Navratri – Celebration of Women Power

   

    Navratri is considered to be the most auspicious and prosperous time of the year. This festival is celebrated with much fervor and zest across the country.

    Let’s not delve  into the details of how  Navratri is  celebrated rather let’s discuss about the importance and significance of  Navratri. There is  an interesting mythological story which forms the basis of the Navratri festival in India. According to mythology  a demon named Mahishasura was an evil power  who proposed to marry Goddess Durga but Durga laid down a  condition that she would marry Mahishasura only if he could defeat her in a war. This  war between Mahishasura  and Durga continued for 9 days and 9 nights and on the 10th day Goddess Durga killed Mahishasura  and  emerged victoriously  and won the battle

    It is believed that  the Goddess Durga takes 9 different avatars for 9 days to defeat the demon. Goddess Durga is considered as a sign of power, truth, knowledge, peace, rebellion, a caring mother and a  beloved  wife. As a women I feel all that we experience in some form during various different stages of our life. In the present generation we take on many avatars in our life. From homemaker to the employee, to a loving mother and wife, daughter, daughter in law we take on many different roles. Today we lead a life of multiple roles starting from family to profession to social realms and many more. She performs multiple roles being in a single body.

    During earlier days the role of women was largely limited to her home, taking care of her husband and children and her household work. Now women have come  out of their confines.  The last two decades India has witnessed an increase in the number of women pursuing higher education a percentage leaps from 39 percent to 46 percent.Breaking typical stereotypes and mindsets, young women  have   broken the glass ceiling in many spheres, including politics, sports and business.

    Withstanding international trend, 11.7 percent of Indian pilots are women. In IT, BPO, Industries every third employee is a female and in the metropolitan  cities  in all the big MNC  companies it wouldn’t be difficult to spot women at higher desks. A report by the Boston consulting group predicts that 50 percent  of the India’s internet users will belong to rural areas and 40 percent  of them will be women. The role of women is immeasurable. The pandemic has brought tremendous changes  in  every  area, including individuals roles and responsibilities. The role of women has gained momentum in all spheres. From balancing work life and the household work the pressure of women has increased. Women have gracefully and efficiently once again proven themselves many times over. Women shoppers or consumers have increased post pandemic

    Across all countries in the world, women are the dominant decision makers across most categories. But if you were to rank order, India comes at the lower end of that spectrum where on an average, across categories, women make the decision 52% compared to 48% of men. Categories that were originally thought of as being more women focused as in household goods but also in categories like mobiles, auto, financial services, the women consumer are decision makers in 50% of cases. So we can proudly say that we are not less or weaker  than anyone, rather have  more stronger and powerful will and determination to achieve something in our life.

    There is more to life than the kitchen and Thillai’s has very thoughtfully created a range of easy cooking masala products that a busy woman will enjoy. These products are single serve packs that help prepare a dish quickly and eliminate the need for fixing and peeling onions, ginger and garlic. Some of their unique products are Chettinad Chicken, Pallipalayam chicken, Cury Leaf chicken, VirudhunagarSalna, Karaikudi Milagu Rasam, Madras Fish Masala, Madurai Mutton Fry Masala  and many more. 

    So this Navratri let the women just be. Women are not meant to be worshipped for specific days of a year, but they’d rather be treated with respect and love.

    So to all women out there, make this Navratri  a time  to celebrate a new chapter  in  your life

Author Name: Neethu Manuel