Men and women are two sides of the same coin and in human life, two wheels, a man cannot live without a woman and every successful man has a woman behind him. The importance and works of women in the overall social, economic, technological, scientific, cultural, and moral development of the society are very much monumental and cannot be exaggerated. In Hindu scriptures, the place of women is very high because women have been accorded an enviable position in our religious texts. Rig Veda declares: "Yater shithristo samanata tatra ramantey deva".It means where women are respected; gods travel there. Thus women should be respected and honored. The names of Hindu deities have women name precede them. Thus, we say, Laxmi Narayan, Gouri Shanker, Sita Ram, Radhey Shyam, etc. Today, women and men stand equally on the same platform and excel in almost every field of life. The contribution made by women toward the development of the society resembles none and International Women's Day all over the world celebrates the contributions made by women in the socio-economic development of the society. International Wlosm's Day does come about to celebrate the achievements of women, and on behalf of gender equality.
International Women’s Day, which is celebrated every year on the 8th of March ,was first held in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. The UNO started celebrating IWD in the year 1975. This day is celebrated by millions around the globe .International Women’s Day gives people the opportunity to reflect on and commemorate the achievements as well as to offer possibilities for taking renewed actions .The UN has worked to secure gender equality worldwide. The UN's Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action is a roadmap built upon 12 critical areas of concern. On IWD, the UN organizes an official commemoration event. There are also charities and organizations that hold events to mark IWD. In India, the government, NGOs, Women's Organizations and National Women Commission along with various educational institutions actively celebrate International Women's Day ,with various functions and programs ,in a spirit of gaiety and enthusiasm .In our country, both the Central and state governments have been sincerely making efforts to accord gender equality a priority ,with active involvement of women in governance .For proper representation of women in legislature and government ,a 33% reservation bill was passed in Parliament .Vladimir Lenin declared March 8 International Women's Day in 1922 in recognition of women's contribution to the Russian Revolution of 1917 .From then on the date was generalised for celebration by the socialist movement in communist countries.
The UNO started celebrating IWD in 1977. It is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions ,whether national ,ethnic ,linguistic ,cultural ,economic or political. The history of why Women’s Day is celebrated goes back to 109 years.IWD gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women. This year’s theme of IWD is ‘’For all women and girls - Equality, Rights, Empowerment". This year’s commemoration celebrates the leadership and creativity of the young people in advancing sustainable and inclusive development, with a focus on the green and digital economies.IWD is a day to call for action to end gender inequity and discrimination, which affects women and girls in many ways.IWD is a day to raise awareness of the gender pay gap, domestic violence and other inequalities that women face even today. On this occasion emphasizes should be given to both women’s development and to women led development and in the latter women are becoming leaders and are leading organizations and governmental institutions and they are becoming our role models to be emulated. Women today are assuming the roles and responsibility of leadership and they are contributing to societal,cultural ,scientific ,political as well as economic development. On the occasion of IWD, we should make people aware about the women led development and their leadership roles in the society. We should recognize and appreciate the leadership roles of women.
People should resolve and ensure that discrimination and sexual exploitation, both at home and in the workplace, is discouraged and in fact put to end. The aim and motto should be women safety, security, dignity, equality, and development. Hence, we should play our role and bring in women empowerment in letter and spirit. Women are no longer objects to satisfy men's sexual lust; they have gained an important and enviable place in modern society. We worship women in India as Shakti, as in Navratras we worship little girls believing them as personification of Shakti, but on the other side, we heap all kinds of discrimination, abuses, gender disparity on them, and even subject them to all types of abuse and exploitation. All these negative things must come to an end in the society and girls and women should be risen and cultivated to the benefit of society because it is the women who act as the first teachers and impart morality and cultural and ethical values to children, for family is rightly called the first school of citizenship and mother the first teacher. On March 8, 2025, let us join to celebrate International Women's Day under the theme, "For all women and girls - Rights, Equality Empowerment."
This year, the theme invokes action to unlock equal rights, power, and opportunities for all, and to envision a feminist future with no one left behind. This vision notably turns on the notion of empowering-youth, mainly young women and adolescent girls-as agents of lasting change. And then there's the year 2025, an inflection point marking the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, characterized as the most progressive and widely toothsome blueprint for women's and girls' rights. Know quite well how to reach out now to media, corporate leaders, governments, community leaders, civil society, youth, and all others who have the capacity to influence action within their communities. To challenge leaders to take action and invest in promoting women's rights and gender equality is an absolute must. The traditional Venus female symbol, a circle with a cross handle, is International Women's Day's most iconic symbol. Moreover, the history of the day stretches back more than 100 years, when it was first observed in Europe and The Americas. However, NPR reported that it wasn't until March 8, 1946, that feminists in Italy decided to use the mimosa flower as a symbol of strength, sensibility, and tenderness for Women's Day. Happy International Women's Day! Let us all honor, respect, and safeguard women in ensuring parity in gender and eradicating all kinds of discrimination and exploitation against girls and women; give the fairer sex that which is due to them, their rights, respect, and dignity. Let the dream and vision of Viksit Nari-Viksit Bharat materialize, and let us make our contribution towards this noble goal.
(Vivek Koul)
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