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| HER WORLD | Sunday, November 30, 2003, Chandigarh, India |
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Spirit of enterprise Catering to the new woman the old way Fitness file Where men relax while women shop |
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Spirit of enterprise A Marwari woman? A staunch feminist? A successful businesswoman? Most Indians would agree that these three epithets do not go together under any circumstances. They would be amazed to read that a Marwari woman, coming from a very traditional family, has not only sought higher education and obtained a doctorate but also remained single to achieve her business and social ambitions. But this is the simple truth, which governs the life of Dr Prabha Khaitan, chairperson of New Horizons, a large leather goods export business, CEO of a garment export business, a prominent writer who has translated Simone de Beauvoir’s classic book The Second Sex in Hindi and who is an activist who fights relentlessly for several concerns of Indian women. Prabha is presently working on a book titled Globalisation & Women. The book will be released within the next few months. She has strong views on globalisation and its effects on Indian women. “Already, women have been oppressed in the patriarchal system of society for thousands of years,” she says, “Globalisation will ensure that our women will lose their identity and their power to be self-reliant in a new and growing economy. Globalisation will vitiate our culture and bring in westernisation in unwanted areas of our life. Within a generation or two, our women will give off their national attire and start wearing pants and dresses like western women. While the country’s economy grows, the strides, which Indian women have made in the last 55 years of Independence, will be lost. Women will find it hard to match their work to the inhuman competition which globalisation has brought in.” To combat these circumstances, Prabha has set up a special foundation, which helps women to solve their problems and encourages them to join the mainstream of business activities in India. She herself has become an icon for women who wish to achieve their goals and become self-reliant. A successful businesswoman, writer and social activist, she was born in 1942. Her journey through life has been long and arduous, but never uneventful. With courage and determination, she has overcome every obstacle, which came in her way towards ultimate success. Today, at 60, she has achieved enviable fame and success. The many dimensions of her personality have been expressed in her prolific activities. She has written several novels and poetry collections, has earned recognition as an entrepreneur and worked for several causes to make women self-reliant. Born in Kolkata in an orthodox Marwari family, Prabha completed her education in the Presidency College and took a doctorate in existentialism from Calcutta University. Her academic record is outstanding and her tryst with the world of books began early in life. A voracious reader, she is a prolific writer today. Right after completing her MA, she went to Los Angeles, USA, to pursue a diploma in beauty therapy. Equipped with knowledge, she returned to Calcutta to open Figurette, a pioneering woman’s health care unit, and the first of its kind in eastern India. The project became very successful and brought recognition to Prabha in the sixties. In 1976, she ventured into a new territory — leather exports. Facing her orthodox community’s opposition, she started manufacturing industrial leather gloves and small leather goods. Her new company for leather exports — New Horizons — rose steadily. Its export turnover today is estimated at Rs 60 crore. New Horizons has also received several Export Promotion Awards from the Government of India. As a writer, Prabha has authored novels, poetry, translations and features. So far, she has eight successful novels to her credit. She has published six poetry collections. Many of her poems have been translated into several Indian languages. Her style of prose and verse remains original with a distinct feminist twist to it. Her translation of Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex has been very successful. Prabha has chosen to remain single, a difficult choice in the Marwari community. She divides her time between her work and her other pursuits and works relentlessly for women’s welfare, childcare issues, educational and cultural institutions and for the promotion of arts. She has been the chairperson of the welfare unit of the Red Cross, Kolkata. She is a trustee of the Desh Bhakta Trust floated by T.N. Seshan. She has founded her own trust called the Prabha Khaitan Foundation. She is a past president of the Calcutta Chamber of Commerce and has received many honours and accolades. At 60, she continues to be active in business, literature, cultural activities and social work. |
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Catering to the new woman the old way One article gives useful tips on "How to get him to say the L word", while another instructs women on "His secret sex wishes". Even photo captions are revealing, as are the dresses of the models featured in the photos. So a photograph that shows a pouting model instructing women on which lip gloss to wear for the season is captioned "Get him gloss", while another that features an elaborate hair-do tells women that "He won't be able to resist these locks". Apparently everything she does, she does it for him. 'Him' appears to be central to her life, the whole aim of which is to perfect techniques that would ensure successful relationships. Fulfilment for a woman, apparently, can be reached only when she has 'got' the man by using the right shade of lipstick or shedding the required amount of fat or wearing a seductive enough dress. Please note that no one talks about achievements in profession, education or any other field as being fulfilling. At best, such activities are treated as a side dish, the main course, of course, being the man. Maybe I am inexperienced, maybe I am naïve…or maybe I am right, but it seems to me that most memorable milestones in a woman's life, just as in a man's, have little to do with romantic relationships. Looking for fulfilment through relationships alone is a downright stupid thing to do not only because creative or professional pursuits are a more perpetual source of satisfaction as compared with the ephemeral oxytocin-laced shot of euphoria that romance provides, but also because you have some measure of control over your professional life while relationships are at the best of times a blindfolded walk down a dark alley. You could end up in paradise or at the bottom of a cesspit, it is all in the good Lord’s hands. So why this overdose of relationship-based issues in women's magazines? While purportedly 'emancipating' women from the dictates of a patriarchal society that demanded compliance from women for the sake of the family's welfare, the new voices in the media are only binding them in newer and more glamorous chains that demand compliance for the sake of the man's pleasure. Women have been freed from the head-covered-and-eyes-lowered image that the men of yore preferred only to be trapped in the sexy siren image that the present-day men seem to be partial to. As hemlines rise and necklines plunge to reveal what were previously zealously guarded territories of female flesh in keeping with the new-age masculine fantasies, the enslavement of women to male whims remains a consant. Are more glamorous chains really more preferable to the more traditional ones? The next time you see a caged bird, ask it if it would have been happier in a designer cage.
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Fitness file Certain areas of body that need particular attention during and after pregnancy are the stomach, breasts, thighs, hips and the back. It is very important for an expectant mother to spend some of her time thinking about herself. If she is relaxed and healthy, then her baby has a good chance of being healthy, too. The 40 weeks of pregnancy have special beauty problems as well as beauty bonuses. For some mothers, pregnancy produces unexpected beauty benefits like clear skin, glossy hair and a pleasing personality. An expectant mother can make her pregnancy a rewarding and interesting experience from the beauty perspective, if she starts taking care for her beauty from the very beginning. The first three months of pregnancy are the most difficult for many women. Nausea, bad skin, lank hair—all these seem to happen all at once. During this period, there is period, there is great hormonal activity in the body, and this aggravates acne, causes lifeless hair and a lack of energy. Besides, the figure becomes plump and lumpy and too big to fit into ordinary clothes. The increased activity in the body causes spots to appear on the face, chest or back. But there is no cause for worry. Clean the skin thoroughly and treat spotty areas with a stringent and a medicated skin lotion. Never squeeze any spot on the face. Remember, you need more nutrients, not more calories. Cut out fried sweat and fatty foods. Avoid alcohol during the months you are pregnant. The body needs vitamin A and D during the first three months. Iron pills are suggested as the body needs 25 per cent more blood than usual during pregnancy. You also need to build up calcium deposits by drinking milk. Rest is equally important since the most radiant mother is the one who rests. Avoid really strenuous exercise during the crucial first three months. The fourth month onwards, the middle phase of pregnancy witnesses the benefits of the preceding one. Hair and skin conditions improve during this stage. Cleanse and tone the skin twice a day, and apply moisturiser under the make-up. Keep the make-up very light and simple. Continue to lubricate the stomach, buttock and breast areas regularly with a good skin cream and pay special attention to gaining freshness. Under-arm deodorising is essential at this stage. Make bath time relaxed and enjoyable. Watch weight gained carefully. In the final months, however, you should brace yourself to welcome the baby. Take care of yourself too, as you will need a lot of energy during the labour period. Dryness and blotchiness are some skin problems you may encounter during the final months of pregnancy. Give your body the luxury of plenty of skin cream in these months. Keep your nipples soft with a cream to prevent them from cracking. Walking is good for you. Try a warm milky drink last thing at night or relax in a warm bath just before sleeping. Make sure to fellow a regular daily freshness routine. Stretch-marks on the stomach result when the fibres beneath the surface of the skin weaken and skin’s normal elasticity is not adequate to cope with it. These marks can occur just before and after the childbirth when the growth rate and shrinkage of the stomach is very fast. Application of olive or baby oil during pregnancy and immediately after the birth of the child helps to minimise these marks. In case, stretch marks do appear, apply a cream containing large concentration of vitamin E regularly. More severe stretch marks are, however, difficult to disguise and need surgery. If you have mottled-looking skin on the breasts, stimulate circulation with alternative rinses of hot and cold water. If the skin looks wrinkled and starts sagging after childbirth or breast feeding, use a good moisturising cream and follow exercises to tone up the breast muscles. Mottled skin on the thighs indicates faulty circulation and can be improved with the help of a friction mitt used in a circular motion. A spotted back is often a problem for women who tend to have a greasy facial skin. During pregnancy, the back is usually the most neglected part of the body. The over-active sebaceous glands which cause the greasy secretions that start the spots are themselves stimulated by hormonal activity in the body. The best remedy for this is to keep the skin scrupulously clean by washing with medicated liquid soap every day. |
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Where men relax while women shop Euphemistically called ‘Kindergarten for men’ or Men’s garden’ (Maennergarten is the German word for it), these creches are meant to serve married men. Yes, married men who do not have the patience to stand by and wait while their wives take their time shopping for dresses, cosmetics, toiletries, lingerie et al at a department store. Latest research has shown that things that it takes woman around four hours to shop are normally purchased, paid for, and brought home by a man in not more than one hour. So a man, as a rule, is not a very ideal companion of a woman when the latter sets out with a long list of things to shop. In fact, she should consider herself lucky if he can hang around, without ever feeling bored, while she, intending to buy a saree, takes an eternity to decide which one to choose from the hundred that the salesman has already displayed for her on the counter. Understandably, German entrepreneurs have a thorough knowledge of the average married man’s psychology. Hence these creches for hubbies. Now a German woman, while sallying forth for a day-long shopping spree, can drop her husband at one such creche, where he is looked after pretty well for the paltry sum of a few euros. The creche-owner, besides giving him piping hot wholesome meals and a couple of beer bottles, also allows him to have a mighty jolly time reading Penthouse magazines of his choice. Or, if he has no appetite for the sizzling stuff dished out by the Penthouse hacks, he can beguile the idle hours playing cards or carrom or darts with his fellow mates there. Of course, his wife comes to pick him up from there when, having finished her shopping, she is driving back home. This creche-for-hubbies concept is expected to promote domestic harmony in German homes. Now German husbands need not suffer the tortuous boredom of waiting for hours while their spouses go through their lengthy shopping schedule. And German wives, too, would now feel free to spend as much time over their purchases as they please. Doubtless, this creche-for-hubbies idea is tempting enough to make many of us wish that it should be given a try in some big cities in India, where perennially crowded shopping centres attract women customers in droves. And it is no use pretending that Indian hubbies, unlike their German counterparts, are gifted with the patience of job. The fact is that they too find it rather boring when they have to sit back in a crowded textile showroom or a swanky boutique and wait while their wives seem to take weeks choosing the latest salwar-kameez-dupatta ensembles of their liking.
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Will someone please tell the women's magazines (a misnomer, if ever there was one) to get real? There is more to a woman's life than men and a quest for a perfect body, for God's sake! Pick up any of these magazines, supposedly for emancipated women— Elle and Cosmopolitan are leading the pack while Femina is a desperate me-too — and you will be forgiven for thinking that emancipation is a matter of inches and centimetres and cup sizes. The 'girlie' mags, Playboy and its lesser-known clones, which aim at a male readership have photos of sultry, sexy women in all kinds of seductive poses, while the women's magazines which aim at a female readership have, well, photos of sultry, sexy women in all kinds of seductive poses. Aren't we a little jumbled up here? 
HOW does one define a creche? The dictionary meaning of the word is: a day nursery for babies and young children. However, with the passage of time and changing social mores, some words expand their scope to acquire more than one meaning. For instance, in recent months creches have been opened in a few big cities of Germany. But these are not babies and young children.