My first impressions for
working women were set early during my childhood days when I saw my mom rising
up hours before the sun each day, to get things ready for the whole family and
to get ready for her work. My mother was a Government school teacher at my
native place at Kerala, and would never miss her 07.30 am bus to the work
place. The routine, though it seemed simple, required a conscientious,
consistent effort and discipline. It inspired me a lot to this present day, and
keeps motivating me every time I go through tough monotonous work schedule.
Ever since, I have always had high regard for working women and it has always
been clear in my mind that my life partner too has to be a working person who
can manage work and home.
It was a New Year morning, when
I first saw Sreelakshmi, my wife, when my marriage proposal came through. I
could see some tiredness of New Year eve celebration on her appearance that
day. I met her with my father and uncle at her home. I think it was a
surprise for Sree, as the marriage proposal was on an early New Year morning
and we reached ahead of the scheduled time. She was working in a software
company for three years then.
I got my first shock when
Sree quit her first job within a month of my engagement, stating that she wanted
a career change. As things progressed, we got married, and the thought for a
new job for Sree lurked in the back of our minds. She was quite clear that she
wanted to pursue higher education before she applied for the next job. After
marriage, we moved to Pune, which was my work place and relatively new to both
of us. Sree enrolled for a postgraduate course at Pune, which required her to
attend classes and workshops from 7.0 am to 7.0 pm. This was a concern for me
as I thought that Sree would not be comfortable with it. To my surprise, she
coped up with it without any problem and we were both looking forward to the
completion of the course and the campus selection opportunities.
Soon enough, she got over a
few campus placement sessions and realized that the kind of work offered by the
campus placement sessions for which she had been training so hard for the last
one or two years, were not for her. She wanted something different for herself
in terms of permanent and regular work. This was my second shock from Sree. To
my surprise, she clarified that she would prefer working for the banking sector
and started preparing for the bank entrance exams. Soon, she got selected and
is presently working for a nationalized bank.
Despite, all odds, the
remarkable thing I would like to mention here is the ability to bounce back
against all odds, and the perseverance of both these important women - my mom
and my wife - in my life. Women are quite different and stronger than men in
many ways. Usually, men get bogged down after the day's work and don't feel
like talking about it. However, Sree would tirelessly narrate all the events of
the day at her work place and other bits of the day. Sometimes, I would ponder
about the emotions and feelings of these working people who give in a part of
themselves and their time towards making things happen. They unflinchingly
continue doing their work in the midst of all unexpected situations, which may
occur at the workplace and bridge the work life balance at home without bearing
any grudge.
The companionship of my
mother and my wife has always helped me to understand my women colleagues at
work, who play different roles in an effective and compassionate manner.
Working women always maintain a unmatched dedication to their family and work
lives. A strong determination along with the humbleness to accept the mistakes
always keep them near to heart, who openly fight against till get convinced.
On this Women's Day, I would
like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the great women who made my life
worthy, especially my mother and my wife.
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