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| International
Women's Day |
 “The
origin of a child is a mother,
a woman… She shows a man
what loving, caring and
sharing is all about..”
said Sushmita Sen, India’s
first Miss Universe, in
the final round of the contest.
An answer which was greeted
with tremendous applause
and which probably, led
her to win the crown.
International Women's Day
(8 March) is an occasion
marked by women's groups
around the world. This date
is also commemorated at
the United Nations and is
designated in many countries
as a national holiday. When
women on all continents,
often divided by national
boundaries and by ethnic,
linguistic, cultural, economic
and political differences,
come together to celebrate
their Day, they can look
back to a tradition that
represents at least nine
decades of struggle for
equality, justice, peace
and development.
International Women's Day
is the story of ordinary
women as makers of history;
it is rooted in the centuries-old
struggle of women to participate
in society on an equal footing
with men. In ancient Greece,
Lysistrata initiated a sexual
strike against men in order
to end war; during the French
Revolution, Parisian women
calling for "liberty, equality,
fraternity" marched on Versailles
to demand women's suffrage.
Few
Facts related to Women's
Day
1909
In accordance with a declaration
by the Socialist Party of
America, the first National
Woman's Day was observed
across the United States
on 28 February. Women continued
to celebrate it on the last
Sunday of that month through
1913.
1910
The Socialist International,
meeting in Copenhagen, established
a Women's Day, international
in character, to honour
the movement for women's
rights and to assist in
achieving universal suffrage
for women. The proposal
was greeted with unanimous
approval by the conference
of over 100 women from 17
countries, which included
the first three women elected
to the Finnish parliament.
No fixed date was selected
for the observance.
1911
As a result of the decision
taken at Copenhagen the
previous year, International
Women's Day was marked for
the first time (19 March)
in Austria, Denmark, Germany
and Switzerland, where more
than one million women and
men attended rallies. In
addition to the right to
vote and to hold public
office, they demanded the
right to work, to vocational
training and to an end to
discrimination on the job.
Less than a week later,
on 25 March, the tragic
Triangle Fire in New York
City took the lives of more
than 140 working girls,
most of them Italian and
Jewish immigrants. This
event had a significant
impact on labour legislation
in the United States, and
the working conditions leading
up to the disaster were
invoked during subsequent
observances of International
Women's Day.
1913-1914
As part of the peace movement
brewing on the eve of World
War I, Russian women observed
their first International
Women's Day on the last
Sunday in February 1913.
Elsewhere in Europe, on
or around 8 March of the
following year, women held
rallies either to protest
the war or to express solidarity
with their sisters.
1917
With 2 million Russian soldiers
dead in the war, Russian
women again chose the last
Sunday in February to strike
for "bread and peace". Political
leaders opposed the timing
of the strike, but the women
went on anyway. The rest
is history: Four days later
the Czar was forced to abdicate
and the provisional Government
granted women the right
to vote. That historic Sunday
fell on 23 February on the
Julian calendar then in
use in Russia, but on 8
March on the Gregorian calendar
in use elsewhere.
Some
of the Great Indian Women
who have/had done remarkable
achievement are:
Mother Teresa
As the day is a remembrance
to great women for their
outstanding achievements
that are indefinable, let’s
have a feel of their feats.
Mother Teresa, the idle
women, born for a cause
and died for that cause
and the cause was ‘serving
Humanity’. Agnes Gonxha
Bojaxhiu, was the birth
name assigned to the lady,
who belonged to a small
district of Rome with her
charity mission. India has
been the country, being
major blessed with her sanctions.
She was also remembered
as the Humanitarian Nun
of Calcutta(now Kolkata)
“The Saint of the Gutters”.
Sarojini
Naidu
Sarojini Naidu, the eldest
daughter of scientist-philosopher,
Aghornath Chattopadhyaya,
and Barada Sundari Devi,
a poetess was born on 13
February 1879 in Hyderabad.
Her father was also a linguist,
a crusader, who established
the Nizam's College in Hyderabad
in 1878, pioneering English
and women's education. Her
ability to sing charmingly
fetched her the title 'Nightingale
of India'. Sarojini worked
as an active politician
and freedom fighter ever
since 1917. She was a woman
with multiple talents. A
great poet, writer, orator,
leader, fighter, activist,
liberator, administrator,
mother, daughter, friend,
but most importantly a true
Indian.
Indira Gandhi
 Indira
Nehru Gandhi was born on
November 19, 1917 and was
the only child of Jawaharlal
and Kamala Nehru. Being
influenced and inspired
by her parents, Indira Gandhi
rose to power in India and
eventually became prime
minister. She dedicated
her life to progress in
her country despite the
overwhelming problems and
challenges she encountered.
A brilliant political strategist
and thinker, Indira also
possessed an extraordinary
desire for political power.
As a woman occupying the
highest position of government
in, what was at that time,
a very patriarchal society,
Indira was expected to be
a passive leader, but her
actions proved her otherwise.
Aishwarya
Rai
 Born
in the small sleepy town
of Mangalore in Karnataka,
on November 1, 1973, Gullu
as she is fondly called,
made India proud when she
won the Miss World title
in 1994. Since then there
has been no looking back.
Life was not an easy joyride
for this green-eyed beauty.
She faced very many ups
and downs before proving
her mark in the industry.
She has to her kitty some
of the most memorable bollywood
flicks like Hum Dil DeChuke
Sanam, Devdas, Mohabatein,
Choker Bali, Taal and she
is also planning certain
hollywood movies with some
renowned directors.
Sania
Mirza
Sania Mirza is the current
youth icon in India. Coming
from Hyderabad, this teenager
girl has achieved great
heights and is continuing
to create history in Indian
tennis by becoming the first
ever Indian to break into
the top-50 WTA rankings.
She also became the first
Indian woman to win a WTA
tourney when she lifted
the Hyderabad Open trophy
in February 2005. Sania
Mirza has also been honoured
with the prestigious Arjuna
award by the Indian government
for the year 2004.
There are several other
women personalities like
Barkha
Dutt, Dr. Kiran Mazumdar
-Shaw, Anju Bobby George,
Kiran Bedi, Arundhati Roy,
VijayLakshmi Pandit, Lata
Mangeshkar, Kalpana Chawla,
Rani Lakshmibai, Sarojini
Naidu who have/had done
remarkable achievement for
India. |
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