By Anushri Saxena:
A ‘happy married life forever after’ is always viewed as the ultimate goal for a woman by her parents. They want to see their girl settled down and prospering. However, in all the haste of grabbing opportunities and making every effort not to miss them, girls are married off at an early age of 19-21, the very moment the mother lays her eyes on a suitor.
In this whole process, education tends to take a backseat. Some twenty years back this was the case, when families looked for girls who could take care of the house. Working women were thought of as heretical, a threat to the patriarchal ways and vulnerable to the running-trends.
Hence, housewives were the most sought-after brides then. They fit the bill – served well in a joint family, the kitchen loved them, mixed properly with the relatives, and from time to time they inculcated the ancestral sanskars in children. It was a happy existence, indeed, for the woman as well. But the ‘forever after’ was not bound to last for long. The emergence of a new-age woman broadened perspectives and possibilities for every woman.
Twenty-five years after the marriage, when their children are well-settled in their career field, which had once been her earnest dream; the woman is forced to question her abilities and her identity. When the picture of an urban-woman is thrown to her face she can’t help but notice what she has been missing.
Despite the urge to change, this new-found dream seems far-fetched to her. The woman is about to enter the evening of her life; which company would want to take a forty-something, inexperienced and unskilled lady?
It is a dilemma faced by thousands of women beneath the glorious veil of metropolitan cities. These women are free- free from their domestic obligations. At first, they succeeded in doing what was expected of them from their parents. Later they devoted themselves to the marital vows. A life dedicated to others. But now, freedom is theirs.
It is all right if they don’t know well a foreign language such as English. None of them must get disheartened. They might have been the best in their class in tougher and other subjects such as mathematics or history. Their worth can not merely be measured in terms of their academic status but the age of experience.
Older non-working women can surely become a part of the various Non-Governmental Organizations. These, normally, have no age-limits. It is not that difficult to get in touch with a NGO nearest to the residence. For starters, how about a local-welfare society? The only thing required is determination and faith in oneself. It’s never too late.
Here are some NGOs in Delhi can be considered:-
All India Parivartan Sewa Samiti
Tel : 91-11-25891160
Archisa the Ray of Light
Tel : 91-098919 12311
Email : archisatherayoflight@gmail.com
Anubhuti Foundation
Tel : 91-11-26932906
Email : anubhutifoundation@yahoo.in
Amnesty International India
Tel : 91-11-41642501
Email : admin@amnesty.org.in , campaigns@amnesty.org.in
Akhil Bhartiya Mahila Jagriti Sansthan – Delhi
Tel : 91-11-25372482
Email : akhil_b_m_j_sansthan@yahoo.co.in
And my personal favourite :
http://www.antidowry.com/index.htm
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