The first Indian woman to do an MD from the US was Anandibai Joshi. In 1883, Anandibai joined the Women’s Medical College in Pennsylvania at 19 years of age after she lost her first baby to medical neglect. She decided to study medicine and contribute to medical practice back in India. In her pursuit of the best medical education, her husband Gopalrao Joshi sent letters to Royal Wilder, a missionary. When the letter was published in Princeton’s Missionary Review, some locals offered to help with accommodation and convinced her to join the esteemed college. She graduated in 1886 and joined as a physician at a Kolhapur hospital. Before she turned 23, Anandi died of Tuberculosis but her husband sent her ashes to the US out of respect.
Remember, this was in the 19th century. Anandibai broke the shackles of society and did what her heart asked her to. Women of India might have been firsts in many fields in the past but today, they’re everywhere in numbers. Be it astronomy or leadership, start-ups or conglomerates, sports or security, women are slaying and how. Often, our politeness is doubted for non-assertiveness but not anymore. In boardrooms, we have been called aggressive for putting our foot down but hey, we know who means us well and who doesn’t. In fact, we have always known. And so, we use our emotional comprehensibility to tackle hardships at work.
Successful women have one thing in common – they do not let others define their timelines. Whether it be about staying single or having babies at 25, women who follow their own path and compete with their own selves tend to be happier. We can take a study break at 50 and sometimes finish a PhD at 21. The thing is – women are following their hearts right now, more than ever. And it is only helping motivate other women who are seeing them take reigns in their own hands.
Not long ago, we were majorly objectified on screen, just playing pretty parts and ‘lachaar’ victims of rape. But now we have Raveena Tandon and Sridevi playing moms of vengeance, we have Taapsee Pannu going to court for a ‘thappad’ and Kangana going on a honeymoon happily alone. This shift in cinema and portrayal has led to a widening of perspective for the common man who now imagines his woman beyond the bed and kitchen. In fact, a lot of men are helping women chase their dreams and discover their relationships in the process.
We are not losing sleep over our timely wrinkles or visible stretch marks. Or being constantly judged about our weight, clothes, complexion or sexuality. We only dress up when we like, wearing what we like and walking as we like. AND we are not scared of starting over in life. We are moving ahead at our own pace, demanding answers as many times as the questions arise in our minds and not staying passive involving decisions that matter. Women are champions, not strugglers. And we’re here working collectively towards an equal future and a little more shine under the sun.
We are champions, not strugglers. Did I mention that again? Maybe it is that pressing. And we are loving the sound of shattering glass. From near and far.
- So the next time a Sadia Tariq comes home with the Gold Medal or Aroosa Parvaiz, the 12th Board topper from Kashmir is trolled for not covering her head, come out in support and let your women lead the community into a dawn that is filled with hope for the young. Because in a society where women are supported and unmuted, there is no stopping.
Khushboo Mattoo is a Consulting Editor with Network18 and a lifelong student of art. She loves sheer chai and the sound of rabab. She is vocal about everything that involves equality.
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