Bio-wise and otherwise

Sister Act

I made a beeline to the Art of Living ashram today.

The second International Women's Conference was starting and I just wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to volunteer. Firstly, I love Guruji and the values he stands for and for just being there for folks like me.

Secondly, I love mah' sisters all.

And the sisters came with their knapsacks from 50 odd countries. Women from Africa dressed in the brightest of turbans, women in cool white, women in resplendent saris, women in jeans and tee'. This event was a confluence of women from all walks of life and organizations that support the cause of women.

The list of chief guests was a star studded one- of course the biggest star and the only man was Gurudev, beaming at the bevy of women surrounding him. Banu didi, his sister (and our sister) welcomed the guests warmly and there was not a trace of stress on her beautiful face, despite the fact that she was also the driving force of this conference.

Guruji Sri Sri Ravishankar urged the audience to Save Mother Earth by finding ways to improve the degrading environment. Women need not demand rights, they simply have to assume them- was his simple yet powerful message. He urged the sisters gathered to have fun and work as well- 'because you can find solutions to problems only when you are relaxed.'

Shukria Barakzai worked as a teacher in a school under cover ten years ago. Now, she is the editor for 'Women's Mirror', a journal meant for women in Afghanistan. She is also a Member of Pariament in the country. A perfect role-model for the occasion, Shukria talked about the women of her country not having to face one particular problem, but ever so many problems. According to her, self-confidence is the bottom-line, irrespective of the religion that a woman belonged to. 'Believe in your goals' was her message.

Shukria Barakzai (file photo) 

The First lady of Sri Lanka, Madam Shiranthi Rajapakse, spoke about the various social activities going on in the war-torn Sri Lanka. Interestingly, she was crowned Miss Sri Lanka-1978 and also qualified for the Ms World pageant that year. She is the principal of a group of schools called Carlton schools, in Colombo and southern Sri Lanka. According to Madam Rajapakse, women in Sri Lanka face all kinds of problems. But women empower the family and the nation by preserving old values. She is also running an organization called Sriliya Saviya for self employment of war widows.

 Madam Sriranthi (blue saree) during the International Women's day celebrations

In her opening speech, the first lady of Mauritius, Sarojni Jugnauth emphasized the need for for health, education and sustainable development.

Ms Latha Usendi, Minister for Women and Child Welfare, Chhattisgarh, India pointed to the close bond between a woman and a tree and praised Guruji for being the binding spirit for the world.

Other guests included the lady governor of Jordan and Amman who urged women to dream big and work towards their goals.

Noted actor, Member of Parliament and danseuse Hema Malini released a book called 'Shringara' or beauty.

Ms Hema Malini (file photo) 

Ms Kiran Bedi (IPS officer and currently Director- General, Bureau of Police Research and Development, Ministry of Home Affairs) gave a which clearly rocked. She said soft skills, so important in administration, do not have to be taught to women, but men need special training to acquire them. When women assume higher positions of power, they often exchange soft skills for hard skills, losing their innate qualities. Ms Bedi urged women not to lose these wonderful quality while learning new skills. According to the articlulate Ms Bedi, men have three qualities- muscle, money and mobility. Women have yet another three- heart, humaneness and humility. The two sets are complementary.

Ms Kiran Bedi (file photo) 

 In a telecast message, Ms Diane Watson,  Congresswoman LA, spoke about the cultural and ethnic diversity of her district where folks from both the poorer and richer (Hollywood) strata lived close to one another. In a world which is made smaller by transnational activities and communication, the need of the hour was to empower women in all walks of life and lend a feminine touch.

Many brave women, strong women, artistic women were given awards during the conference. If it was not for the battle against Tsunami, it was for helping war widows of Iraq, or building toilets in villages, educating children, excelling in art, music and the like. The 'Pizza grannies' of Bangalore were recognized for their hard work and undying spirit.

There was song and dance, laughter and celebrations. There were vibrant faces, pensive faces, smiling faces and determined faces. All nuances of the same  feminine beauty.

The conference was organized by the International Association for Human Values (IAHV) and Ved Vigyan Maha Vidya Peeth (VVMVP). The conference objectives are to educate 500 girl children in India and to touch the lives of a thousand women prisoners world over with the AOL Part One course.

The conference was beautifully compered by Ms Kavitha Khanna. Kavitha is a barrister turned marketing professional for a pharma company.

She herself considered the ashram to be her home where she felt so much at ease. These words held  much comfort for the audience.

Come to think of it, when I got to the ashram early morning all set to run around with chores, I was asked to relax under the steps of the Mantap (the venue) and someone would come and let me know my duties. So there I sat, enjoying the cool breeze, taking in the serene surroundings, watching the trees sway gently in the wind. A famliar ashramite with a broom in tow, smiled at me as he went on sweeping the corridor. I sat there, and waited, in no apparent hurry.

And then in the middle of the inaugural session, when a chair on the dais (where all the dignitaries were already seated) gave way, I simply did not hesitate to run up and replace it with another. After the first session ended, I ran past Guruji to meet my hero, Kiran Bedi and have a word with her. 

Yes, the sisters had come home. The rich, the famous, the powerful, the simple. From remote villages in India to far off lands.

They all came to rest a bit and to take on the world.

Posted at 11:11AM Jun 08, 2007 by Manju in Sun  |  Comments[2]