‘Education very essential for women’: Sushmita Sen

Confident, fearless, passionate and one who does not fear stirring up a hornet’s nest once in way — that is Sushmita Sen. She has lived and celebrated womanhood with warmth and grace.

“Being a woman by itself is a gift of God which all of us must appreciate,” says Sushmita. “The origin of a child is a mother, a woman, and the woman is the one who shares and shows a man what love, caring, and sharing is all about. That’s the essence of a woman. This is what I felt two decades ago when I was at the Miss Universe pageant and to date, I’ve tried to live by every word of it.”

Sushmita is credited with redefining the role of a single-mother and she talks with zest about her two little princesses, Renee Sen, 14, and Alisha Sen, 4.

Her little world is full of joy and life. “You don’t need to be married to feel the joys of motherhood. As a mother it should never matter to you if your child comes out of your womb or your heart. Being a single mother is challenging. My babies gave my life a far clearer direction than I originally had.”

She is often seen and credited in the media and society as an idol for Indian women. “I’ve never feared taking up causes. You know I’ve always wanted to be a person about whom the media writes something wrong and people sitting in their homes say ‘no that’s not true about her’. And today, I feel I’ve achieved that.”

How does she react to the current status of the Indian woman? She says, “The position of women has changed but yes it hasn’t changed enough. We are still not forced to go school or work. We need to change that. So, as an Indian woman, I need to change that, I need to grow. To know your rights, to have a choice to say yes or no, education is most essential.”

And as she concludes, we ask her to give a piece of advice to young India; she says, “Don’t listen to advice. But if someone says something wise, go for it. If it works for you good, else don’t follow it. No one knows you better than yourself.”