Rajul Bhatnagar

A transparent future assures us that the TIME of women is arriving.  In many countries it has already arrived.  In some States of India, its drum beat can already be heard.  A time when this transient veil of despondency vapourises and women and daughters of our great country are WANTED, are SAFE and are more than EQUAL.

“This century is the best time to be born as woman”, said Hillary Clinton, a couple of years ago.  When President Obama visited India, our Foreign Secretary (Ms. Nirupma Rao) and our ambassador to the U.S. (Ms. Shankar) jointly hosted him and Michelle Obama for being introduced to Ms. Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson of the largest ruling political party, Ms. Sushma Swaraj, Leader of the opposition, thereafter to the speaker of the Lok Sabha, Ms. Meera Kumar and finally to the country’s President, Mrs. Pratibha Patil. “Awesome” Obama would have thought. Ladies already ahead in India as compared to the U.S.!  The fact that our Socio-Political fabric mirrors countless women leaders, owes its origin to Mahatma Gandhi’s active inclusion of women in our freedom struggle.

In fact, women have always been leading.  In the past it was behind the scene, behind the kingdoms, behind the home and hearth and now it will all be out in the open.  Be it political or social leadership, C.E.O.’s of large and small MNC’s or units, Educationists, Financial or Developmental sector, you can’t miss the drum-beats.  The future belongs to women.  They have taken over.  It is said that when the time is ripe for an idea, no one can stop it.  The TIME has come.