it by earning points with every search, comment and vote.
The points are redeemable for Visa gift cards! It's like earning credit card
or airline points just for searching! Hit the link below to join for free
and we will both get points!

http://scour.com/invite/ways2earn/

I know you'll like it!

- Akbar Jiwani

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EIGHT LIES OF A MOTHER

This story begins when I was a child: I was born poor. Often we hadn't enough to eat. Whenever we had some food, Mother often gave me her portion of rice. While she was transferring her rice into my bowl, she would say 'Eat this rice, son! I'm not hungry.'
This was Mother's First Lie.

As I grew, Mother gave up her spare time to fish in a river near our house; she hoped that from the fish she caught, she could give me a little bit more nutritious food for my growth. Once she had caught just two fish, she would make fish soup. While I was eating the soup, mother would sit beside me and eat the what was still left on the bone of the fish I had eaten, My heart was touched when I saw it. Once I gave the other fish to her on my chopstick but she immediately refused it and said, 'Eat this fish, son! I don't really like fish.'  
This was Mother's Second Lie.

Then, in order to fund my education, Mother went to a Match Factory to bring home some used matchboxes, which she filled with fresh matchsticks. This helped her get some money to cover our needs. One wintry night I awoke to find Mother filling the matchboxes by candlelight. So I said, 'Mother, go to sleep; it's late: you can continue working tomorrow morning.' Mother smiled and said 'Go to sleep, son! I'm not tired.'  
This was Mother's Third Lie.

When I had to sit my Final Examination, Mother accompanied me. After dawn, Mother waited for me for hours in the heat of the sun. When the bell rang, I ran to meet her..  Mother embraced me and poured me a glass of tea that she had prepared in a thermos. The tea was not as strong as my Mother's love, Seeing Mother covered with perspiration, I at once gave her my glass and asked her to drink too. Mother said 'Drink, son! I'm not thirsty!'.  
This was Mother's Fourth Lie.

After Father's death, Mother had to play the role of a single parent. She held on to her former job; she had to fund our needs alone. Our family's life was more complicated.  We suffered from starvation. Seeing our family's condition worsening, my kind Uncle who lived near my house came to help us solve our problems big and small.  Our other neighbors saw that we were poverty stricken so they often advised my mother to marry again. But Mother refused to remarry saying 'I don't need love.' 
This was Mother's Fifth Lie.

After I had finished my studies and gotten a job, it was time for my old Mother to retire but she carried on going to the market every morning just to sell a few vegetables. I kept sending her money but she was steadfast and  even sent the money back to me. She said, 'I have enough money.'  
That was Mother's Sixth Lie.

I continued my part-time studies for my Master's Degree.  Funded by the American Corporation for which I worked, I succeeded in my studies. With a big jump in my salary, I decided to bring Mother to enjoy life in America but Mother didn't want to bother her son; she said to me 'I'm not used to  high living.'  
That was Mother's Seventh Lie.

In her dotage, Mother was attacked by cancer and had to be hospitalized. Now living far across the ocean, I went home to visit Mother who was bedridden after an operation. Mother tried to smile but I was heartbroken because she was so thin and feeble but Mother said, 'Don't cry, son!  I'm not in pain.'  
That was Mother's Eighth Lie.

Telling me this, her eighth lie, she died.  YES, MOTHER WAS AN ANGEL!   M - O - T - H - E - R

'M'        is for the Million things she gave me, 
'O'        means Only that she's growing old, 
'T'        is for the Tears she shed to save me, 
'H'        is for her Heart of  gold, 
'E'        is for her Eyes with love-light shining in them, 
'R'        means Right, and right she'll always be,

Put them all together,  they spell 'MOTHER' a word that means the world to me.

For those of you who are lucky to be still blessed with your Mom's presence on Earth, this story is beautiful. For those who aren't so blessed, this is even more beautiful. 

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