Education empowers women

"When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful", said Malala, the Nobel Laureate. We all know that the young girl some years ago challenged a system biased against woman. Her protest and her near death encounter with Taliban terrorists sent shock waves across the globe and the rest is history. Her weapon was 'just' a challenge. She knows that through challenge, we can effect change. Gandhiji challenged the British and could effect change in the destiny and direction of our country.

This year for the International Women's the theme is, "Women of Tomorrow". Undoubtedly women in the days to come will be more individualistic, independent, knowledgeable, and skillful to use IT and developments in other spheres for their equality, emancipation, and empowerment. Of course, education would be their mother source of energy and means as a weapon to effect all changes in our lives. In other words, if all women are educated and united, they can do wonders and bring about a 'sea change' in our society.

In the past many women, like Malala, faced discrimination, and realised that Society had put them in shackles of gender bias and inequality. They also knew that education could be a game changer and could play a seminal role in breaking themselves free from the social shackles. Hence against all odds, these women worked selflessly and tirelessly for the education of girl child. Woman is a natural teacher and I strongly feel that mother is the first teacher for all of us and nobody denies that. She may not use a book and a switch in a formal sense, but her love, kindness, concern, even her reprimands and rewards teach us some life lessons of sorts.

Imagine how does a person feel when he or she achieves something great, and laudable, yet people abuse and humiliate him or her. This is just what happened to Savitribai Phule, the first female teacher in the country from Pune. People threw stones and choicest abuses at her and at her husband, Jyothirao Phule. In fact she had no schooling at the time of her marriage with Jyothirao. After their marriage, Rao's father threw them out of home for expressing the idea of starting a school for girls.Undaunted, both Rao and Savitribai started a school for girls with the help of some friends and some missionaries. Rao and his mentor one Sagunabai taught Savitribai initially and after completing her education, the trio worked tirelessly in their schools and broke many records, touching and changing the lives of many girls, notwithstanding huge opposition.

Savitribai rose to become a great social reformer, feminist, and a Marathi writer, but her role as the first woman teacher in the country was the icing on the cake. Age and place are no longer hurdles if you have the will to make a difference for others as a teacher. Vimala Kaul, Geeta Dharmarajan,and Roshni Mukherjee all proved it. After retiring as a teacher, Vimala Kaul, 81, has started her Guldasta and has been teaching underprivileged students for twenty years in a park in Delhi. Geeta Dharmarajan started her 'Katha' to impart education to children from slums in a couple of North-eastern states. Today she has about 35000 students, supported by thousands of volunteers. All these inspiring educators and teachers have really made a difference and pioneered a way to effect changes in the lives of millions of people. These women belonged to different times, races, and regions. Yet their goal was one and the same-to free woman from the life of a bonsai tree and allow her to grow, spread out, stand on her own strength and skills. Therefore it is our bounded duty to remember all such visionary women on this special day, and draw inspiration to work for a society where the word ,'Gender' has no place.

(The writer is retired HOD, Department of English at S B V R Degree College, Badvel)