Women from different walks of life including Sheila Dikshit, Priyanka Raina, Nishtha Satyam and Ihitashri Shandilya came under one umbrella to share how they broke the shackles of a male-dominant society, says Upasana Singh

The grand old dame of Delhi and former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit believes that women’s rights begin at home. At a conference, She Leads India, Celebrate Women Today and Everyday, she pointed out, “Seventy-five percent of work that every woman does — from taking care of the family and their food needs to maintenance of house clearly states how significant a woman's presence is in the family and yet they are treated badly by men. This somewhere states that the upbringing of a man in the family is not appropriate and needs to be changed from childhood.”

Sheila Dikshit, made a mark for herself in a profession which is dominated by men. After ruling and leading the party for a period of 50 years, the leading lady shared some insights into her political career. She has also turned author with her recently penned autobiography: Citizen Delhi- My Times, My life which talks about how a girl who loved cycling along the tree-lined avenues of a brand new Lutyens’ Delhi, five decades later, went on to govern and transform Delhi as its chief minister — not once, but thrice consecutively. Dikshit’s tenure lasted from 1998 to 2013.

She said, “My life inspired me to pen down my thoughts. My life has been interesting but challenging at times.” From being an ordinary woman to a politician to a minister, Dikshit has devoted her life to the well-being of the city. “Having spent a good time in politics, I am now more relaxed.”

Dikshit shared a solution to tackle the prevailing unsafe environment for a woman in Delhi. She said, “I feel bad that women do not feel safe in the capital. Boys must become more responsible when it comes to women.”

Having had an upbringing which was similar to an ordinary woman, Dikshit shared the challenges of her journey as a politician. “Immediately after the death of Indira Gandhi, I was asked to participate in elections and fortunately I was able to create my space in politics,” she said. Talking about the key changes the country has gone through after handing over the responsibility to the current chief minister, Dikshit shared, “Fifteen years ago a 24-hour power supply was our first challenge. This was followed by pollution which was and continues to be a major problem. The metro rail and CNG scheme in Delhi were initiated when I was the Chief Minister and the BJP government led by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Bajpai was at the centre. With the digital medium growing, today the government can reach out to the citizens directly which is a huge change compared to 15 years ago.” Adding to the ballooning of digital media in the country, she said, “Indian media is a very important part of everyday life and illiterate individuals are also using it. Today they all have access to print and electronic media, aware of the enormous amount of information. But apparently, the information they are delivering has become questionable as it majorly focusses on sensationalism of news rather than factual news. The balance of information and news is lost. The news we read these days across the world is about rape, racism and murder. There is so much beauty in the world and I wish we all could reflect on that.”

Shedding light on Delhi as not just the capital but the reflecting mirror of the country, she asserted, “We need to recall that Delhi is not a full-fledged state but the capital of our country, visited by dignitaries and diplomats from all over the world. It must be moulded into a world-class city because the image they have of India is through the image of Delhi. I wish to look at Delhi as a smart city”. The woman who herself is an exemplary example of empowerment wished fellow women on women’s day, “Be a woman and that too a strong one”.

Other prominent woman present was Priyanka Raina, wife of sportsperson Suresh Raina. During the discussion, the activist who has contributed towards the cause of human rights and feminism, talked about ‘Financial Abuse’ which she believes is the key reason for women being tortured by men. “We are well aware of the term physical abuse but it eventually leads to ‘financial abuse’. When a woman is financially dependent and is not allowed to independently manage finances, it causes financial abuse.” Raina has recently initiated a Radio network where she is an RJ, discussing matters related to domestic violence, acid attack, girl child education, sexual harassment, gender bias, menstrual hygiene and taboos related to women. Raina also talks to victims on-air with the aim to empower woman of the country. “The target audience is inclusive of everyone — women, men, and children. I feel that together with men, the women’s mindsets need to change as well,” she asserted.

Adding to the term financial abuse, Raina shared her on-air discusssion with women who have suffered from it. “Most women are victims because they do not have access to money and are bound to live a tortured life. Financial independence therefore is immensely important as it further helps in taking major decisions in life.”

She also encouraged women to help others of the same gender. “The scenario is changing but it all depends on creating awareness among the masses. Being a fellow companion, I feel it is my responsiblity to educate women and make them financially independedent. And, we have to bring that change together,” she said.

Nishtha Satyam is a Deputy Country Representative, UN Women. As a futurist and feminist, the active advocate talked about financial inclusion of women. “We generally talk about this term in one breath unaware of the deep significance it holds. Financial inclusion does not end with women having access to finance but it’s also about being able to invest more, doing something for yourself and your children which in itself is a major challenge in today’s time”, she said.

Elaborating on one such incident where a woman’s personal choice of spending money was attacked, she narrated, “Even in the most elite households, whenever someone swipes a card and comes home with shopping bags, she is questioned. When such acts are spoken in relation to a woman, the shopping is made fun of and it is considered acceptable to do so. That is not correct. It seems to say that a woman doesn’t know what to do with her life so she spends her entire money on shopping. Though the truth of the matter is that women, in reality, are the most rational consumers around the globe”.

Satyam also believes that there is an urgent need to look at financial inclusion in a more comprehensive way to deal with its consequences. As a closing note she shared, “A woman must participate in the economic activities unfazed by the questions that are flung at her by the household and the media. They should be empowered enough to invest money without any patriarchal influence.”

Ihitashri Shandilya, another speaker has chosen to remain rooted in culture and has consistently worked towards serving woman artists. She excels in traditional madhubani art and emphasised on the inequality of income among male and female artists. “Arts like madhubhani have survived till now only because women have passed along the flame across generations. People might be aware of Bollywood artist but if the same group is asked to name a few painters, they probably would go blank. I am working to give them their due credit.”