Hat-trick for Granny CM
“the world will be ready to put a barrier the time you take a step ahead, it is for you to decide whether you want to turn around and go back or make your way even through the barrier.” – Shiela Dixit
She looks like a grand mom, talks like one too. She can make you feel at ease by a touch of her hand. Yes I have seen her in real and heard her talk. During my under graduation at Indraprastha College, Delhi University, she was the guest speaker at one of the functions. A graduate from the rival college, Miranda House, she has looks that make you want to put your head in her lap and hear stories, but trust me she is as strong and dynamic as any young woman today. I admire her not for her age or for her occupied position but for the fact that she is what I call a “Granny CM”.
She is a charismatic leader. She speaks and the world follows. From making Delhi greener to CNG projects, she has justified her long years in the office. I am not a congress supporter, infact I don’t support any political parties in the country today. But I admire her for her efforts in making Delhi a better place to breathe in.
Being a woman leader in Indian politics is not an easy job. It is a completely male dominated game of twists and tumbles. And I remember her mentioning during the lecture she gave us that “the world will be ready to put a barrier the time you take a step ahead, it is for you to decide whether you want to turn around and go back or make your way even through the barrier.”
As a young girl of 17-18, her words made a lot of impact on my thought processes. I remember she said that she was highly influenced by Indira Gandhi for her courage and determination as a leader. And deep down, Mrs Gandhi was her role model. No wonder, our Granny CM has gone such a long way.
An interesting thing to note about her was her change of views regarding the women reservation bill in course of time. As I had read in a few newspaper reports, initially she was a bit skeptical about 33% reservation to women, but towards later I read a change in her stand, where she heartily supported this. It is a serious thought because if we want to ensure that the policies made at the governmental level are right and balanced, it is very important for women to be there and to be an important part of it.
However, having said all of that, I still feel that Delhi is not a safe place for women today. I was a bit disappointed on hearing Mrs. Dixit’s statement over the murder of the young TV Journalist, Soumya Vishwanathan. It threw open a serious question on the safety of women in Delhi and whether the government is taking it seriously or not. As a woman herself, I can just hope and pray that the CM apart from spending more and more time on other projects focuses more on issues that are driving the city wild.
No matter how green and clean the city is, what is the use if a woman is raped every night, or a bomb is planted in the middle of a busy market place? There are many more issues to be dealt with grand mom and I hope as you enter office in your third consecutive term, these are things that are on top of your priority list. If not, well it’s then time for a change in leadership.