Mamma you don't come to my school, let papa attend the PTA meeting' 'Mamma you are so old-fashioned you are always clad in those boring sarees' 'Mamma you can never understand my lessons' 'mamma you cannot follow what my teacher says' If these are the common complaints of the children the husbands don't lag behind in nagging their wives: 'What do you know about work? You remain confined to the kitchen and my office work is not a recipe which you can follow and cook within minutes. Why do you insist that I should explain things to you which are beyond your comprehension?'
This is indeed the everyday scenario in many Indian households wherein the women sulk behind the hearths waiting and dreaming of that rare opportunity to prove themselves worthy of their families.
Who are these women? Are we discussing the women who, like shadows remain behind the curtains and see to it that the days dawn normally and end peacefully.
Are we talking about the women who prioritise others needs and sacrifice their small comforts? Yes, they are all those women who do not demand anything in return but for respect from their family members.
It is very surprising that the magic phrase Women Empowerment which seems to be in the air has somehow not made its way into the kitchens which are relegated to the negligent corners of many homes. Gauri shinde's movie English Vinglish has done what could not be achieved either by the State power or academic research.
Resisting patriarchy
A woman is always the bearer of values and meanings created by men. Never is she the meaning maker. Even if she tries to speak in their language all her words go unheard. There is a deliberate effort to see that the places are not exchanged.
Shashi is already economically empowered, she pursues her hobby of making delicious laddus and selling them. But the husband treats her small business as something unwanted and even tries to dissuade her.
It doesn't stop at this, he even makes fun of her by saying that she was born to make laddus, once again confining her to the unproductive kitchen work and deliberately ignoring the economic productivity of her business. Man feels threatened by an empowered woman who may stop holding a mirror to his magnified image. The typical husband joins the children to laugh at his otherwise capable wife who feels intimidated. Yes, Shashi is already an empowered woman, all that she lacks is linguistic empowerment -knowledge of English! The all pervasive English language which is both colouring and discolouring the drawing rooms and dining rooms of many Indian households.
Screen scene
Shashi by herself is not diffident. She doesn't hesitate to meet the school principal and make him speak her language, she is not helpless when her husband doesn't send his car to carry her laddus as she makes alternate arrangements. Sadly all this goes unrecognised by the teenaged daughter and the husband who can notice only her wrong utterings of English language.
It is this pain which propels Shashi to learn the language of empowerment. The locale chosen for this endeavour of transforming shashi is America as she goes there to attend the wedding of her niece. Her unnerving experience at a café there whets her hidden desire to learn English.
The savings made out of her business come in handy to pay the fees for spoken English classes. Apart from the cosmopolitan classroom and the fun evoked on the endeavour of learning English, as an audience one feels ashamed when the teacher there declares Shashi as an entrepreneur as even today our society looks down upon certain enterprises carried out by women and needs to be trained in acknowledging a person's talent in a big way.
It is very sad that Shashi had to go to America in order to gain recognition
as an entrepreneur and it is this which acts a spring board for her to gain confidence and facilitates her learning of English.
Women have had enough of awareness on empowerment. Women can implement all that they have learnt but can gain recognition and respect only when men can understand their capacity and learn to respect their voices and space.
Satish is quite shocked to discover the change in his wife whom he always took for granted.
Her husband presumes that his wife cannot raise the toast and that he has do it, he immediately gets up and begins to talk, but then the hand of Shashi stopping him and asking "May I" is like telling him that You need not be the spokesperson for me, I am an individual and I have my own identity which need to be respected and no one not even one's husband can take her for granted.
This is indeed the everyday scenario in many Indian households wherein the women sulk behind the hearths waiting and dreaming of that rare opportunity to prove themselves worthy of their families.
Who are these women? Are we discussing the women who, like shadows remain behind the curtains and see to it that the days dawn normally and end peacefully.
Are we talking about the women who prioritise others needs and sacrifice their small comforts? Yes, they are all those women who do not demand anything in return but for respect from their family members.
It is very surprising that the magic phrase Women Empowerment which seems to be in the air has somehow not made its way into the kitchens which are relegated to the negligent corners of many homes. Gauri shinde's movie English Vinglish has done what could not be achieved either by the State power or academic research.
Resisting patriarchy
A woman is always the bearer of values and meanings created by men. Never is she the meaning maker. Even if she tries to speak in their language all her words go unheard. There is a deliberate effort to see that the places are not exchanged.
Shashi is already economically empowered, she pursues her hobby of making delicious laddus and selling them. But the husband treats her small business as something unwanted and even tries to dissuade her.
It doesn't stop at this, he even makes fun of her by saying that she was born to make laddus, once again confining her to the unproductive kitchen work and deliberately ignoring the economic productivity of her business. Man feels threatened by an empowered woman who may stop holding a mirror to his magnified image. The typical husband joins the children to laugh at his otherwise capable wife who feels intimidated. Yes, Shashi is already an empowered woman, all that she lacks is linguistic empowerment -knowledge of English! The all pervasive English language which is both colouring and discolouring the drawing rooms and dining rooms of many Indian households.
Screen scene
Shashi by herself is not diffident. She doesn't hesitate to meet the school principal and make him speak her language, she is not helpless when her husband doesn't send his car to carry her laddus as she makes alternate arrangements. Sadly all this goes unrecognised by the teenaged daughter and the husband who can notice only her wrong utterings of English language.
It is this pain which propels Shashi to learn the language of empowerment. The locale chosen for this endeavour of transforming shashi is America as she goes there to attend the wedding of her niece. Her unnerving experience at a café there whets her hidden desire to learn English.
The savings made out of her business come in handy to pay the fees for spoken English classes. Apart from the cosmopolitan classroom and the fun evoked on the endeavour of learning English, as an audience one feels ashamed when the teacher there declares Shashi as an entrepreneur as even today our society looks down upon certain enterprises carried out by women and needs to be trained in acknowledging a person's talent in a big way.
It is very sad that Shashi had to go to America in order to gain recognition
as an entrepreneur and it is this which acts a spring board for her to gain confidence and facilitates her learning of English.
Women have had enough of awareness on empowerment. Women can implement all that they have learnt but can gain recognition and respect only when men can understand their capacity and learn to respect their voices and space.
Satish is quite shocked to discover the change in his wife whom he always took for granted.
Her husband presumes that his wife cannot raise the toast and that he has do it, he immediately gets up and begins to talk, but then the hand of Shashi stopping him and asking "May I" is like telling him that You need not be the spokesperson for me, I am an individual and I have my own identity which need to be respected and no one not even one's husband can take her for granted.