3 wishes...

" power gives you the ability to do what you want, when you want"

when i was a young girl, busy with my barbie dolls, i wondered whether i would ever be granted 3 wishes by any available genie. much to my dismay, it's been 22 years and none from the "Genie syndicate" seem to be free to listen to my wishes...

so, i decided to take matters into my own hands, to put it fancily.. i decided to empower myself with the ability to make those wishes come true..

what happens when you are short? or to put it in a non offensive way, "vertically challenged" ? 

nothing much, just that you find yourself to be at the receiving end of most jokes.., literally looked down upon.. and the worst of it all.. placed in  front of the school assembly queue. so day after day i had to pretend to devoutly pray to all the gods, while sister mary alice looked at me from the stage. after almost 7 years of this, i decided to use the skipping rope. it was touted to be the magic potion for growth, after 3 painful months i decided being short is "the new tall". but miracles do happen and when i was 13 i grew taller.. the puberty fairy had finally arrived. after the summer vacations i returned to class with my head held high (pun intended). ahh.. my silver dreams were murdered soon, it seemed that my "puberty fairy" had granted wishes to most of my classmates too. end result? following the "law of relatives" i ended up in the front row again...

what happens when you are dark complexioned?

nothing much, just that you find yourself to be the centre of attraction of all fairness cream promotional offers going on in the mall, where you visited with your "fairer" cousins. so there it was in black and white, i would never get my shining knight, if i didn't fall prey to "garnier light".  after some "hey blacky "and related comments from my "enlightened" peers., i finally gave in. a pack of garnier light cream was bought. according to the company, regular usage would make me "glowing and white". so.. after 7 days of usage i finally discovered, fairer skin.. my skin had horrible reactions and the outer layer peeled off to reveal the lighter skin underneath. cheers... my parents had not only gifted me dark shade genes, they packaged it with a promo offer of hyper sensitive skin too!

what happens when you put on weight?


nothing much, just that you find your young niece asking you to model for her elephant painting.
weight is not just fat accumulated in your body.. it's weight on your mind, piled on gram by gram by the snigger's you hear, the stares you get...
after intense gym workout and controlled diet the body has lost the weight ..but the mind has not.
if my jeans feel slightly tighter than usual, i get into a panic mode! sleepless nights and painful days.
so after reading that only 2% of the women in the world are happy about the way they look, i realized i am not the" fat minority" but just another woman.


so...my wish to become taller, thinner and fairer has come true..


how?


i am tall because i believe, "you grow tall when the handsome men bend down to stare into your eyes"


i am fair because i know "that dark skin elicits desire and exudes class"


i am thin because i realized, " curves are back..."

the honey with money..

budget,  balance sheets ,finance... male dominated areas. or so they say..

scene 1:

the housewife who budgets for the entire household does this meticulously. one of the most dynamic environments, is the household. so although the cash flow in typical indian families is contibuted by the male members, the managing is done by the woman herself.

scene 2:

let's take a quick tour of the banking sector in india today...

In New York and London, women remain scarce among top bankers despite decades of struggle to climb the corporate ladder. But in India’s relatively young financial industry, women not only are some of the top deal makers, they are often running the show.

HSBC, JPMorgan Chase, Royal Bank of Scotland, UBS and Fidelity International in India are run by women. So is the country’s second-biggest bank, Icici Bank, and its third-largest, Axis Bank. Women head investment banking operations at Kotak Mahindra and JPMorgan Chase and the equities division of Icici. Half of the deputy governors at the Reserve Bank of India are women.
India is without an old Wall Street staple: Women who feel they must act like the stereotypical male banker to advance. There are no swaggering “masters of the universe” in this group. Top female managers regularly wear saris and talk openly about their children and husbands.
These women handle many of India’s biggest deals — raising $9.7 billion for the power company NTPC or negotiating Vodafone Group’s purchase of an $11.1 billion stake in Hutchison Essar.
Almost all of them are in their 40s and 50s, are from wealthy backgrounds, went to excellent schools in India and abroad, and graduated at the top of their classes before excelling at the bank they joined. So they often enjoy the same status as the men who were their competition and their banking clients.

so let's raise a toast to these women and to all the women at home who make the world spin by their power over money..

marketing....with a twist..

what determines market value?

product, price, brand image.  wondering whether this is a marketing article... yes.. but here the "product" is women and the market is the "marriage market".

from a very young age, we grow up listening to tales of handsome princes, beautiful princesses and magnificent castles. when we are teenagers we realize beauty comes packaged in shiny bottles. as we age we find out the princes may or may not be handsome and fair.. but if you had to find your fairy tale, you definitely need to be a wingless fairy..fair, slim, gorgeous..

growing up in an indian family, full of cousins who had a peach and milk complexion, i was literally the dark horse. although i never noticed it, my grandfather wisely commented to my mother, (in my presence), "you must save up for her dowry, otherwise no one will agree to marry her".
that day my mother swore, that i will beat all my fair cousins in this unfair competition. so i looked on helplessly as i was made to enter the fiercest  race of all, that of getting the handsome prince.

i was enrolled in a convent school.. (believe me it's a 50  point jump in valuation of a prospective bride), and my first few years passed quite uneventfully( marriage race wise that is). my teenage years were ofcourse a whole new story. i was a fiery teen, rebelling and stubborn. so i refused to be "girly" and went and got the shortest acceptable possible haircut. my mother knew i had fallen behind in the race, my cousins were busy researching home made anti tanning treatments, while i was happily running around in the sun .

slowly my hormones calmed down and i became a little less boyish. i was 17 then and i entered yet another convent for my plus 2. (yeah, an additional 50 point jump). this time however i was overwhelmed with my beauty and skin obsessed classmates. so in a desperate bid to fit in, i visited the "hell on earth"- local beauty parlour. 
as i was about to enter, i heard a girl gasp with pain, her arms were being waxed.. i would have run right out, but summoning all the power of tolerance i had, i hung on. after 3 hours of unimaginable pain, i finally stepped out, hairless, blemish free and glowing.

my family was stunned to see the new and improved packaging. i was too, but only the next morning. my skin reacted horribly to the chemicals used during the facial and it had swollen to an unsightly proportion. so much for being an "overnight beauty". while my cousins silently expressed their glee, i diverted my attention to my strength, academics.

after graduating from high school i went to an engineering college. after 12 years of being surrronded by only female classmates, it was a refreshing change to be in a class grossly out numbered by men. by this time i had lost interest in the race for "my prince". i was more practical and had lost any illusion i had regarding happy fairy tales. but much to my surprise i had not factored in one attribute that men apparently value a lot.. intelligence. so while my cousind were surrounded by love stricken simpering men, i was in the company of smart talented young men.

in marketing terms i was "positioned" in an entirely different but growing segement.."the educated, smart young female". which according to the matrimonial sites boasted of a healthy growth rate. my mother began breathing again..

it was time for the dark horse to jump to the front line in the race..
only thing was, i decided to place myself as the prize for the young urban educated male...

so no wonder the sales figures of "fair and handsome" cream has risen.. after all, the age of the empowered woman has finally arrived.. the marketplace has changed and how.....

genesis..

what makes women better mothers? is it  love? affection? care? or discipline?
one of the questions that has plagued women for generations. the journey of motherhood is challenging to say the least, and there is no ready made manual to help them understand their children. it is an ongoing process, with roadblocks and speed bumps. but a journey that gives women a sense of completion.

my mother has taught me a lot in these 22 years, but she claims to have learnt much more. every stage that i have crossed as a person, she has stood by me, helping me, guiding me and sometimes being just as lost as i am.
 stay at home moms can be by their children 24*7, but working moms, especially someone who has such a demanding job, that of a doctor, has a lot of difficulties. she worked night shifts in the hospital and rushed back home to feed me... she carried out 7 back to back surgeries and yet remembered to help me out with my maths homework.

a good mother is not about being perfect, it's about learning how imperfect you can be.. and yet have someone love you. because no matter how many fights i have had with her.. how many times i threatened to run away.. she knew i would always come back..

a good mother builds a nest for you.. a cocoon that shields you from harm yet strengthens you to face the world.

so it's not just about love.. or care or affection.. not even discipline.. it's about a story that starts unfolding when she holds you in her arms for the very first time.. and promises herself..." i am going to be the best mother in the world....".

the monster.. PCOS

my friends always asked me...." how does it feel, to grow up in a house full of medicines...?", my parents are doctors, dad a cardiologist and mom a gynaecologist.  well the only way to answer them was this, "i am very health conscious".  this was one myth i believed until the day i was diagnosed with PCOS( poly cystic ovarian syndrome).

along with me there are thousands of women out there who are unaware of a silent threat to their fertility. due to the increasing stress of their careers, the first thing that women compromise with is their health. ungodly hours, unhealthy food- believe me , these are a sure shot recipe for disaster.

my mother would come back home every day, tired and saddened by the increase in this deadly disease. her worst fears came true, when i was diagnosed with it. she was heartbroken but i was determined. the first line of treatment, is a rapid chenge in lifestyle. this meant a change in diet and trips to the local gym. the food that i was now being given was tasteless to say the least, and the exercise regime was excruciating..

but every day i lost the desire to follow the diet chart, my mom reminded me of the one thing i valued more than the cadbury bars.. babies.

so she told me a horror story about a monster called, PCOS,

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which can also be known as the Stein-Leventhal syndrome, is a condition that affects the ovaries.
The ovaries are found in women, and consist of a pair of glands which are either side of the uterus (womb). The ovaries produce ova (eggs) which are released into the uterus one a month, during the menstrual cycle. Each ovum develops in the ovary from a small swelling called a follicle. Usually, several of these follicles develop each month, but only one will produce a full matured ovum.
The ovaries also produce a variety of hormones including the main female hormone, known as oestrogen. The ovaries also produce small amounts of androgens, such as testosterone, which are sometimes called male hormones.
When a person has polycystic ovary syndrome the ovaries are affected in at least two of the three following ways:

1. Each month at least 12 follicles develop on the surface of the ovary. This is more than usually. The follicles are also known as cysts, and this how the disease gets its name: Poly (means many) Cystic (referring to the follicles) Ovary Syndrome. The cysts on the ovaries in PCOS are fluid sacs and are completely benign (they are not related to cancer).

2. Although there are many follicles, they do not mature fully so no ovum is released. When ovulation does not occur, the woman will not have a period. In some people this happens every month meaning that they never ovulate. In some women ovulation occurs sometimes, leading to irregular periods.

3. The balance of hormones released by the ovaries gets affected. Usually the ovaries produce higher levels of testosterone that normal.

How is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Diagnosed?

Polycystic ovary syndrome cannot be diagnosed by a single test. Your doctor will consider your symptoms and carry out a range of tests to try and establish if your symptoms are being caused by polycystic ovary syndrome. Some of these tests may be carried out by a specialist such as an endocrinologist, who is a specialist in hormonal problems, or a gynaecologist, who is a specialist in women’s reproductive health.
Common tests for polycystic ovary syndrome include:

• Blood tests. These are used to measure levels of hormones, including testosterone and luteinising hormone. This can also help to rule out alternative hormone problems that might cause periods to stop.

• Ultrasound scan. This scan is done to look at the surface of the ovaries. This will show whether the ovaries are enlarged and polycystic.

i was terrified when i entered the diagnosis clinic, and the few minutes that i spent having the ultrasound scan.. is one of the longest 10 minutes of my life. but i was nothing if not strong, i vowed, that like my childhood stories, here too the good will triumph over the evil.

and i began following the remedial measures,

The most important thing a individual can do if they have polycystic ovary syndrome is to try to lose weight. Weight loss helps relieve symptoms by reducing the high levels of insulin in the body. Reducing insulin levels will lead to a reduction in testosterone and this will help to reduce the symptoms of the condition. Weight loss also helps to reduce the risk of developing other conditions in later life such as diabetes and high cholesterol.
Weight loss can be difficult for people with polycystic ovary syndrome. It is best achieved by healthy eating and regular exercise. If you are finding it difficult to lose weight, seek advice from your doctor or practice nurse. They may also be able to refer you to a dietician.
Even if you lose weight, it is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle with regular exercise, and to give up smoking if you currently smoke.

i lost around 13 kgs after almost 5 months of rigorous exercise and controlled diet. and i can happily say that i am currently in the safe zone..

i found the power within me to change my lifestyle, to keep my focus... and i didn't need a knight in shining armour to rescue me from the monster.. i found the power within me....

power within...

"empoderamiento mujeres", means "empowered women"  in spanish.



empowering someone is to let the person tap into their inner pool of strength to battle the vices of the world. each woman is unique in her own way, and yet we share common problems. my blog will deal extensively in sharing our stories, to empower each other.

 From the early ages, one of the most interesting features of women have been their power to communicate and network . we are traditionally nest builders and have some hardwired features, such as a heightened ability to detect body language and danger situations, also popularly known as "the sixth sense". although from stone age we have moved thousands of years later into the technology age, nothing can quite replicate this amazing sense, which women all over the world use, consciously , unconsciously to combat with the battles of our daily life.

despite varying cultures and varying geographies, there are certain common themes which helps bind women . so my blog will deal extensively with issues ranging from fitness, to self help to romance to babies. evrything under the sun that makes us, "empoderamiento mujeres".