Dreams (Un)limited

This one is going to be the last post which I will be writing from Kolkata as I am leaving for Delhi in another couple of days .I’ve been harping on this topic for some time but as usual was too lazy to write it down. Recently there was some controversy about the suicide of a female army officer. I tried to follow the story but then lost track of it. It touches upon the ever sensitive issue of ‘Women in Army’. Is the Indian society and hence the Army ready for women in Armed forces? The answer is quite evident.

I remember my school days when there used to be presentations about joining the Army during the career counseling sessions. These are the sessions which I used to skip without giving second thoughts because they were never meant for girls. Forget about allowing women in combats, they are not even given permanent commission. This simply means that they are allowed to serve in non-combat positions for only a couple of years (I guess its 5 but not sure). When counties like U.S and U.K can take a progressive step but giving women almost equal respect and positions in the armed forces then why not us?

Maybe some day we will see this change .Our society has undergone a profound change since independence. I will be lying if I say that our situation has not improved since then. But still there is lot to be done. Maybe insuring security for the womenfolk should for the first and the most important step. It’s easier said than done .But as I mentioned earlier there is no harm in being optimistic. That reminds me that I would like to mention a book called Daughters of Arabia (don’t remember the name of the author).As the title suggests the book gives a deep insight into the lives of women in the Royal Kingdom. It had left me shocked because of the bitter yet truthful story. Here when we are fighting for equal rights, there are people who are not even treated as human beings and are traded like cattle in a market. This book has a prequel called Princess which I am yet to read. But this one is awesome.

Maybe should include some personal experiences to liven up this awfully dreary post. When told about my joining karate classes, most people reacted by asking the same question ‘who has been threatening you?’ Damn, do I have to be threatened for taking up karate! Well an attempt towards becoming self sufficient can be the apt reason for this sudden whim of mine. But then cooking also comes under the same jurisdiction. And I proudly declare that I’ve used these holidays to hone (ahem…) my culinary skills. Now, I agree that am going overboard with things:)

I really don’t want to stretch this one anymore. But mention of one novel experience is a must. Couple days back on our way to a party we had stopped at a petrol pump. I was amazed to see that all workers there were females. It was 9 p.m and they were in no hurry to finish up their work. The procedure of filling up the tank was done with the confidence of a pro. Wow! times are actually changing. I wanted to check up the petrol pump again but dozed off on our way back. Maybe that would’ve completed the story but can’t help it. This one incident gives me the hope to look forward to some more revolutionary changes in the future.