Unique Ways to Celebrate Women’s Day
In the traditional sense of the word, a woman was seen as a primary caregiver. Donning the roles of a mother, daughter, sister, daughter-in-law and many others, her primary duty was to ensure the smooth running of the house. Today, armed with the torch of education, women are making great strides in every possible field. Glass ceilings are being shattered and women are setting new benchmarks of professional achievements. Multi-tasking has become her forte and millions of women across the world are handling work and home with great proficiency.
March 8 is celebrated as International Women's Day. As we stand on the threshold of a new decade, it is time we do away with conventional ways of celebrating this special day. Not only is this symbolic of women getting rid of age-old shackles holding them down, but these unique celebratory ideas are in the true spirit of the modern woman.
- Talk about eve-teasing and sexual abuse with family
In the conventional Indian setup, women have been brought up to hush such matters. Male members of your family need to know the unpleasant things that you go through daily. This will enable them to react appropriately in their friend circles and that will go a long way in tackling abuse against women. Also, having open discussions in the family will give the right message to your kids and encourage them not to bottle up their feelings.
While this is something that every family should inculcate on a regular basis, there is no better day to start this practice other than the 8th of March.
- Women's Cricket
Traditionally, cricket is seen as a gentleman's game and women are not encouraged to take this up. This women's day, go ahead and organize or participate in cricket matches at the family, community, corporate or any other level. With a little encouragement and guidance, women will come to terms with the rules of the game.
Once this is established, you will be amazed at the fun such sessions can generate. On one hand, this smashes the patriarchal belief that cricket is for men while on the other it is a great source of recreation.
- Women's stand-up shows and open mic events
Even today, the participation of women in comedy activities is negligible as compared to their male competitors. To give women a break from juggling their responsibilities and encouraging budding female comics, this women's day initiative is among the most thoughtful ones in the list. You do not have to be an event manager to arrange for this one. You can simply organize an open mic in your college, workplace, community or club.
Not only will this be a good source of entertainment for everyone, but it will give a push to talented women who wish to tread unconventional career paths.
- Go for a women-only solo trip
If you have a day or two to spare (a longer duration is also fine), go ahead and plan a women-only trip. There is nothing as liberating as being away from patriarchy and living life on your terms. These days, several travel agencies offer exclusive packages for female travellers.
On the occasion of Women’s Day, you can expect a good discount on such packages. For women who do not like to travel in groups, going on a solo trip is a worthy way of celebrating Women’s Day.
- Sanitary napkin collection and distribution
As sad as it is, even today 23 million young girls drop out of school due to the lack of access to sanitary products. As a means of celebrating women’s day, you can organize drives wherein sanitary pads are collected. The team can then go to slums, government schools or take the help of NGOs to reach out to such young girls and distribute the same. While distributing the napkins, you may also take it a step further and educate them on menstrual hygiene.
As a woman, this might be one of the best ways of celebrating Women’s Day!
- Catch up with your girl-pals
This year, Women’s Day falls on a Sunday. Make the most of it and plan out brunch or a coffee date with your girl-pals. As women, we often get so held up in striking a balance between our careers and our family that female friendships take a backseat. Several cafes and restaurants are offering exclusive discounts to women this Sunday. Make the most of it and make a conscious effort to reach out and connect with your female friends.
At the end of the day, it is important to realize that Women’s Day is all about standing up for yourself and being there for the lesser privileged. There are millions of other ways in which you can do justice to this. A simple compliment on another woman’s effort will go a long way. It is only when joining hands as women can we smash the glass ceilings of patriarchy and establish an ideal world where equality is the way of life.
On that note, here’s wishing all the beautiful women out there, a very Happy Women’s Day.
