Greetings on Womens' Day 2025

 

Today (8th of March) is International Women’s Day .. ..  Appreciating all Women I know ! and special greetings to all of them  ~ International Women's Day 2025. Here is a photo of many women devotees and for sure, there would be many many achievers in any such group !!   Thirumangai Azhwar in his Thirumozhi pasuram says -  “ஒப்பவர் இல்லா மாதர்கள் வாழும் திருவல்லிக்கேணி” !!

 

Remember seeing that Test in Nov 1976 (those were the days when Chepauk would host Test matches during Pongal !)  

In some ways this is a western concept – marking a day and attaching all importance to it by marketing it. Our literature has good place for women and traditionally we are taught to respect elders and mother. Our moral stories are replete with instances of obeisance to mother and femininity holding them in high regard; yet 8th Mar would be a special day. 

When the world was in deep darkness and caught in the old thinking about women, then India used to worship women as Maatri Shakti and Goddess. We had women scholars like Gargi, Maitreyi, Anusuya, Arundhati and Madalasa giving knowledge to society. Even in the troubled medieval times, there were great women like Panna Dai and Mirabai in this country. 

When the nation is remembering the history of the freedom struggle during the Amrit Mahotsav, there are so many women who have sacrificed themselves. Immortals like Kittur's Rani Chennamma, Matangini Hazra, Rani Lakshmibai, Veerangana Jhalkari Bai to Ahilyabai Holkar and Savitribai Phule in the social sphere maintained India's identity. 

Thousands of miles away, Anne ascended power to become the  Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland from  8 March 1702 and 1 May 1707. On 1 May 1707, under the Acts of Union, the kingdoms of England and Scotland united as a single sovereign state known as Great Britain. She continued to reign as Queen of Great Britain and Ireland until her death in 1714. 

Any reference to women of fame would  be incomplete without  writing about ‘Avvaiyar’ -  great tamil poetess  whose statue  stands in the marina beach closer to Queen Mary’s college. She  lived in the southern parts attributed to sangam period. Reverred to be noble besides her extraordinary poetic skills, the term means ' respected old woman' or 'Grandmother'. Her works include Purananuru and Aathichoodi. She had cordial relations with the Kings Pari and Athiaman. Aathichoodi is a collection of single-line quotes written by Avvaiyar and organized in alphabetical order. 

According to Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, King Janaka of Videha Kingdom held a Rajasuya Yagna and invited all the learned sages, kings and princess of India to participate. The yagna lasted for many days. The galaxy of scholars, included the renowned sage Yajnavalkya.  There  were eight renowned sages who challenged him for a debate, which included Gargi, the only lady in the assembled gathering of the learned.  Gargi and Yajnavalkya's exchange centered on the ultimate "warp" of reality ("warp" means "the basic foundation or material of a structure or entity). 

490  years ago this month in 1535 occurred the siege by Bahadur Shah who attacked Chittor Fort.  Rani Karnavati, wife of the late Rana Sangha fought valiantly, was expecting help from Humayun, who betrayed and .. ..   13,000 women including Rani Karnavati committed Jauhar and 3,200 soldiers committed Saka.   

 

Can you think of one sport where men and women compete against each other as equals? – in Tennis – the mixed-doubles !! Stumped?  It is  horse racing, where female jockeys regularly jump in the hot seat alongside their male counterparts ~ and it is not riders alone .. it is the horses too.   The horses carrying them towards the finish line are locked in their own battle of the sexes.  

India has seen many many women achievers.  Sarla Thakral, at the age of 21, became the first lady in India to acquire an aviation pilot license in 1936. Such an achievement at a time when Indian women were struggling for basic rights to education and healthcare was truly remarkable. Captain Radhika Menon ruled the tides by becoming India’s first female Merchant Navy Captain. Anandi Gopal Joshi was the First female doctor in India          1887 &  Cornelia Sorabji became the first female barrister in India in 1866. 

Test in Nov 1976 that I saw in Chepauk was between Indian Women & West Indies Women – only the 2^nd test that India was playing. India recorded its first-ever Test win in Nov 1978 against West Indies under Shantha Rangaswamy's captaincy at the Moin-ul-Haq Stadium in Patna.  Team India has come a long way with many wins and laurels.  

The first woman to lead an Indian cricket team, the first woman to win a Test series and the first woman to receive a lifetime achievement award from the BCCI, Shanta Rangaswamy was a pioneer. Rangaswamy captained 12 out of the 16 Tests she played in since making her debut in October 1976.  She scored India's first Test century and smashed the first six as well. While she wasn't playing, Rangaswamy had also been a commentator with All India Radio. She was given the Arjuna Award in 1976.  More prominent is Dr V. Shanta, a prominent Cancer specialist and the Chairperson of Adyar Cancer Institute, Chennai. Her work won several awards including the Magsaysay Award, and Padma Shri. She has been associated with Adyar Cancer Institute since 1955, and has held several key positions, including its Director between 1980-1997.  

 

In recent decade, the woman comparable with  Kapil Dev was “Jhulan Nishit Goswami”  A decade and a half since bursting onto the scene, Goswami, one of the fastest bowlers in the women's game reaped rewards through control and minute deviations off the pitch. She surpassed Cathryn Fitzpatrick to become the highest wicket-taker in women's ODI history.     

This is a post on ‘wonder woman’ ~ it would not require a Nobel for a woman or any accomplishment  to be impressive and an influencer .. ..    this post is dedicated to all the Women known and those who influenced me – the list would start with my mother, sister, wife – my teachers at elementary school,  my female colleagues, my women bosses and my dear friends).. ..

 
Regards – S Sampathkumar
8.3.2025