[Reader-list] Independent Fellowship Posting IV

[Shafia Wani]

* *
Dear Vivek,
Am sending my fourth posting for the SARAI Independent Fellowship.

**
*Uncommon; Common Narratives.*



Apart from the earlier narratives that we have detailed there are some
common place though yet uncommon narratives of women that that are
increasingly available that show that a desire to engage in original
endeavors and enterprises is not only a phenomenon that is limited to a few
relatively well recognized women but that other women , lesser known also in
their own way have explored the possibility to expand and explore spaces
that offer them what they see is an opportunity to fulfill their creative
and productive urges.



One such common narrative is that of forty years old Shameema Mir an
energetic and feisty middle aged lady who comes from a middle class family
in Srinagar. Her parents married her very early on when she was just 22 and
had just finished her graduate studies. She always had the desire and the
determination to start out on her own, what she wanted is a business
enterprise that she would manage independently. She did her MA in education
soon after she finished her graduation from the University of Kashmir. Her
marriage though put a stop to her ambitions of starting out on her own. She
barely managed to finish her studies while at the same time managing the
household and caring for and bringing up her children. Her husband who is a
senior executive in a large handicraft house of the valley was not very
encouraging of this prospect as well.

* *

As well in general terms, it was something that that women did not engage in
at that point in time, a woman entrepreneur was unheard of. Shamima had to
wait a long time, before she could even begin to think of starting out.* *But
this did not mean that she lost her drive and the desire to be a successful
entrepreneur. She always kept her sights on it and she would promise herself
that one day she would fulfill her desire.



And then a time came and she took the initiative and went ahead and started
a business enterprise, she registered and set up a company where she herself
and many people are working including other women. It is a business venture
that few would normally associate with a woman, the general idea of the
woman entrepreneur is that of the fashion designer or the interior designer
or the boutique owner. Shamima has laid these stereotypical images of the
woman business entrepreneur to rest. Her company, R.S. Agricultural and
Horticultural Products deals in the distribution of modern agricultural,
gardening machines and equipments. She has started out well and is expecting
substantial orders for these equipments to flow in not only from private
individuals, farmers and landowners but from institutional sales as well.



On what was it that actually stopped her from doing what she wanted for so
long, in her characteristic feisty manner she says, "my husband was very
possessive about me. He never let me explore the things that I wanted to do,
but now things are different. As my children grew they became my support.
The attitude of my husband have also changed by now. But I had to wait for
this till I was forty. If a person has desire, passion, dedication to
accomplish one's goal in my opinion age is no bar for this. I started at the
age of forty"



This is not all; Shameema was recently elected the vice president of a new
Delhi based non governmental organization called the Asian Eurasian Human
Rights Forum,  this organization works for the promotion and protection of
human rights of all especially of the people caught up in conflict
situations in any part of India. The focus is to draw inspiration from the
clauses of United Nations Human Rights Charter and the protocols of its
various subsidiary bodies as these are based on the principles of Universal
judgement.The basic aim is to improve the quality of life of citizens of the
society. The organization undertakes guidance, assistance, support and
dissemination of information in educational, health and environmental
spheres also. The organization worked for Tsunami relief and also in
earthquake relief to the victims in Poonch, Mendhar and Uri sectors of J&K
State. Shamima was actively involved in most of these interventions of her
organization.



Shamima's association with this initiative also reveals another aspect of
her personality; that she not only seeks to see herself managing a
successful business enterprise but at the same time seeks to engage herself
with welfare initiatives. She brings her irrepressible attitude and energy
to this work as well. For her colleagues in the Forum she is source of
constant enthusiasm and inspiration.



In keeping with these commitments she divides her time between
Srinagarwhere she runs her business,
Delhi and Chennai where her daughter and son are pursuing higher studies.
Shamima's story then also shows how geographical barriers and the idea of
the mofussil identity are being reworked for and by an increasing number of
women. These women are seeking to engage with opportunities and movements
that bring creative and productive satisfaction to their own selves. As we
see all this is not at the cost of either family or ones traditions. There
is an elaborate negotiation within that makes sure that this engagement is
not contrary to ones rooted ness in ones culture and place.




Shamima's story has some very interesting observations on the sense of how
only a decade back there was lesser freedom for women to be able to explore
their potentialities and as well how Shameema had to actually fulfill the
traditional role of the householder and it was only when she was older, her
children having grown up and she had in a manner of speaking fulfilled a
large part of her societal mandated role. It was only then she was able to
and felt the freedom to do what she had always wanted to. Another factor
that lent her support was her children who as they grew older also formed a
support base for her within the family.



Another common narrative is that of twenty four year old Saba, a girl from a
business family of Kashmir who is pursuing her master's course in management
(MBA) through University of Kashmir. She is a bubbly girl with great energy
about her, she has a very positive attitude and despite the fact that her
choosing business management as her career brought much opposition she stuck
it out and not only does she nurture a desire to work for the best companies
but later in life, much like Shamima has done to start a business enterprise
of her own. But her definition of success is not limited to a personal
vision of a happy personal life but it encompasses a concern for what
happens about and around her and an acute desire to contribute to the
happiness of other people as well.



Saba is yet very young but has very strong opinions and displays an informed
understanding of issues in general and especially issues that affect women.



She thinks that her independence in her decisions; be it about career, life
or any other thing-   is an accomplishment for her. Being only of age 24,
she feels that there is still a lot that needs to be achieved. But being
financially independent is something that she feels she needs to achieve on
priority.



This kind of an emphasis on financial independence shows an appreciation and
understanding of the benefits that an economic production position in
society and family can bring. This is increasingly the case with the younger
women who increasingly define themselves vis a vis their position in the
family but also with reference to the work they do. This appreciation of the
value of economic agency and the benefits it brings is something that has
been long in the coming to this part of the world but is increasingly making
its presence felt and the social setup at large also recognizes the value
that such an agency can bring. Also this is then something that feeds into a
say for the woman in the crucial decisions of family and society as well.



Saba thinks that it is usually hard for women to assert themselves and be
able to do the things that they really want, but if one is convinced of the
soundness of one's decision and determination then nothing can stop one from
getting there.



She has strong reservations about the typical portrayal of the woman
especially in patriarchal setups and is a very strong advocate of an active
agency for women,

She says, "I believe if every woman starts taking care of herself, there is
no need of   any other person to take care of hers. Every women needs to be
independent" but on the other hand she has a very balanced understanding of
what the issues of change for women entails, she believes that positive
change is taking place but, "Only for some women. Not all the women are
lucky…… just by looking at the bunch of successful women, we can't deny the
plight of women at large" and so for her the dream of universal empowerment
 is distant but not impossible. It is something that still requires a lot of
work.



"More women are getting educated and are aware of their rights. Besides this
they are more ambitious and passionate about their goals in life. Women are
fighting for equality and this dream is not distant, it is for every woman
to actualize it"

* *

As said earlier she displays an acute understanding of the dynamics of
empowerment in the society around her, she holds that "There is much hue and
cry about empowering women. But does the society really want to empower
women? In our society people are becoming more liberal, supporting women but
at the same time not giving them the actual power. They make the women act
like puppets"



This is an active and passionate defense of the rights of women and an
understanding that what women need to fight for are substantive rights not
superficial pronouncements about their rights that are doled out every now
and then. Young women like Saba are then a sign for the future. A future
that is being negotiated in this present by women like Shamima.



Commenting on instances like this Mr. Bashir Ahmad Dabla, one of the most
recognized sociologists of the state says that the role of women has
changed; over the past two decades education and employment have meant
greater emancipation for women.



With the benefits of education reaching them, women are now increasingly
independent. Their independence has led to attitudinal changes in the women
but these changes are within the culturally accepted domain. Women have been
able to change her status within and outside the family.



The crucial point to note is that the change works in a two fold manner.
Work and employment brings about an economic independence and education
brings about a complementary change in attitudes. These two factors are then
at the center of how the roles of women have seen a dramatic change over the
past two decades.



The conflict of the past many years meant that the situation did not
progress well for along time towards the emancipation of women. But the
changes over the world have begun to show their presence here as well.



Commonplace stories like these are on the increase where women have
demonstrated potential against great odds and have transformed those
conditions of their lives not only for themselves but for others as well.
What appears over the narratives that are being constructed is the constant
desire to creatively engage with the world and with work, not to be cocooned
into living a life that does not test one's potential. This is the emerging
leitmotif.



The manner in which roles of women are changing are yet emerging and the way
they are perceived by the larger society are yet emerging. There is
generally speaking a tradition of not only accommodation in the local
cultural space with respect to the altered roles that women have, but an
active appreciation of the need of an increased and active agency that women
should have. The greater access to education and the economic benefits that
it brings has over time also translated to a realization of not only the
economic benefits of education but intellectual, artistic/creative benefits
as well.



This cultural space of accommodation though has its own domain within which
women engage themselves. This cultural domain though does not act as a
limitation to any pursuit that one might engage in but rather gives
direction, meaning and context to that particular pursuit and in many cases
actively informs it. This is what will reveal itself as subsequent
narratives are submitted and the earlier ones are further developed to lead
on to a discovery of the leading themes of this research.

*Ends  *



Warm Regards,
 Shafia Wani
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