We have been reading and watching hundreds of videos and articles about Women’s Day since a few days and even more since today morning. Some of them are exceptional, some average and some very heart-warming. All has been said, done and explained, hence, here we are talking about small things we as women can do and tiny changes we can make in everyday life to keep ourselves safer, equal and relish the unmatchable liberating feeling freedom every moment of life.
1.) Self-Defence If you think that you are that Hindi film actress who will get into trouble and wait for her knight in shining armor to protect her from the goons, you are wrong. No one except you can protect you. So put aside everything, and take that class. There are numerous self-defence, Martial Arts, Karate classes in Jaipur which you might not even be aware about or have just been pushing it for another day. UrbanPro.com, Global Institute Of Self Defence & Martial Arts, Centre for Capoeira are a few examples of self-defense classes in pink city. Get up and learn to fight for yourself.
2.) Chuck the fairy tales – Read the real ones ICYMI, East India Comedy recently came out with a video ‘Fairy Fails’ and it’s on the point. Fairy tales are beautiful and dreamy to listen/read to a child, but they come with a heavy cost. All the women power and equality that a girl talks about, is peripheral as deep inside she might feel as the same tiny little princess who is awaiting her ‘Prince Charming’ to rescue her. Change the tales. Read out the tales of women who made it big – like Maharani Gayatri Devi, Jodha Bai who broke the conventions and went on to shine on their own.
3.) Let go of the fear of travelling late at nights – Thanks to the special cabs & autos. We know that half of your life is judged by the time at which you get back home. But there is no need to fear if you are alert and a little bit smart in choosing your conveyance. Before entering an auto, check if it has a women’s helpline number and if you want to travel by cab, prefer a Woman’s Cab service like Sakha Cabs in Jaipur and always keep a pepper spray handy.
4.) Give that bus/train seat to a needier man One thing is for sure, if you want equality, you have to let go of a lot of privileges that you enjoy as a woman. One of them is to have that special seat on a train or bus even when there is perhaps a tired school boy, a man with his child in hand or an old man standing right in front of you. Give up that seat. It’s going to be one step closer to achieving gender equality.
5.) Don’t let the small town mindset drag you down If you look carefully at the right set of people, you will see your lovely pink city blooming with examples of women excelling in diverse genres and some of them are bolder than others. The female police of the city, women cab drivers, Apurvi Chandela, Chhavi Rajawat and a lot many examples prove that if you have it in you, nothing can stop you from reaching the sky.
Happy Women’s Day.
Jaipur Beat 