For here we exist and live
Carrying on thinking this is life
Feeling and sensing what is felt
Unaware of the mirage of this moment.
Here and there.
Everything is as much as it is not All in this vortex of time caught Sharing spaces In these so called places …
We stand breathing In the betwixt and between The blurring line Of the so called real and unreal. Each steadfast in thought and opinion Of deed and action Hoping to leave impression On these shifting sands of time.
A lot of perspectives have been shared as far as women’s empowerment measures are concerned in India. Putting the plans on paper to process for transformation is the true need of the hour.
The focal point for change and transformations in bettering women’s life is about understanding women as equal humans not simply as a pretty better half and sympathizing with them as burdened beings.
A matter of Value
The dignity of the being is when women
are seen as individuals who are capable decision makers be it at home or boardroom and respected for their opinions and valued as they are.
A matter of equality
From birth as a baby who is raised equally with pride and without prejudice to acknowledging a need for changes in schools and colleges education, to be gender neutral and not gender biased.
Non-discrimination
At work, the corporate culture needs a structural mind shift to understanding unique challenges faced by female employees in terms of reducing harassment and denouncing gender bias in benefits perks and salaries. Discrimination is truly a discomfort that destroys productivity ‘
A matter of right!
To teach that a marriage of two people is to co-inhabit and collaborate as equals without the women being considered as weaker her inferior to the man.
As senior citizens, both genders must require social security assistance equally as with age the body wears down and gender becomes insignificant again.
A matter of Sustained empowerment
Besides simply providing authority or power to empower is to make the person stronger and more confident, especially in self-management.There is a need to see self-management as a skill that needs continuous and supportive nurturing for development. More the human approach the easier and more sustaining are the solutions.
Challenges at hand
In a country like India where women are still considered second-class citizens where corruption makes change difficult. where domestic abuse be it physical social or mental is rampant, women are still subjugated regardless of the society or state that come from in different degrees.There is a need for an educational system that guides and gathers up the spirit of women and coaches them to trust their abilities as many are in a state of doubt and fear and inhibited from personal self-expression.
The masses are still a persecuted lot in terms of social stigma from being a woman who is divorced and being single to widows and a working or non-working women. From feeling unsafe in travelling alone to securing a home to stay to having a lunch or dinner alone in restaurant to wanting to watch a movie without anyone for company to driving a car alone in a journey…. all women will relate to an increase in stress levels during these normal chores and activities even in the day .Moreover, it is the right to feel safe without discrimination of gender while travelling at night or day in a bus or car or any public transport. Many will have a story of subjugation and social insecurity that they may want to tell but do not speak up due to a lack of voice and fear of being hounded by attracting unnecessary attention to themselves.
Education matters!
The true solutions are a gradual change through continued public education reforms for all ages and gender that may help in bringing forth new mindsets and reinforce an altruistic behaviour.
Setting up women-centric organisations with greater authority can work to bridge the disconnects in communication as they could be the pioneers for any planned intervention.And movements to empower one another as women in consensus and collaborative endeavour helps bridge the dividing gaps.
From I to the We
Empowering the spirit within one another is the key and it becomes easier in the of the realisation of how interdependent our world truly is in the interconnects and how this can become our biggest strength
In a globally connected world resources needs to be collaborated to help one another.No one then will feel left out and helpless.There will be less hoarding and accumulation and more sharing and utilization.
Reformed practices in education will manifest the outcomes in society through transforming mindsets
Empowerment will mean a lift in global consciousness and not be self-limiting in its connotations.Only then can we comprehend what true empowerment means and how much it matters!
In an age of self obsession bordering on extremes of behaviour from starving to binging, from wearing those uncomfortable hip breaking harmful high heels to choosing crazy outfits that fool you in the name of fashion, to wearing outrageous clothes without it actually suiting your personality, just to fit in and feel accepted I find a lot of people youngsters especially finding themselves at odds with their natural body and having issues with who they truly are. It reflects in the clothes they wear as much as in their attitude to the fast convenience food they choose to eat.
Here in this article I address this very insecurity and deep need to measure up to the so called dictates of trends and fashion in the name of modernity and suggest ways to work with yourself to help yourself shine your best inside out. For, a comfortable and relaxed confident body is the best outfit you can wear.
Savvy Raj
A positive body image brings optimism into your life and makes it easier to manage stress.
It also helps you cope the pressures of social situations with confidence. Below, I’ve listed10 tipsto help you in owning a more positive body image and relationship with yourself.
Be kind to yourself
Liking who you are and feeling good about being yourself begins with being good to yourself and showing yourself loving kindness.
Respect thy Self
Move beyond a need for validation from others. Your life and happiness must never be dictated by assuming what others may be thinking of you. Avoid seeking approval from others.
Think well and exercise the power of positivity
Keep a check on your own thoughts and steer clear of negative self-talk. See the positives in yourself and others and speak positively. See life transform for the better.
The company you keep matters
Surround yourself with kind and positive people. Avoid those who are self-obsessed and definitely stay away from bullies.
Cultivate a good attitude towards life
As you continue to work on your self-esteem remember body confidence is a matter of attitude and the way you carry yourself.
Cultivate good posture and poise
Work on your sense of poise, avoid slouching and fidgeting. This can help you tremendously in boosting your self-esteem in any social situation.
Speak well
Your body is always listening. So, speak well of yourself and others. Make it a habit to start and end the day on a positive note.
Embrace Self-value
Try to understand your weaknesses and accept them as challenges to work on. Treat yourself well. Make sure to eat well, exercise, or take a walk. Be healthy and groomed. Make it a part of daily life.
Take it easy
Over perfection is an obsession and can ruin your self-esteem and self-confidence. Ease up on yourself. Don’t sweat the small stuff.
Own yourself
Embrace the uniqueness that you are endowed with. Remember you matter. You are so much more than a title, a rank, or a dress size. Don’t be desperate to fit in. Most importantly, be interested in your life and actively participate in it. Own yourself.
As you practise working on all these aspects and envision the positives, you create a positive shift in your perspectives.
Precious words from Rumi which are empowering, to say the least, awakening in us to respect the innate potential we all possess to reach out to help another …
To help is to empower the mind body and spirit of another.
Empowerment is a powerful factor in building lives. Given the choice of transforming lives with the abilities, you own…if you are ready to help another… What would you choose to be?
Being a Lamp :
A lamp lights up itself to light the way for another It is selfless and expansive . The light of a lamp lets you envision the strengths within the self as much as the others For to enable sight is to allow the envisionment. Being a light enables and empowers, as it throws light without fear or favour.
It is simply the quality of light to shine graciously!
Being a lifeboat:
It is the very purpose of a lifeboat to help save lives to allow another to hold on, to never fail in protecting from drowning in the voyage of life.
The lifeboat is a survival tool and is built to weather the storms without giving way. It floats on relentlessly without giving up to reach to safety.
Being a life boat in an emergency is like a godsend!. To save a life is to value its preciousness of the being.
Being a ladder:
Allowing the self to be utilized for another is the very nature of a ladder. In fact to be a ladder is to allow another to reach and aim higher to develop and evolve further.
A ladder is constructive in its very core essence, to build up another towards a goal.
Being a builder of another’s dreams and helping propel another to a cause greater than the self is the sign and strength of being a ladder. Being unmindful of the treading over of another in their attempt to reach their aspirations is a tall order indeed. The ladder provides the way without any personal gain.
Here are 3 beautiful sayings worth remembering always…
HANDS THAT HELP ARE HOLIER THAN LIPS THAT PRAY!
HELP EVER HURT NEVER.
ACTION SPEAKS LOUDER THAN WORDS!
Self-empowerment &healing :
To help transform lives is to empower from the heart and make a difference!
However, it is about healing the self-first enough to let light in that helps others to see!
A friend in need is a friend indeed! ;
Whatever is your way to reach out and help, what is truly significant is the one who helps in time and need. For such a help is a hand of God in divine grace.
So make a choice to reach out to the world in your own unique way for it needs all the help it can get!
This morning I wrote down a few thoughts ….’On tboughts’ and shared and just a while ago I was pleasantly surprised by some lovely afterthoughts shared by my dear mother almost immediately on Whatsapp.
I share her jotted thoughts here as part 2:
On Thoughts
Thoughts are the doorways that connect our inner and outer world. As we walk along this path it leads us along the physical ,material world filled with varied emotions, feelings and desires. It connects us with our past, bring back the forgotten memories and our reaction depends on what it mirrors. It has the power to make us sad, angry, or happy. Like an expert master it rules our emotions. A happy moment can turn sour when it brings an unwanted, unneeded or unconnected memory back which is followed by a volley of unnecessary words and arguments which can make the whole scene bitter, thereby sowing the seed for another set of reactions in another time frame.
On blooming thoughts .
It is a magical weaver. It has the potential to jump from past to future in a fraction of a second. It’s speed surpasses the fastest speed known to us. It has the power to take us to the dream world idling for hours together.
In the the ocean of time it’s waves are endless. We become playing clay in its hands moulding our moods as it wants.
In short our thoughts rule us. Like an obedient slave we obey its whimsical command forgetting our true potential. The wise souls understood this.With their deep knowledge they have shown us various ways to take command of our thoughts n tame them. Like a circus ringmaster in the midst of wild animals we should be in constant awareness to lead our thoughts, and observe their moves.
Similar to a focussed traveller who never strays from his path how much ever alluring the sceneries on his way, elluding the perils in his path goes steadfast to reach his destination, we should train ourselves not to be distracted by the flow of thoughts. We can never stop its flow, as it is natural, but can train our mind not to react to each and every word. Let’s be a witness, never become a part. Let’s keep proceeding with the companionship of positivities like kindness, compassion, selflessness, humility and gratitude. Let’s make this journey beautiful.
Come, let’s walk together in harmony guiding each other positively, as we reach our individual goals and collective aspirations.
A world of make believe!
All… a matter of optical illusions
And to sift the truth from the facades
Is it mockery of minds
And the intelligence of senses
Such is the state of affairs
The games people play
Churns out the insides
Like an avalanche on its way.
With widespread body of lies
And failings everywhere
Truth takes beating
From one and all
In the circle of life and living.
And then…
When truth dares
To be voiced out
The hearts that dare
Know the consequence
Yet they brave out
Unperturbed by naysayers
And the wrongdoers
For truth adheres to itself
Like no other steadfast
It stands on its own support
And in all fairness truth
Journeys on through time
Awaiting patiently,
hesitating perhaps awhile
& finally emboldening itself
To open up fair & square
And thus evolving along
Through the winding paths
Of the many states of truth.
Savvy Raj
This poem is a dedication to all things forthright and in respect for all those who speak their mind & who stay true to their hearts in words and deeds.For truth prevails… ultimately!
Savvy Raj 
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