"Recently, I saw the recently released movie, Cocktail."
That's the first line of Chetan Bhagat's "Recently Written, which I read recently" article. (Home truths on career wives - Beware, it's nothing but blabbering of Urban Cliches). Personally, I liked only Five Point Someone out of all his written novels(?). So I will not comment anything on grammar used in above sentence, and actually, I don't want to drag the intention of this post in wrong direction. Also I am 100% sure that many News-Media Channels will start "Roti Debate" on their prime-time shows. I just got to read this article and as I am a bit less busy today, so trying to put my own thinking on "Woman Empowerment" over here.
I totally agree that a couple feels proud of each other if the life-partner is successful in his or her career. I am not talking about only Husbands or only Wives. Even this is not limited only up to being a CEO, COO, CFO or all such C-Class or any such good job in that manner. This applies to all couples in our Indian Society, from a farmer to a worker and a beggar too. But on the other hand, it is disturbing to read that a woman making rotis and looking after family and home is almost described as "Bechari". It is not. There is nothing wrong in handling household or being a housewife as long as both of the partners are happy.
Before I go ahead, let me narrow down the class of people for expressing my thoughts from here onward This is the Indian Lower Middle Class (ILMC), Indian Middle Class (IMC), or Indian Upper Middle Class (IUMC). Wow, these abbreviations sounds like some political party, emerged out of Anna Andolan. For poor class, does anyone really care? For elite class, do we need to care?
I think the need of the hour is to manage career as well as family as per priority and convenience. It's both's responsibility to make journey of life smoother. Imagine two different cycles in front of you. The first cycle have both of the wheels of equal size, with two pedals, one in front and one at rear. The second cycle have front wheel larger than rear and with one pedals in front. Which cycle will be more comfortable to ride on? So, it's totally up to the husband and wife to decide how they want to lead their life.
I do cook food for my wife (not always, but I do). I will prefer taking leave from my office or go early at home when she needs me. And I also appreciate that my wife is a working woman. And if a woman is happy being house wife, nothing is wrong in that. But that should not make her lazy enough to give up all her aspirations over the time. Career is not only about earning money. Getting engaged in activities like social work or self-interest activities, also keeps the woman active and encouraged.
Excess of anything is BAD. Whether it is on the guy's part, that he wants his wife to be at home and just keep cooking food and looking after kids, parents and house, or if a woman/man is so career oriented that they neglect their family/kids. Balance in everything is must.
So all this non-sense I wrote above is what I want to see in IDEAL world. But that is not the case always. I have many close friends, who married to an educated girl and not allowing them to do job, because they don't want them to be independent. Also I have few friends, who dropped doing job after they got married, because of their partner's pressure or at in-laws will. And at times, I failed to explain them that, choosing a capable, independent and career-oriented partner will bring enormous benefits in their life.
Coming back to Woman Empowerment, we don't have other option. If we want to see India as first world country, we must empower woman by educating them, leaving behind our orthodox mentality to keep them ONLY in kitchen. Cooking and House-Handling is also part of life, not only job and career. And so it should be taken by both, not only wife. When I read in Bhagat's article, that they outsource their Roti-Making work, I was shocked. If you really claim to be a Youth Icon, you should better understand the meaning of being independent. By outsourcing your Roti-Making work you are not doing a social service, you are simply exploiting a poor person (and I am sure, that is again a woman). You want your wife to be a COO but someone else's wife to be a servant at your home. Social equality will come only when everyone does all the basic things of their life at their own, like cooking, washing car, cleaning house/bathrooms/toilets, ironing cloths, throwing garbage etc...
Well, it's lunch time and I am enough done with writing this lecture. This is a never ending topic which will be carried forward by generations to come. So better I end it up. I am pretty much hungry and want to eat soft roti and spicy sabji, made by my wife at 7 in morning. That's LOVE, not a COMPULSION.
