Women from the Kumaon Himalayas.

Pindar Valley, Kumaon Himalayas

Several cultural norms have accustomed women to live the life of inferiority in rural areas. Where a woman catalyses development, but she is often pulled down to the ground of limits.

After meeting many women from the lap of Himalayas I was reassured that some external forces have been controlling power of women since a long time. If we compare them with the woman at positions, we might only see the difference of education, residence & employment. Either way all women are efficient managers of their families and also their lives.

During my regular intervention in the community I discussed with many commuters and families the role of a woman in the rural society.  I was concerned about the imbalanced condition of a woman in terms of decision making in the family. To this query majority people responded unconvincingly. Something that people from all societies so far must have commented. They mentioned that the absence of a woman in any field or platform is not a sign of underachievement to be dissatisfied about.What shocked me more was their explanation on the same.

They believe in preserving woman and her delicate beauty as a goddess. 

Is why they don’t strain her with other responsibilities and tasks that includes dealing with people outside.

 

But I believe that these are gender stereotypical cases. In fact excluding positions of woman and their powers results to retardation of equalization.

These underlying factors are game of perceptions of all beings. Which must be changed but is a time-game.The women of hills are highly empowered in spite of all the issues as they have taken charge of their families. In these regions alcoholism exist on a large scale. So the ruling perception ends with scars on a woman’s body.

Schools and houses are on the toughest terrain. Resources don’t exist and farming sometimes is the only option. Though these brave women happen to multitask all the work of the house. The men of the family either are in Army or out of the village due to work. Also in majority cases they are unemployed and addicted to toxic things. So from roof to ground a women handles all the necessary aspects of running a house as well as family.

Kapkot, Bageshwar, Uttarakhand

Every community is configured on the basis of power and gender not being independent.

As women are more worshiping toward their work they will also encourage a decent working atmosphere that involves less corruption psychologically. But their positions are always pulled down by the authorities that want to be powerful as usual.

What gives us a good hope is that the willpower and determination of women is huge irrespective of their location. After having no option in life if she still emerges to take the challenge then surely she is a super hero. Anything can not kill the courage of a woman and if we can take any inspiration from them then let us call them social heroes. Some women like these are the super heroes of their lives and some like Chavi Rajawat, who has a pocket full of degrees but still chose to be a Sarpanch in a small village of Soda, Rajasthan.

Every women carries a crown irrespective of all the social norms. So I salute them all for inspiring many of us in large sense.

 

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