Beauty pageants:
Should
they happen of not? Are beauty contests a blow to the image of women? I think
they are good for the eyes. Better than eating carrot. It takes guts to walk
down the ramp in skimpy nothings and be assessed for your curves and contours.
It is as tough as preparing for your Medical prelims or Engineering entrance
exams. While those require academic refinement, entering a beauty contest calls
for a combination of skills beside looks. Imagine living on salad and drinking
ten glasses of water for days to keep the waist in shape. Try walking on those
pointed heels, concentration on the smile and managing not to fall on your nose
just as you read the end of the ramp. Some are born beautiful while most have
to strive to achieve it. I admire the second category. They have to work on
various aspects of self-development, before they can muster their courage to
face the world in a swimsuit. Things were not so stiff when I contested for the
Miss Bangalore crown in 1965!! All we had to do was hold our saree pallav delicately on your left arm,
pirouette a couple of times on the ramp and walk back. Some contestants added a
provocative swing to that walk back. If you were tall and slim, you made it. A
five feet nothing like me had no chance but I went for the fun of facing an
audience. It was a tremendous learning experience. I thought I was good enough
to contest. If the judges did not think I was good enough to be crowned, it was
their opinion!
Bravery:
There
are many myths about bravery and many instances, which highlight a person’s
ability to do daredevil feats or perform acts of rare courage. But what I am
talking about is that strength of
firmness of mind which enables a person to encounter danger with coolness and
courage, or to bear pain or adversity without murmuring, depression, or
despondency. There are some who can challenge many odds, save people’s life
or face extreme dangers but when it comes to their personal life, are not able
to handle situations with courage. To focus on this definition of bravery, I
initiated a contest under the banner of Guild Of Women Achievers-calling for
nominations from women who have shown exemplary acts of bravery in their
personal life. Our prize winning entry for sahasa nari was
Dr Sarvamangala, who was born in a village, ran away
from her poverty stricken life, to fulfill her ambition of becoming a doctor.
She became a Gynecologist!
Children:
One
lovely trait of children we adults must emulate is to forget and forgive.
Another is to find delight in every little thing. Unfortunately, children today
have lost that quality and only expensive toys/ food and clothes can make them
happy-till they tire of it for another. To some extent, parents are to be
blamed for indulging their whims, to show off their own wealth. With the ‘we
two, our two’ norm of small families, children are getting more and more
materialistic and selfish. The sharing and caring value is almost extinct. They
are fast losing respect for authority, discipline and obedience to elders. In
school and at home, they are pretty much a law unto themselves and parents groan
and moan about the decadent generation. But wait a minute- who is responsible
for all this? Children are like ‘monkey see monkey do’ and reflect the behavior
pattern of the adults around them. As it is said, children don’t need critics;
they need models-which they have but unfortunately, the wrong kind. As a mother
said, having a child is like making a decision to have your heart walking
outside your body.
No comments:
Post a Comment