Celebrating Womanhood, today and everyday

Today, 8th March 2021, marks the first Women’s Day that I celebrated as a working professional. Was it different from all the ones I’ve celebrated before? Yes, it certainly was. However, I had no idea that by the end of the day, my perspective about the importance of this day, and why it should be celebrated year-on-year would change so much!

On my morning commute to the office today, I couldn’t help but wonder what the significance of celebrating womanhood on just 1 out of 365 days could be? No, please don’t take me as a skeptic, I’m far from one. But the patriarchal society that we live in left me wondering if celebrating womanhood for just 24 hours would make any difference at all. However, what I understood today was that I am extremely fortunate to be a part of an organization that not only recognizes the contribution of women in the workplace, but celebrates it as well.

Today, in a 2.5-hour interactive session, I was introduced to women who I’d never met before. Women who are mothers, sisters, daughters, wives, who wake up each morning to put behind themselves, the unanticipated challenges that are thrown at them; who are rarely appreciated for how far they’ve come in their journey, for the milestones they’ve achieved at home and in their personal lives, and for the fantastic work they’ve done in their professional lives.

In that session, two very important realizations dawned upon me. The first was that I saw some parts of me in every woman that I met. I realized how most women are so much like one another, yet so different; how so many of us lead parallel lives and struggle with very similar issues. And the second and most important realization was how the advent of the pandemic has adversely affected our human interaction. Rarely do we ever look up from our screens or take the effort to notice the people who work around us and to know the stories that make them who they are.

Today, I learned the power of collective womanhood and how important it is to have a community of women who lift each other through their personal and professional journey and the challenges that come with each of those. And on this women’s day, I made myself a promise. A promise to be more present around the people I work with, to not stare at my screen when I’m taking a break, to smile more often at my colleagues, and to get rid of my inhibitions to know the new faces that I see at work every day.

Also Read:- Surrender the “Me” for “We”