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Photo: N. Sridharan

Finding their own way They are too impatient to wait for someone to guide them

Loaded with oodles of verve and vigour, girls of Gen-X are eager to redefine the essence of womanhood. Flushing with newfound freedom and wily quest and laden with a wild passion to make a mark, many snigger and sneer at the way their predecessors have been handling their adult years.

“Women are no longer the weaker sex. In many fields they have left men panting way behind. We have an independent identity and we have made enormous strides. We will evolve as winners as we are aware of our rights and responsibilities,” asserts Neeraja, a third year student of medicine in NRI College.

While their ‘grown-up’ sisters across the globe celebrate the International Women’s Day (March 8) to reflect the progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of women’s rights, the sassy lot are impatient and are raring to go. “We have too short a time and so much to achieve. Instead of stopping to celebrate the milestone or to mourn lost opportunities, I would rather bust newer male bastions,” says the budding doctor.

Interestingly, while women on top in various fields maintain that the ‘feel good’ factor is only a mirage, the young ones insist that the suspicion, jealousy and rejection, all of which dogged the footsteps of an ambitious woman are on the wane. Women at the top or those who aspire to reach the top are happier than ever before.

“It is time we embraced ourselves for who we are. The occasion should be used to raise self-esteem and keep it aloft. Nobody can make you feel anything you do not want to,” says Jasneet Kaur of Andhra Loyola College. Cracking the code of success, the modern woman is ready to Strive, Understand, Create, Condition, Envision, Savour and Soar. That is how she spells success. “We don’t need mentors to create strategies for success,” affirms Divya, an engineering student. “As long as we live, the gender issue will exist. As problems arise, so do the many ways to handle them,” Prameela, a law student lays bare her nascent wisdom.

The younger women are invincible optimists wanting a life that is creative, productive and enjoyable.“Multi-tasking comes so naturally to women that they keep doing it without even realizing the damage it is causing them. The first step a woman should adopt is to stop being a super woman 24X7, accept her limitations and learn to say ‘no’,” avers Radhika, an entrepreneur. Toshi, in her final year in Koneru Lakshmaiah College of Engineering feels that a woman must learn to respect her needs and desires. “I would celebrate women’s day by just being myself.”

When top women achievers stand up there- tall, stylish and elegant – on the top rung of the success ladder to smile and accept honours, it should be understood that they have not made it with the ease of a bird in flight. Most of them had to overcome hurdles remaining within the lakshman rekhas or the line of control, which others draw for them. “All control lines are self-drawn today. ,” maintains Toshi.

Tales of a woman’s unselfish and unconditional love, often setting her on the path of self-destruction, are being replaced with that of an assertive, self-assured individual gifted with rare courage, and a spirit that evolves, adapts, overcomes and shines through every ordeal. Contemporary lifestyle is creating a new breed of the fairer sex. Is it just hormones or is there more to it? Only time will tell.

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