Hon'ble Speaker at Lok Sabha - Then
Hon'ble Speaker at Lok Sabha - NowI hate politics .... for it is too dry and boring to capture my attention span which is captivated better by Page 3 and Delhi Times, Soul Curry and God in Gucci type masala supplements. In sharp contrast, my husband reads the serious news and watches only news channels, forcing me to sit with him during evening tea, while I would be in perpetual yawns, perhaps more interested in the attire of the news reader minutely observing the make up she would be wearing along with the occasional reading of news snippets scrolling on the screen below.
Now, I had an enthralling experience the other day while surfing through TV channels .... I stopped almost instantaneously on Lok Sabha Television. There was this charismatic lady with a signature smile, perched up on the Hon'ble Speaker's chair trying to conduct the day amidst the unruly bunch of parliamentarians. I held the TV remote for a while mesmerised by her composure, grit and chilled out attitude. Cool Man! I thought to myself recognising her as The Meira Kumar.
(Big Yawwnn ..... I warned you, I get bored of Politics .... so, let me come directly to the point.)
In short, she proved her mettle as a seasoned diplomat, a sound academician and a clever politician using her wit and charms to win over people and situations. She appeared to be a master at Mob Management and Anger Management, making herself an excellent case study of Behavioural Sciences.
One would half expect a dignified lady draped perfectly in starched silk saree, with polished mannerisms, conversing with utter finesse, to be able to manage the uncouth crowd in the Indian Parliament. But, to my amazement, Meira Kumar does a better taming job than her predecessor Somnath Da. No offence meant, but Shri Somnath Chatterjee had a fixed expression of disgust on his face with a bovine lung power which made him scream louder than the parliament offenders themselves. The media exploited the situation and happily thrived on covering stories of his frequent emotional outbursts.
Meira Kumar holds herself with calm without ever letting go of her lovely smile nor her soft voice .... even in tough situations like the walk-out of the opposition party workers right on the first day of Winter Session.
All this makes me think .... Do we need only women in such kind of conflict centric job positions? What makes ladies as counsellors, teachers, trainers, lawyers etc. more approachable to clients than men?
I recall my own experience at work .... We had a tough nut to crack .... a Union leader who would just not sign on his appraisal form blaming the entire system to be unfair and unjust. I was finally given this task which made me jittery as I was out of the Management School hardly a year back. Somehow, I mustered up the courage and sat across him in a private room .... trying to bring expressions on his cold face and words out of his stiff lips. I started on a very casual note without even touching upon the matter of appraisal which was kept inside the drawyer of the table. I struck a conversation on God, taking a clue from a huge teeka on his forehead ... asking him about places around where I could buy poojan-saamagri and temples to visit, as I was new to the place. He shared with me his passion for Hinduism and how the present generation was destroying it. He spoke at great length about Hindu deities and methods of worship. Once the ice was broken, I was easily able to manoeuvre the interaction and finally all went well. Phew! Later, I discovered that all difficult Performance Appraisals were conducted by lady Managers. Perhaps, it is the ability to empathise with people concerned or at least the appearance of it that makes women good at resolving conflicts.
Anyway, one truth has been established in the case of Indian Parliament - presence of soft spoken and well dressed ladies makes a huge difference to the over all decorum. Women will always make the Lok Sabha an interesting place to be.
And, I have one last suggestion to make regarding the attendance during important proceedings on milestone days like Commencement of Winter/Summer/Rainy etc. Session.
An item song by Mallika Sherawat or Rakhi Sawant at the end of such days would ensure no walk-outs whilst improving the efficiency of Parliamentarians.
Talk about Woman-Power !!!
Interesting Pointers Shruti...Women indeed are extraordinarily relevant in a lot of situations. They have been kept marginalised for centuries by men who would not let go of their self-assumed supremacy and allow women to do justice to their true caliber. It is women who make extraordinary men...No man can ever lay claim on this fundamental fact. Fortunately, if the contemporary times are any indicator, the days of women being marginalize are sure to become a thing of the past - a legacy of the past - what with women finally coming out and asserting their powers and capabilities.
ReplyDeleteLest my assertions appear wholly biased towards women, I want to add that with the greater powers and responsibilities that women are sure to wield in the days to come will also come the need for them to tackle very sensitive issues that they have hitherto not been exposed to. It will be interesting to see how women tackle those issues and whether or not they would do as well (or as worse ...depends which way you look at it) as men.
Nice article!
The last part of your comment has set me thinking ... with the increased opportunities to diaplay power and talent on the social platform by women today, comes a great responsibility indeed. How true!
ReplyDeleteThe biggest responsibility is to preserve the smallest unit of society ... The Family .... Her Family which includes spouse, kids, parents, siblings and inner circle mates .... and that focus should remain unaffected, Come What May! The experiences of being acknowledged as powerful and efficient in profession creates a certain bloated Ego, if I may say, and it is very addictive, no person can ever forget it easily .... be it a man or a woman. Now, that must not overshadow or create conflict in the God-gifted essential divine virtues of a woman like preserving, motherly and loyal which places her next to God himself. Because, that and just that is her Primary reason to take birth on the earth .... to create a worthy Man out of a lost Male, to create and preserve the generation of Mankind. Rest, all is secondary. If these basics go wrong, no amount of self-recognition or fame can cover it up .... in this world or the Other world!
So, enjoy your new-found wings, relish the flight, but do not forget to get back in the evening to your little nest, which awaits you.
EASIER SAID THAN DONE, is it?
Brilliant Observations !
ReplyDeleteSometimes the best thoughts emerge from "ordinary persons"
Yes Shruti...you put in words what I barely alluded to. That's what I was intending to say.
ReplyDeleteYou may want to expand on the last part in a later sequel to the present article. Indeed I have often wondered - Do women really NEED to be like men? Aren't they already much superior - minus the inferiority that often grips them due to societal norms which are again man-made creations, which can be corrected (hopefully) as society advances further. But once women are reconized for what they truly are ...does it really make sense for them to do what men do? Ex ... fly Fighter Jets?
ReplyDeleteIf it is to satiate the need to get recognized, I do not see anything wrong in women trying out such challenging roles like flying fighter jets.
ReplyDeleteBut, this example picked up by you is extremely dicey. Apparently, the Air Force Chief has not been too keen to encourage the concept of women fighter pilots as the huge investment made during their training would incur huge losses should they succumb to familial duties like motherhood/marriage etc.
In such cases, only those women need to apply who are amply clear about the fact that if they become the chosen ones for such male-suited roles, family pleasures and marriage is something they would have to miss out on for sure.
Very Very case-specific actually, isn't it?
Indeed, women do have a charm to win over a male-dominated crowd - be it the parliament or workplace! Although I do wonder if women will have the same demeanor in a female-dominated setting!! A good observation nevertheless!!
ReplyDeleteAway from this topic...I somehow feel that a "Notes to Myself" is forthcoming from the author Shruti Dasgupta Johri. You already have a good bunch of essays of interesting and varied observations!!
Thanks Everyone for your generosity !!!!!
ReplyDeleteThis encouragement will keep me going.