Women are without a doubt the foundation of any society. Without them, there cannot
be a man.. And yet they tend to get the rough end of the stick. International
Women’s Day is around the corner and it is an opportunity to celebrate
womanhood. It is also an occasion to celebrate what it means to be a woman.
Savia Veigas is a writer and a wife and
mother based in Goa. Speaking about her experiences she said it was always
coloured by the fact she had a very strong grandmother and mother who played a
prominent part in her growing up years. Savia said “My grandmother on the paternal
side of my family was well educated and having been widowed young managed the
family properties and raised the children. When I was growing up my sister and
I lived in an almost all women household. Except for my father we were all
women. My maternal household was an agrarian household. An old aunt lived with
us who had headed the team digging a pond as well as a well near our home. She
walked to the field’s everyday spooling cotton into thread and returned doing
the same thing. My grandmother ran the household. My mother ran a very busy
tailoring and embroidery and tailoring class. So surrounded by strong
workaholic individuals like this where was the chance even that you would grow
up and become a lotus eater? Even though money was always scarce everything was
prioritised so that the scale of needs was based on urgency”. She went on to
say her mother repeated ad nauseam that her father a school-teacher always
reiterated that if the husband provided the rice, the wife had to make the
curry. She said she remembered seeing her mother completing an assignment by
lamplight till early hours of morning. Then she would hurry to milk the cows.
She said she was very proud of those memories. She said “We were such a hands
on social unit. When my boys were growing up, mar as they all called her
provided them some lovely memories which I hope they will pass on to their
children as they lived in heritage of the Viegas family. Mar was the first to
help the community as well. Anyone dying in the village, she would go as well
wisher of the dead. Her students adored her and would always confide in her.
Having had women like this to learn from, I feel it is my privilege to do all
that I do to serve and to enjoy life on one own terms as a woman and a member
of the society and the human race”. Eloquent as always and providing a very
clear image of the women in her family.
Genevieve Dcunha is a corporate high flyer who is also a mother,
wife and friend. Asked how she balanced her life between all the roles she
played, Genevieve said “Where there is no struggle there is no strength. A
woman is a multi tasker. And then it’s about priorities. When I am home my
family is my focus. At work its takes precedence. But then it requires proper
planning and last minute rush cannot work. I plan who is going to puck the kids
from school, what they will eat, how will they get to their music class etc so
that I am not disturbed at work”. Just like so many women one notices every
day.
Balance seems to be the operative word. Siya Shaikh, Founder,
Gowomania /Webn/Goenkart felt having the right balance in life was very
important whether it was about managing home and the kid or her business. She
said “Now to achieve that we need to set our priorities and work accordingly. I
feel we can make time for everything if we know our priorities. At home for me
family support plays a very important role in this. They look after my child
whenever I go out for my work. And at work my team is my biggest support, we
divide our work and responsibilities which make us to achieve our work target
easily”.
Nisha Pereira who was a corporate highflyer and now runs a
business called Jardim Da Esperanca had a very interesting take on it all. She
said “Well, I believe the best word to describe it would be a roller-coaster
ride! From handling a high pressure corporate job for 18 years to now putting
my soul into nurturing my passion of plants and transforming it into a
full-fledged business it has been a experience. I also managed to be there for
my family as a mother, wife, daughter, sister, and a daughter-in-law, has been
difficult”. She however admitted, it gave her some priceless memories, and
unforgettable experiences. She said “I would say the common thread across the
varied hats that I don has been the need for persistence and problem solving. I
won’t say I have mastered the art but I take everyday as it comes as a new
challenge. And at the end of the day, I feel at peace when I realise that I
have tried to give my hundred percent to both my family and my passion”.
Kausar Rikarty a mother and entrepreneur, admitted it was a
challenging question. She said a woman is born to play the various roles even
if she is just a housewife which is in itself a hectic and challenging role but
her journey becomes more difficult when she successfully manages to handle the
role of wife mother and entrepreneur all together. She said “Obviously it
wasn’t easy for me since I started my career as a home chef four years ago and
I had to sacrifice a lot as the saying goes no gain without pain. I am a mother
of four lovely kids and that itself is a big challenge for me to bring them up
properly. For this I tried very hard to sacrifice my passion of cooking and
thought I can’t do both together. But I kept going and I was not ready to give
it up and finally I decided that it’s today or never so I started my biryani
catering business from my home kitchen and now I am a successful Biryani chef.”
She said her blood sweat and tears she shed disappears when she gets a lovely
review for her hard work and that keeps her moving and she ends up feeling
super motivated when everyone calls her the Biryani queen. She however said it
would not have been possible without passion and the support she gets from her
husband and her very supportive children. Their support she said made it all
possible.
They
all seem to be natural jugglers who spend their day balancing several roles
with alacrity, grace and intelligence. Perhaps one could end with a quote by
Brigham Young who said You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a
woman; you educate a generation. Enough said.
