Woh mahila hai
Indra K. Nooyi, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of PepsiCo
When Hillary Clinton won in the New Hampshire, the win was primarily attributed, by our worthies of the other sex, to the ultimate weapon that a woman has – her tears. That she swayed the female vote to her advantage with her misty eyes. Nobody really spared a thought to the capable lawyer she is, her years of public service, her grinding campaign for the presidency.
Why don’t we admit it? Yes, we are emotional at times but women have been as successful as men in holding administrative positions at some of the highest places, be it Golda Meir, Margaret Thatcher, Condaleeza Rice, Indira Gandhi, and many others. These were tough women who did not crumble at times of crisis and took tough decisions of state, went to war when situations demanded.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee once referred to Sonia Gandhi as ‘woh mahila hai’ (she is woman). What are we supposed to conjure from these words? Does it imply that she is just a woman? Or does it connote that she is merely woman. A woman is a woman is a woman. Are we always supposed to notice the fact that she is a woman. What happens to her individuality, her attributes, her presence, her distinct personality apart from the genre of being woman. Is being a woman a stigma that she must carry with her from birth?
Sonia Gandhi is characterized by several other facets of her personality. She is a member of parliament; She heads an important political party; she probably has a definite political and party platform; she holds invaluable views on certain critical national issues. What has all these got to do with being a woman?
Simone de Beauvoir once said that one is not born a woman, one becomes one, and let me add that it is the handiwork of men who do away with fifty percent of their opponents with one stroke.
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In the picture: Indira K Nooyi, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo. Named on Wall Street Journal’s list of 50 women to watch in 2007 and 2008, listed among Time’s 100 Most Influential People in The World in 2007 and 2008 and ranked #3 on the Forbe’s list of most powerful woman in 2008.
Tagged power women, women, women administrators, women on top
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