Women Achievers : Breaking Innumerable Ceilings

With Navratri round the corner, it is that time of the year when the female form is seen in all its glory and splendour throughout the length and breadth of our country. Be it in the form of the majestic Kali Mata figurines adorning the breathtaking pandals of Bengal or the colourfully adorned beauties of Gujarat twirling in ecstasy to the beats of Dandia-Garba, the landscape of Bharat is replete with the celebration of Shakti, including the modern avatar – ‘Beti Bachao’ abhiyan. To add to this vast repository of joy, is yet another reason. In recent times, many comprehensive and well-researched reports have proclaimed Bharat as one of the finest breeding ground for producing dynamic women CEOs. EMA Partners International Survey, Wall Street Journal article and the Catalyst Report stand testimonial to the substantial lead that Bharat’s 11% ‘Women CEOs’ have over the global average of 3%. Infact Bharat’s figures put many so-called ‘Developed Nations’, with women’s quota in place, to shame. Witnessing the far-reaching influence and impact of the Chanda Kochar’s and Indra Nooyi’s, this piece of information did not come as a revelation. With a thumping thumbs-up to Bharateeya women and women of Bharateeya origin CEO’s, one might think there is something in the DNA of the women of the subcontinent that makes them the ‘chosen ones’. Well, you bet there is.  
For long, the Western world has been considered the Mecca of Women’s Rights Movement. It is oft forgotten that Bharateeya women were an ‘empowered lot’ from times immemorial. They were not an inconsequential extension of a man (emerged from his ribs), as portrayed by the Christian and Islamic texts but an equal partaker. The Shiv-Shakti unison was one of equality of status and substance. One was incomplete without the other. This interdependence, mutual respect and appreciation, was the foundation of a culture based on merit. It was perfectly alright to have a popular incantation named after a woman—‘Gayatri Mantra’ or armies being led by competent women commanders like Rani Chenamma or Laxmibai. Matriarchy was the order of the day and Shakti upasana (worship of female deity) formed an integral part of our culture. This made the western import of ‘empowerment’ redundant and ill-suited to the Bharateeya ethos. Fortunately, centuries of foreign rule, including the ‘White man’s burden’, failed to annihilate the inherent strand of excellence. However time did cause some undesired mutations that tried to dent the indomitable spirit in the form of caste, class and regional disparities.  These iron ceilings, cloaked in the garb of the much publicised gender-based ‘glass ceiling’, made women face multiple disadvantages, stifling even the remotest possibility of realising their full potential. But then Shakti cannot be subdued for long. Each period, each generation had its fair share of ‘fair’ path breakers that stormed the so-called ‘male bastions’ one after the other, till none remained. We owe it to a long list of brave and accomplished women, who broke the innumerable ceilings and ushered in an era where once again merit prevailed. Infact the EMA Partners Survey throws a lot of interesting facts in this regard. For instance, Bharat has the maximum number of women CEO’s in the banking and finance sector than any other country in the world, a fact that goes on to prove the ability of our women and the availability of an environment to harness that ability. Another interesting inference that can be drawn from the reports is the fact that Bharat has more women leaders and trendsetters in the rural areas and unorganised sector, belying popular perception that only the educated urban woman is emancipated and empowered. Shakti in all its manifestations, is awe-inspiring. All that is needed is providing Aakash (Space/Freedom) and Avkash (Opportunity) and viola the result will be for all to see.

K Aayushi