Of Unsung Heroes and Everyday Chores

A census report five years ago left India’s population at 1210.19 million with 48.5% of this being women (this works out to around 586.47 million).  So here’s the thing, we have nearly 600 million unsung heroes in the country today.

From the lady who works daily cooking meals in other peoples homes so that she has enough money everyday to cook one in her own, to the housewife who silently reads about gender pay-gap issues around the world and says nothing of the fact that her work remains uncalculated 24 x 7.  She remembers which child has a sore throat coming on and which child has to wear their sports uniform to school.  She remembers there’s no more rice in the container for dinner and skips a meal so the family has enough to eat.  To the woman who is strong and independent at work, but secretly scared of crossing the four-lane road in front of the office.  To the girl who'd love to get out and dance in the rain, but knows there are eyes staring and catcalls in the offing – so she sits with her hands folded on her lap in the corner of the bus stand.  Here's to the lady of the house, the last one to bed at night and the first to rise.

History has recorded numerous women of power from Cartimandua of the Brigantes to Rani of Jhansi.  Of course, although our dress code has undergone a serious transformation since then, who we are as women essentially has not.  From the lady who helps carry concrete at a construction site to professors in universities, women across India have one thing in common – we are all strong, smart and independent.

In our work here at The Ashoka Tree, we’ve come across some amazing women.  Women who had dreams of college but work picking up clothes to be ironed by their ironing-wallah husbands; women who look after people so ill, where just changing sheets seems a huge task not even cleaning wounds and bed sores; women who run huge HR firms, but still take time enough to come with us on our little NGO projects; groups of women who work up-cycling articles that they don’t sell but give away for free.  Every day leads us to meet more inspiring women in practically every line of work.

 Teacher Rajani N.K. - flowers from coconut stems

The Ashoka Tree’s ‘Woman of Substance 2016’ is Anganwadi Teacher Rajani N.K.  For making toys out of scraps of cloth, cotton, papercups and old paper.  For using old CDs to stick children’s photographs on and string around the room – for her innovative and creative ways of keeping 2-6-year-olds occupied –making something where there

 was nothing.  For nearly 30 years of experience giving her the confidence that mothers of these children have each started contributing a little more to this tiny Anganwadi, no bigger than the average kitchen.  For teaching us, at The Ashoka Tree, that there’s so much more that can be done with things we tend to throw away – so many more uses to things that we thought were useless.  (A special shout-out to Tandoor Restaurant, Cochin, for sponsoring our treat for our Woman of Substance and her family this Women's Day!)

Here’s to all those Unsung Heroes – to all 600 million women across the country! We make a difference!  “Who run the world?  Girls!”