Happy Women’s Day! If you are a woman, preferably living in a city and owning a smartphone, you most certainly must have been flooded with this message in it’s varied forms on March 8. It’s almost like the universe suddenly discovered the woman in you.
With a special day reserved to celebrate womanhood, no one really wants to be left behind. It isn’t just the frenzied WhatsAppers who bombard you with brave quotes about braver women, but every organisation worth it’s salt, jumps on the International Women’s Day Celebrations bandwagon too. Awards with titles guaranteed to make any woman feel iconic are planned, women who could be presented with these honours are hunted down, bouquets to be gifted are stocked up and brain storming sessions to come up with that perfect campaign/ activity/ talk show, last well into the night. In the end, when the bouquets have all withered and trophies safely tucked away in fading almirahs, amidst the saris and other paraphernalia, what actually changes for any woman, except a few extra photographs of that glorious moment that are ‘Post’ worthy?
The realm of art, it is said, does not indulge in definitions of boundaries, gender, caste or religion. Art is meant to be universal and all-encompassing. It thrives on inclusivity. The truth that may be, yet it is surprising to note that the number of practicing women artists are far few when compared to the densely populated male artist’s fraternity. One would commonly assume that it is mostly women who take to art as a career choice, given the fact that in our country, the male species is constantly under pressure from anyone even remotely associated with his existence, to tread the path that lands him a ‘real’ job. Moral stories of the importance of supporting one’s family are dished out from time to time, to drill home the ultimatum that pursuing art can never provide that security.
Women, on the other hand, are subjected to only one singular pressure — the matrimonial compulsion. Art can never be an obstacle to that anyway. It is even considered a bonus in the ‘Bride Ready’ profile — one of those nice hobbies most girls entertain their idle hours with. Sadly, though equipped with art degrees, many women lose out on their focus somewhere along the way. Perhaps it is the humdrum of domestic life that they succumb to. From household chores to the responsibility of raising children, life often gets entangled in everyday duties that suck up time and energy, leaving her unable to find the space and solitude to connect with the self — a prerequisite for any art practice. As we celebrate another Women’s Day, may the celebrations not remain as mere quotes that seem appropriate on this ear-marked day or end as one descends from the podium after that fiery speech on women empowerment. Carry this resolve to see an equal world in your heart and in your actions. May a woman’s creativity never be bound by the chains of gender. Let the world resonate with the visual voices of these incredible women in art!