A very happy Women’s Day

Good morning! A very happy Women’s Day to all of you… and why just women, why not all? I’m sure, even men would like to celebrate the stupendous success that women have achieved in a variety of fields for over a century now. When we celebrate the Women’s Day our first salute ought to go to those women who have willed themselves to stand behind (despite their own accomplishments) and look after their families, who have chosen to put everything else aside and let their children take prominence in their lives and hearts.

Yes, I’m talking about a ‘homemaker’ — a professional in her own right, someone who tirelessly works day and night without a demur (protest) and has the gumption (courage) to smile behind the tears of joy for every successful step that her kid takes. She’s there everywhere — running behind her child’s missed bus, haggling (negotiating) with the vegetable vendour and making every effort to make her family comfortable. She’s your quintessential (typical, ideal/ pronounced as KWIN- TAY- SEN- SHUL) mother, who happily gives up on her favourite chocolate pastry because her daughter wants some more. And, no, please don’t drop a tear on her sacrifice; for she deserves a resounding (loud) applaud for a job well done!



Since it’s the Woman’s Day, let’s talk about some Indian women writers who have made their mark in the field of English writing: Shashi Deshpande, a Sahitya Academy Award winner for her novel The Long Silence. She has zealously (enthusiastically) written short stories, novels and children’s books in English.

Kiran Desai, the winner of Man’s Booker’s Prize and the National Books Critics Circle Fiction Award for her novel The Inheritance of Loss.

Women writers like Anita

Desai and Kamala Markandaya have taken up perennial (lasting) themes like men-women relationships for their books. Voices in the City, a novel by Anita

Desai talks about the intricacies in the lives of the lead characters.

Kamala Markandaya’s Nectar in a Sieve or A Handful of Rice or Some Inner Fury are novels that leave a lasting impression on the readers’ minds by their stark portrayal of truth.

Bharati Mukhejee, Shobha De, Arundhati Roy, Jhumpa Lahiri, Namita Gokhale, Krishna Sobati are just a few names of the present day Indian women writers who have touched upon delicate contemporary issues with a modern approach. Reading them is an eye-opener, for their writings show the tremendous leaps that women have taken over the past few years.

How are their writings relevant to you as far as learning English goes? It’s always easier to understand the Indian writers, more so, if the subjects of their books are taken from your everyday lives. So when you pick up a book, by let us say Kamala Das, it will be more comprehensible to you than a book by Maya Angelou.


Source: ANTU MAM