Year of
The Indian woman
During 2009, more and more Indian women hit the headlines worldwide in every human endeavour — be it arts and entertainment, finance and banking, politics and administration, business and entrepreneurship or hospitality and tourism.
The country has every reason to be proud of its women. Today they are generating more wealth than women of any other country. They are getting recognition and applause around the world for their courage, confidence and capability,
writes Vimla Patil
Sonia Gandhi, who navigated her party to a grand victory in the national as well as several state elections, has proved a woman’s power to hold together a diverse group of combative politicians
|
Take an overview
of 2009, the year that is melting away into the womb of time.
Surprisingly, many powerful Indian men seem to have hit the
headlines for all the wrong reasons. The king of media attention
in recent times has been Jharkhand leader Madhu Koda, for
allegedly stashing away a fortune worth Rs 4,000 crore. The year
also saw men attract millions of eyeballs to TV news or print
media for swindling their companies, creating political scams,
handling terror attacks with lack of preparedness and even
changing religion to marry another woman.
In fact, but for a
few shining lights, 2009 showed us the downside of the Indian
police force, intelligent services, politicians and business
tycoons through a procession of events that exposed their dark
deeds.
In stark contrast,
2009 showed Indian women in a dazzling light of fame and
applause. They rose like phoenixes, above their gender
roadblocks, to achieve incredibly high goals and reinvented
themselves in every possible avatar. The number of Indian women
hitting the national and international headlines during the past
year has been so impressive that the year can well be named the
Indian Woman’s Year. So, as 2010 dawns, it is time to
celebrate the achievements of India’s women from diverse
social strata and equally diverse professions.
The leader among
such outstanding celebrities, who gave us a glimpse of things to
come, is the intrepid first woman President of India, Pratibha
Patil. Past 70, she showed tremendous energy in touring the
world as India’s goodwill ambassador and ended the year with
an adventurous ride in the much-debated Sukhoi aircraft,
fittingly dressed in an Army uniform. Not only did President
Patil encourage India’s armed forces with her courageous
journey, she also let all women know that Indian women can hold
the highest office of a nation without shirking away from any
duty.
Meira Kumar is the first woman Speaker of the Lok Sabha and (right) Indira Nooyi, the chairperson and chief executive officer of Pepsico, is the only Indian woman to head a $25 billion multinational company |
On par with the
President of India was the incredible powerhouse Sonia Gandhi,
who, with a well-designed silence and quiet, behind-the-scenes
work, navigated her party to a grand victory in the national as
well as several state elections. With an overwhelming mandate in
favour of her party, Gandhi has proved a woman’s power to hold
together a diverse group of combative men and women who now are
given the job of governing India.
Next in the
power-game comes Meira Kumar, the first woman Speaker of the Lok
Sabha. Meira, earlier in the news for supporting a job quota for
the Scheduled Castes and the OBCs in private sector companies,
featured in the headlines this year for being a disciplinarian
in Parliament when she called to order members of various
parties and demanded their presence at important discussions.
Adding a bit of humour, she also pointed out that MPs answering
their cell phone calls during the session of the Lok Sabha would
have to change their behaviour and give more attention to
discussions rather than tele-talks.
Taking the
political media-wagon on a fast-forward mode was Nirupama Rao,
who scored a triumph when she became the second woman Foreign
Secretary. Nirupama came to New Delhi’s power corridors
straight from China, where she was India’s Ambassador. Before
that, she held high diplomatic positions in Sri Lanka, Peru,
Moscow and Washington and was also the spokesperson of the
Ministry of External Affairs. No doubt, Nirupama will play a key
role as India passes through sensitive times with recession and
the constant spectre of terror.
Nirupama Rao, the second woman Foreign Secretary, will play a key role as India passes through sensitive times with recession and the constant spectre of terror
|
Let’s move to
the finance sector now. The women who made most news in this
area were Meera Sanyal, Country Head of ABN Amro Group (now the
Royal Bank of Scotland), and Shikha Sharma, MD, ICICI Prudential
Insurance Co. The former among the two, Meera had the courage to
take a sabbatical from her prestigious, high-flying job and
fight the Maharashtra Assembly elections, without being
affiliated to any established party. Though she did not win, she
swore that she would contest every future election to show the
will of professional experts to bring transparency and
efficiency to India’s governance. Meera is also a passionate
wildlife activist and heads the ABN Amro Foundation which works
ceaselessly in several national parks and wildlife sanctuaries
to rehabilitate tribals, relocate villages and bring educational
facilities to children of forest communities.
Savitri Jindal,
non-executive chairperson of the O P Jindal Group, joined the
list of the top 10 richest women in the world.
At 2009’s
Economic Times Awards, Shikha Sharma received the Businesswoman
of the Year Award from the Prime Minister at a prestigious
ceremony. An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management,
Shikha received this award after her illustrious track record of
service during which she made her company the largest health
insurer in the insurance sector with over 70 per cent premium
generated in the sector to its credit in a year of recession..
The entertainment
industry also threw up fabulous headline grabbers. For Kareena
Kapoor, who shot like a meteor to the ‘top Bollywood heroine’
position after her remarkable success in Jab We Met, 2009
has been an unforgettable year. It has ended with Rohan Shetty
offering her a whopping Rs10 crore for a sequel to Golmaal
Returns. Kareena has received the highest publicity in
magazines and newspapers, on various websites and of course on
all television channels. With her newly-sculpted figure, her fab
sensuality and open romance with Chhote Nawab Saif Ali Khan,
Kareena shines in the media like no other star.
Yet another woman
to radiate fame in the film industry, but without glamour and
sensuality, was Loveleen Tandon, who shot into headlines when Slumdog
Millionnaire won the Golden Globe, BAFTA and Oscar awards. A
small-time casting director, Loveleen Tandon was unknown till
Danny Boyle’s film Slumdog Millionaire burst like a
scintillating meteor at all film awards ceremonies this year.
Overnight, Loveleen became a name to reckon with in the
entertainment industry worldwide.
Equally fortunate
was the female lead of the film Frieda Pinto, a little-known
college student-aspirant who became an international star with
the success of Slumdog.
Further, Asin, the
South Indian actress, took off like a meteor in Bollywood with Ghajini,
the highest grosser in Bollywood’s history. So also, Deepika
Padukone touched the top spot for a heroine though she is just a
few films old.
Let’s look at
designers. Through 2009, women designers like Neeta Lulla, Pria
Kataria Puri and Ritu Kumar held fashionistas spellbound with
their ensembles for Bollywood films and the much-publicised
fashion weeks. Pria Kataria made headlines with her couture
creations for Paris Hilton, and Ritu Kumar was crowned the
mistress of traditional Indian glamour. Neeta Lulla became the
ultimate film costume designer when her Jodhaa Akbar
ensembles worked wonders for Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Hrithik
Roshan.
Internationally,
Indira Nooyi, the chairperson and chief executive officer of
Pepsico, hit the headlines yet again. She is the only Indian
woman to head a $25 billion multinational, and perhaps the first
Indian to reach to this level. `A0For Indira, this has been an
exciting journey, especially now that the company is looking to
capture the huge Indian market. "Being a coloured woman
immigrant made it thrice as difficult for me to reach this
position," she says, "but working twice as hard as a
man made it possible for me."
One thing is now
abundantly evident, say ardent India watchers. Today, Indian
women are generating more wealth than women of any other country
in the world. India’s beauty, glamour and fashion industry has
crossed the boundaries of India and garnered fame at the
international level. Indian women have given up their past
burden of ignorance, poverty and stagnation. They are getting
recognition and applause around the world for their courage,
confidence and capability — and, of course, their legendary
beauty.
|