Who run the world? – Celebrating LIT Women!
We have graduated from celebrating Women’s Day to Women’s Week. We might be on our way to a Women’s Year… who knows! But the truth is we need to go beyond this. Women’s Day is not about gifting your mother a ‘Thank you’ card or your wife an ‘I Love You’ note. It’s about letting her be. Just be!
So, this March, as we get ready, and so does the world, to make every woman feel special, and loved, and wanted, and treasured, we take a look at some of the women who have inspired us in more ways than one. Read these books to find out more.
It’s a man’s world, they say. Nah, we say!
Awaken the Durga Within: From Glum to Glam, Caged to Carefree
This is a handy, easy-to-follow guide to help every woman assert themselves at home and work and reclaim their life. As a woman in a patriarchal country like India, they are often held back by family or society; and even education or employment does little to help improve their status.
Bringing in the lesser-known and exciting stories about goddesses from the Hindu mythology, Awaken the Durga Within puts forward practical solutions that can be implemented immediately, without compromising on values and principles. These stories will help invoke the ‘Shakti’ within every woman so as to transform their minds and transcend their limits.
She Dared: Women in Indian Sports
These are the stories of leading women of Indian sports, starting with the golden girls, P.T. Usha,
M.D. Valsamma, Shiny Wilson and Vandana Rao, to Ashwini Nachappa, Anju Bobby George, Karnam Malleswari, M.C. Mary Kom, Sania Mirza, Saina Nehwal, P.V. Sindhu, Deepa Malik, Sakshi Malik, Jwala Gutta, Ashwini Ponnappa, Dipa Karmakar, Dutee Chand, Deepika Kumari, Santhi Soundaraja, Hima Das, Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, Rani Rampal, Manu Bhaker, Apurvi Chandela and Anjum Moudgil.
Senior journalists Abhishek Dubey and Sanjeeb Mukherjea travel the length and breadth of the country to bring out stories that have taken shape after a series of conversations with these leading sportspersons over a period of time.
The Flaming Tresses of Draupadi
This is an epic poem narrating the saga of one of the most important, intriguing and complex female characters of Hindu mythology—Draupadi of Mahabharata.
The Flaming Tresses of Draupadi traces the life and journey of Draupadi from her birth from the sacrificial fire—whereupon she was named ‘Yagnaseni’—to her marriage with the five brothers, to losing her fortune and honour to the Kauravas in a gamble, the deep friendship she forged with Lord Krishna and finally the culmination of the great war of Kurukshetra. In this epic poem of hatred, love, victory and defeat, Draupadi emerges as a strong female character that ultimately brought to retribution all those who had done injustice to her.
Behold, I Shine: Narratives of Kashmir’s Women and Children
Set in the once-fabled land of Kashmir, Behold, I Shine moves beyond male voices and focuses, instead, on what the struggle means for the Valley’s women and children—those whose husbands remain untraceable; whose mothers are half-widows; those who have confronted the wrath of ‘Ikhwanis’, or the scrutiny of men in uniform, and what it means to stand up to it all.
This book also brings to focus the resilience of the Valley’s women and children—of activists like Parveena Ahangar and Anjum Zamrud Habib, who, after debilitating losses, start human rights organizations; of ordinary homemakers like Munawara who have taken on the judiciary; and of a young generation of thinkers like Uzma Falak and Essar Batool who foreground the interaction of gender, politics and religion, and won’t let Kashmir forget.
Stitching together their narratives, this book not only memorializes women’s voices—thus far forgotten, unwritten, suppressed or sidelined—but also celebrates the mighty spirit of the Valley.
30 Women in Power: Their Voices, Their Stories
30 Women in Power carries the inimitable voices of Indian women who have been pioneers and led large organizations – in banking, law, the media, advertising, government services, health care, consulting, the fast-moving consumer goods sector and the not-for-profit space.
In these narratives—told up close and personal—30 of India’s greatest women achievers speak of the guiding principles that have held them in good stead; the role models who have anchored them; the childhood influences that have shaped their values; and the interests outside the world of work that have revitalized them. Coming from all walks of life, these empowered women discuss their many successes and their dreams for the future. Yet they also venture to disclose the setbacks that have preceded hard-won conquests; the barriers, psychological or otherwise, that may have held them back at certain points; and the compromises they’ve had to make to reach the top.
Which book are you picking up today?