More power to women!

Thirushkamini, Cricketer

Not only this year, but over the past five to six years, the graph of women excelling in sports has really gone up in the city — a lot of women are taking up various sports as profession. They no longer consider sports as just a hobby. Even while training, I see a lot of young girls having a professional trainer and coach for themselves. The mentality of the society has also changed for the good. Most importantly, parents here have started encouraging women to take up sports.

When I started in the late 90s, it was very different. When I talk about my sport (cricket), the major challenge women face is the accessibility to start training in your favourite sport. When a guy wants to play cricket, he can easily start it in the streets (gully cricket). But for a girl, this is not easy — they can only take it up professionally. You need complete support from someone — only then can you achieve.

Mariazeena Johnson, Academician: Things are not really pleasant as far as the education system is concerned. For the past one year, nothing has progressed when it comes to the development of the youth of TN. Nobody is ready to come out and talk about certain issues. I feel that the media should focus on matters that really concern to the society.

The women in our city should feel more safe — be it at office, public spaces, colleges etc. There should be stricter laws to punish people who harass women. I don’t know why the authorities are not concerned about it. It’s very saddening to see the increasing number of cases against women.

Sonali Nabil Sarooshi, Powerlifter: No matter how progressive we are, there is a wrong perception that strength sports like powerlifting can only be taken up by men! Chennai, too, is no different — there is some amount of stereotyping. It’s high time we break it and pave the way for new talents. Generally speaking, female powerlifters are not accepted — they come across weird comments like ‘Do you want to look like a man?’ or ‘Will this affect your uterus?’

Our society has a certain perception of how a woman should look. In this time and age, what a woman wants is acceptance, not disapproval. I think there should be more awareness within a couple of years. Why should others stop us from pursuing our interests? But all said and done, there are people who have supported me genuinely.

Aashima Sharma, Hotelier: Hospitality is generally misconceived as a profession which is not for women. But when you go back to the roots of Indian tradition, a mother really shows what hospitality is — whether it is 5 am or late night, she makes sure that everything is comfortable! There was nothing better than her. When you relate this to hospitality — it is generally the same thing. The industry is more suited for women, as it comes naturally to us.

In terms of progress, we are seeing hotels which had only five to ten women workers now going up to have 70 women. The ratio is improving, but only when it reaches 50:50 ratio will it be ideal. Still, the ratio moving from 10 per cent to 30 per cent is a good sign.

Kutti Revathi, Literature: I  have been writing for more than 20 years and like any other field, there is a distinction between male and female writers. Men should be more receptive to women’s writings — be it poetry, novel, stories, etc.
What I have noticed is that men are not willing to accept women’s literary expressions. In every debate and discussion, women are being challenged by men. Already, they face a lot of challenges from the society — family, school/college, work space and outside. Naturally, they become more powerful and somewhere she learns the dynamics of the society and men feel threatened by them.

I’m open to constructive criticism, but criticising for the sake of doing it is not right. Being a writer, I utilise my freedom to express through my writings.

Kirtanya, Entrepreneur

Initially, whenever I used to be in a meeting or an interview, I faced gender-based issues and sometimes people would cross personal boundaries. But, over the course of two years, the city has evolved in such a way that gender-specific questions are vanishing and they start by asking about our core skills — this is what really matters and I see this as a welcome change.

I would also add that, of late, when I go to colleges for training students on entrepreneurship, girls are very sharp and ask questions in front of a lot of people. A couple of years ago, it was always the guys who dominated such conversations!

Swarnamalya, Dancer

As far as Bharatanatyam is concerned, our perception of what is ‘classical’ has itself changed. The new-age audience, in the last few years, is accepting changes and many are taking up music and dance as a career option. In today’s age of social media, everyone is well-informed about the cultural events that are organised.

There is a lot of access and discourse happening around every practice and performance. What we see today is a very cosmopolitan audience. The idea of ‘classical’ is different for them.

Also, when it comes to dance, it would be nicer to see a healthy collaboration and mix of genders. I feel it can also open newer possibilities to degenderise classical arts. Irrespective of gender, musicians and dancers are always looked up to and respected.

Sunita S, Public relations

In the past one year, I have been getting a lot of feedback mentioning that public relations is a field where women excel more than men and are more suited for the job. Even in negotiations and transactions, women tend to be more efficient.

The last few months have been  exciting in particular, for us because a lot of good things are happening.

Challenges in work environment are gender neutral — the playing field has been leveled. Men and women pitch for PR assignments on an equal footing and face the same pressure. But maybe because my business partner Raja is a man, I have gotten used to not facing specific gender-based challenges.

Nasrin Karimi, Expat

I’ve been staying in Chennai for 36 years and I am now more a Chennaiite than an Iranian! The city is welcoming and I love every aspect of it. I have seen many expats coming in and going out of different cities. But when it comes to Chennai, I’ve hardly noticed people leaving the place. You don’t feel alien here — my friends and acquaintances are more like my family.

Chennaiites, in general, are warm and approachable. Most of the expatriates living in the city are happily settled down and they haven’t found any reason to leave the place! I haven’t experienced any cultural divide. I am loving the fact that the locals have started identifying me as one among them.

Rebecca Catharene, College student

In Chennai, it is no longer a mentality that a girl has to get married once she reaches a certain age —  parents are really inspiring us to excel in academics and in career. In fact, this year, in my college (Madras Christian College), girls have been outshining the boys in academics. I think the progress has been great in the past one year. I’ve faced some hard challenges as a woman, but not so much in our college as they never let me feel that way. In spite of me being the student chairperson, boys were supportive throughout the year and made this massive  responsibility easy for me.

Parvathi Nayar, Artist

Setting up my studio eight years ago and my interactions with the people of Chennai have been fantastic. The artscape here has grown, with a variety of art programmes pepping up the city. While I believe in an equal playing field for male and female artists, it is also a fillip when women are showcased in thematic exhibitions and offered specific art projects.

It becomes inspirational for the next generation in the city to take up visual arts as a career and a passion. But I am sure that irrespective of gender, art lovers in Chennai would support powerful art that engages with them. Art is a way of living that will help empower a generation.

N. Lalitha, Advocate

In terms of progress, more cases are now being reported and more women are coming out and filing cases and fighting against the crimes that are being inflicted on them. But the challenge for them is getting a complaint registered into an FIR, which is a tedious task — it remains the same and I think it is unfair.

(Compiled by Merin James and Balajee CR)