Every year I read many posts and articles on Women’s Day that celebrate womanhood, emphasize our unsung role and contribution in the success of our families and society and accentuate the lives and stories of successful women who’re living the dream.

While thinking up of a proper Women’s Day post for my blog I felt that it would be fitting to applaud the women who’ve helped me in being what I am today, have been a source of inspiration to me and have found the perfect balance between their personal and professional lives and are absolutely unmatched on both fronts.

At a time when things seem blurred and the future appears cloudy, all one needs is confidence and an assurance that everything will be fine. After spending considerable time trying to figure out what to do with my life I turned to two women for that much-needed push to get over my insecurities and take the road less travelled. This post, decidedly, is dedicated to both of them.

I was in Std X when Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge released and was immediately smitten by this dusky Bengali dame (howcome I failed to see the spark in her before that?) who defied all beauty norms and became the whole nation’s desire in no time! She proved that all one needed was the chutzpah to be daringly different. Even with not-very-outstanding looks she became a role model for girls like me who’d never prided their brown skin and weren’t conventionally beautiful.

Kajol, as you must’ve correctly guessed, has been my favourite ever since. What I truly admire about her is her ability to live her life on her own terms and not compromising with her personal or professional goals or happiness for anyone else’s sake. She comes across as a person who isn’t doggedly ambitious and doesn’t seem to believe in the ‘Out of sight means out of mind’ mantra that makes most celebrities resort to cheap publicity stunts for being acknowledged and remembered.

She gives an interview rarely (which is a pity since she always has interesting titbits to share). She’s frank and honest, may be a bit rude at times, but I guess it is more of an I-care-a-damn thing than rudeness. Quitting at the peak of your career, first to get married and then again to have children, isn’t an easy decision, but she took it nevertheless and has excelled in both.

She isn’t a late bloomer like Vidya Balan but is someone who’s able to bloom whenever she pleases. It probably is her being secure and happy with herself that even after having two children she still looks like a million bucks and can steal your heart with that innocent enigmatic smile!

Understandably then, she’s someone I look up to, especially now when I’m trying to find a foothold in my life and planning my second innings on the work front. 🙂

My second favourite woman, incidentally, is another Bengali tigress. This lady is not a celebrity per se, but deserves just as much adulation for being just what she is.

We met while we were both pursuing our Masters in Business Administration. Quite different from us, she was the only one in our class who was married and had a child. What made me like her in the first place was her commitment to everything she was involved in. While we’d all be fooling around, this lady sat through hours and hours of boring lectures and made notes and would endlessly nag us to explain something if she didn’t follow it the first time.

Her home was like a picture taken out from a home décor magazine, impeccably clean and in perfect order, at all times. She was the perfect wife and mother and for me the elder sister I never had. I could drop at her place anytime for lunch uninvited.

Even after all these years we’ve managed to keep in touch and still share that deep bond. We don’t mind sharing our fears and losses with each other and seek each other’s advice on important matters. So much so that when I was deciding whether to go back to my books and pursue a professional degree and follow my heart, I called her up and spoke with her at length even before my mother got any wind of it.

As expected, she turned out to be the rock-solid support I needed desperately. Her belief in me and my intellect moved me, since I wasn’t that sure of myself anymore. With her relentless encouragement at every step, I cleared the first level satisfactorily, and yes, she was happier for me than even I was!

I adore her and am grateful to God for making her a part of my life. We know we’re just a call away from each other and when we do talk it doesn’t even feel like we live in different cities and haven’t met in almost 7 yrs! Isn’t that something!? 🙂

It is Women’s Day week and this year I’m looking forward to this day with mixed feelings. With so much crime against women and even young girls happening everywhere in our country there isn’t a lot to rejoice or celebrate. But all isn’t lost. Our very own Mary Kom and Saina Nehwal have made us proud in this year’s Olympics and we’re slowly and surely creating a niche for ourselves round the globe. Also, we mustn’t forget the courage and spirit of all women across the length and breadth of our country who’re shouldering equal responsibilities with men in every field.

If you’ve noticed, I have highlighted only the virtues and achievements and have turned a blind eye towards the failed endeavours of the ladies here and it is done deliberately. This is our day, and for once I believe that we should stop being too subjective. Holding each other’s hand and taking a collective step towards the betterment of women, and ultimately our society, is the need of the hour and we must do every little bit we can for it. Isn’t it?

Happy Women’s Day! 🙂 🙂