When will this highest and hardest glass ceiling shatter?

I have been meaning to write this for about two weeks now; basically ever since Donald Trump got elected to be the next President of the United States. Even after all these days, it is yet to sink in. I could never in my wildest dreams have imagined that the Americans would actually select a misogynist, racist, hate - monger as their President. And what is more bemusing is that they selected him over a strong, confident and independent woman. Is gender bias really that strong in the world? People, even women, went ahead and voted for a totally inexperienced man who is a known sexist with the appalling view about women as apparent as when he said on camera that they ought to "grab them by the p***y"; over an established lawyer, senator and basically absolutely qualified for the role woman. Wow! It totally baffles me. It does.

I am not an American Citizen and I do not even live there. In fact, I haven't set foot in the US ever and I am totally uninterested in their Politics. I have not read much about either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton and though I have not heard many nice things about Clinton, I had definitely read and heard what Donald Trump would keep throwing at the people through his statements and tweets. They were far more disturbing than humorous. Inciting people based on race and religion; demeaning your opponent based on her gender; advocating sexual assault as a sign of one's masculinity and 'stardom'; and then dismissing it as "locker-room talks" - these are definitely not qualities one would like in a man holding the most powerful position in the world.

Most of our politicians in India are not exactly role models either, but here is one guy who is openly and brazenly chauvinist / supremacist and proud of it. And despite that more than half of about 325 million people put their own and their country-people's as well as the whole world's future in his hands.

Hillary Clinton had her flaws but she still had more leadership qualities than her opponent. She had the grace and confidence and even presence of mind to lead the US and indirectly impact the whole world. But then in one of the most developed country in the world, being a woman is more of a drawback than being inexperienced, brash, sexist and racist. True! It is the highest and hardest glass ceiling and it has not yet been shattered.

Now, I can only soothe my hurt feelings by appreciating and adhering to the words Clinton spoke in her concession speech, "never stop believing that fighting for what's right is worth it." Having said that, it was never really important to actually have a woman as a President. That would have only been symbolic in establishing and proving the fact that a woman can be anything a man can be. In our own country, and much before the US, we had one of our most effective Prime Minister who happened to be a woman. Despite my ideological difference with the Indian National Congress Party and my utter dislike for the Gandhi dynasty, I would not deny that Indira Gandhi was one of our most respected and able Prime Ministers. But like I said, it is only symbolic because despite having shattered the glass ceiling in India long back, it's not like our society is very accommodating for women here. It's not.

The purpose is not just to appoint a woman to the highest office. The purpose is to identify and prove by example that in our country, and our world, there is place for all genders and all races and all religions and that none is superior to the other. It's all about your capability and not where you come from. It's about what you are made of and not who you are. That is exactly what we want people to learn, and remember. You need to prove your worth irrespective of your gender. So, again to quote Clinton, I would like to highlight that "all the little girls... never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams."

Maybe it is time we start appreciating the likes of Justin Trudeau with his forward thinking and equalist and humanist agenda. Take a bow, people of Canada - you did far better than the Americans.

Seven things we can learn from children

Today is Children's Day in India. I have been seeing everyone sharing happy messages of their childhood since morning and it makes me wonder how come we lost all that charm all too soon. I think back and wonder how our childhood was all about innocence and playfulness; about joy and freedom. And yet it all eludes us now as grown ups. So, I grabbed a pen and paper and quickly jotted down what I would like to bring back from my childhood.

I made a list - a list of seven things we adults can learn from children. Here we go:

1. Be happy without reason

Children do not really need any reason to be happy. Just a smile can trigger off a laughathon. Just a touch of the finger-tip can set in a rally of tickling game. A funny scene in a movie can lead to raptures that continue well after the movie is over. A witty comment, a joke is enough to brighten the atmosphere. They don't plan their happiness. They don't think, "I'll be happy when this happens." They just are happy.

2. Forgive and forget

The kids don't keep grudges. They fight, they make-up, and they move on. No kid will remind you weeks later that you fought with me that day and this is what you had said. They won't tell you, "Oh! You hurt me when you did this." They simply get over it. And that is the reason they sleep peacefully.

3. Get over guilt

They make mistakes - as all humans do. They feel sorry too - as all humans do. But just as they don't linger on grudges, they don't linger on guilt either. They move on. They apologise and when the apology is accepted, they forget all about the incident itself. And guess what, they sometimes make the same mistakes again. But at least by harbouring no guilt, they keep the innocence alive.

4. Live in the moment

The children don't dwell in the past. They don't worry about their future. All they are concerned with is their present. They feel the feeling they are having that moment - be it joy, or sorrow, or anxiety, whatever. They just go with the flow! They just have a buoyant free spirit that is not bound by the shackles of past failures and future uncertainties. 

5. Wonder

I have quoted this earlier on numerous occasions and I will quote this again: There are no seven wonders in the eyes of a child; there are seven million. They find something exciting and beautiful in everything they see. The gorging fat caterpillar in the garden gets them all excited. Sitting in a train is an experience to cherish. A yard full of dandelions may seem like weeds to an adult; but to a child, it is a field of beautiful yellow flowers through which he/she can make thousand wishes. A paper boat on water is as wondrous as the huge ship in the sea.

6. Believe in magic

When was the last time you believed that Santa would grant your wish? When was the last time you believed that a four leaved clover will bring you good luck? When we were kids, we would see a pair of sparrows and earnestly believed that we await 'joy' that day. And then we would single out all happy instances during an otherwise normal day and attribute it to the two birds. Simply because we believed in the power of those birds. We believed in fairies and we believed in angels. We believed in magic and we believed in prayer. And all in all, these beliefs made our lives beautiful.

7. Fool around sometimes

Children have the most amazing ability to be carefree and merry. They allow themselves the freedom to appear like a fool. They can jump on the bed or splash into a puddle or even strip down to nothing and run through the neighbourhood without a care in the world. They don't try to be so darn perfect all of the time. And they don't worry about what the onlookers will think or say. Any other person's opinion does not matter as long as they are having fun.

I think sometimes we adults need to revisit our childhood and 'reboot our systems to these default settings' to enjoy life. How about doing it today? How about doing it every year on Children's Day? Let's bring back our inner children out every year this day and enjoy life once again.

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