Daughter's Day.....

Daughter's Day.....

If not for the Whatsapp messages received on my phone since morning today I wouldn't have known today is Daughter's Day. Yet once I knew it , I was happy for I could smile and fondly remember so many beautiful things in my life.
As a child being the youngest I definitely was my father's pet or that is what I was made to believe. Probably the fact that I used to get away with most things, get extra clothes and was also allowed to buy bubblegum reflected my special status. Or maybe the fact that I was the only one who got pocket money. It may also have been due to the fact that there used to be and there still is a special twinkle in my father's eyes when he speaks to me or about me. I don't know whether my siblings noticed it but I for sure could always see that and perhaps that gave me a great deal of confidence. No wonder I grew up feeling shielded and protected always.
My mother was no-nonsensical and different yet we developed a special bond as I grew older. Our bond became stronger when I became a mother myself for only then I realised some of the fetishes she had. Together our parents gave us a simple and secure life. There were days when we didn't have much materially yet they never let that fear of being insufficient financially creep into us. We were given equal opportunities in education and also in routine creature comforts. Most importantly they gave us a vision to dream and make a future for ourselves. So while my brother went to IIT and became a technocrat, my sister became a banker, my second brother, a scientist and me a bureaucrat. As siblings each of us had our distinct personalities but as daughters we were as equal as sons.
I am fortunate to be part of a family which believed in each child as an individual.
Yet the fact is that even today gender bias exists in society and the birth of a girl child continues to raise veiled eyebrows.
No wonder , the government had ro come up with strict laws against female foeticide and schemes like , Beti Bachao Beti Padhao.
The sex ratio in our country remains at 926 females per 1000 males and in states like Haryana it is still at 879 females per 1000 males. Examples of Gargi and Maitreyi, the ancient Indian Philosophers are far and few. Examples of women leaders who have broken the glass ceiling are only due to their individual social staus and are therefore limited. Reservation in positions of power and local government bodies may have paved the way for equal representation yet the rural and urban India can see " Sarpanchpatis" or "Nagaradhyakshapatis" ruling the roost. Often women are still deprived of important positions in employment.
Individually we may acknowledge that daughters as adorable. Their intelligence and skills may astonish us. Their warm and loving nature may make them special. Many may treat them like God's greatest blessing yet we cannot deny that their survival is still a miracle in certain quarters even today. So let this day not be just a celebration of having little angels in our life . Let it be a day to remember the existing gap between genders. Let it be a day to raise awareness that daughters are equal to sons in every way. They not only need equal opportunities but also encouragement and freedom to grow as empowered individuals.
Their life would become meaningful only when we start looking at them like equals and transmit values of tolerance and equality between sons and daughters.
Yes to a privileged daughter like me and all those like myself , Happy Daughter's Day along with a big thank you to our loving parents and to the rest of the world , hope daughter's day becomes truly happy....