VOF Week 2: A Journey Just Begun

I was the child who could never let things be, and was always questioning why. And as I grew up, this natural curiosity turned into a deeper questioning of what are typically considered accepted traditions and norms. Even as a child, I was always struck by the injustice faced by women in simple little ways - seeing the women in the house do all the housework and take care of the children, adjusting silently to the needs of a large family, hearing the domestic help tell stories of abuse at the hands of her husband…the stories just came pouring in.

Somewhere along the way, without even my consciously realising it, I was questioning what was considered to be the traditional and accepted role of women in society. And this interest led to an insatiable hunger to learn more about women and their place in society across countries and cultures. I became deeply passionate about the women’s empowerment movement, and tried to read up as much as possible on this.

In my eventful journey as a feminist, the greatest impact has been through Web 2.0. A community that has been a particularly powerful influence in my life has been www.feministing.com. Apart from this, Web 2.0 is a magical space to hear the stories of women across the world. It is amazing how the internet provides the opportunity to hear the voices of so many women from across the world, to listen to their voices, to share their pain, to hold hands with them, virtually, in times of sorrow, to laugh with them and share their joy.

World Pulse for me is another platform in this magical space. It is a wonderful place where I can listen to the stories of women from different walks of life, and share with them my stories, my views and my experiences. It is a community where I can find people who will understand, support and share.

I have been inspired to apply to Voices of Our Future because I believe this is an invaluable opportunity for me to let my voice be heard, and a platform for me to tell the stories of the amazing women I meet everyday. I hope to be a Voices of Our Future correspondent, because that will enable me talk about events that are happening across the world from a women’s perspective, a perspective that I believe is currently sorely lacking.

But most importantly, just like how other women’s voices on Web 2.0 have made a profound difference to my life, I hope to impact other women’s lives through Voices of Our Future and World Pulse.