My Woman of substance

8th March is the celebration of womanhood - of "liberty, equality, fraternity.

A funny quote😛 "God made woman beautiful and foolish; beautiful, that man might love her; and foolish, that she might love him".

My Woman of substance

Name one woman who have influenced you and in what ways.

 

Edited by Maya_M - 17 years ago

Wishing u a wonderful women's day in advance dear Mayaji........ n all women..........(BBIF me women's day contest me bhi participate kariyega.......😛)

My woman of substance is Kiran Bedi.....the 1st lady IPS officer..........i'm inspired by her.....from childhood i used to read abt her........kehte hai na ke bachpan se kisi hero ko aap follow karte hai to for me,Kiran Bedi was a super hero...o o..super heroine......but bade hokar police ki bajaye revenue department choose kar liya......may be kiran bedi jaisi himmat n housla mujhme nahi tha n UPSC ki bajaye state ke PSC me gaye............but still she is my woman of substance..................unke kiye policing n prisoners ke liye reforms,plus UN me peacekeeping department me excellent work..................omg.........she is great...........she is my super hero....... Edited by mcm226 - 17 years ago

My woman of substance, undoubtedly is my nani - married at 12, widowed at 22; not only did she raise her two children single-handedly, but she also adopted her niece, so that her widowed younger sister could remarry. She ensured that my mom and aunt went to university and became financially independent when women in our family weren't allowed to complete school. She gave up her rights over her late husband's ancestral wealth (and a cushy lifestyle) in her fight for her daughters' (natural and adopted) education and independence. Just when life was getting easier, her only son was brutally murdered at the age of 24. She didn't give up - she found solace and hope in me - her first grandchild. She inculcated in me her values of honesty, generosity, charity, trust and tolerance. She imbibed in me her courage, and also taught me to forgive. She encouraged me to be independent and strong-minded. I lived with her for the first 27 years of my life. Towards the end of those 27 years, she battled cancer for two years before succumbing, but never did she lose hope. The best cook, resident caretaker of neighbours' home when they went on holiday, universal "amma ji", electrician, plumber, mechanic, storyteller, doctor... She taught herself English at the age of 41, so that she could help me with schoolwork, if the need ever arose. Funny, naughty (she would tell my sister and me to pretend not to know cooking and mess up things big time, so that we wouldn't be asked to cook in our "sasurals"!), full of life! She prayed five times a day, observed purdah and religiously watched "Ramayana" because she belonged to "Ayodhya Ji"and Ram ji was hers too! We celebrated Diwali with the same fervour as Eid. When she died, there were almost a thousand people at her funeral! I try to live by her philosophy as my tribute to her - to love unconditionally, to give generously, to forgive easily, and to respect everyone.

Serial Buff,

Thanks for sharing wonderful story about your Naniji. Very touching and emotional story. I am glad u had a person like that as your role model. May god rest her soul in peace. Edited by Dabulls23 - 17 years ago

Maya, this is a fabulous post. I have been wasted for nights in srgmp, so I will come back and post my post here, instead of blabbering in a fantastic thread.. 😃

uh oh - only women are finding other women of substance.... yeh acchi baat nahi hai... 😆

Surely history, and even today the world is filled with many women of substance in all walks of life. However my woman of substance stems from my fascination with English History, specially the Tudor Period in England. Deep down I am convinced that I was a witness to those times in history when Henry VIII, Thomas Cromwell, Thomas More, the cunning Cardinal Wolsey et all, lived on this planet. There are many great women that lived through recorded history, and live even today. However for me, Anne Boleyn stands atop the list of all women from any era that have impressed, and in many ways influence me even today. If I were to pick just a few things about her it would be her passion for right versus wrong, her conviction and her nerves of steel. Anne Boleyn's cockyness to stand up to King Henry VIII and all that was wrong. Her prophetic and actual gutsy last words to Henry before she was sentences to be beheaded "my Elizabeth shall be queen and the greatest monarch England shall ever know."

Even her historically recorded final words to the people of England minutes before her execution,  "Good Christian people, I am come hither to die, for according to the law, and by the law I am judged to die, and therefore I will speak nothing against it. I am come hither to accuse no man, nor to speak anything of that, whereof I am accused and condemned to die. O Death, rock me asleep, Bring me to quiet rest, Let pass my weary guiltless ghost out of my careful breast," followed by the light hearted comment to her executioner to do his job without fear, and to cutoff her head with one swift stroke showed the metal she was constructed with.

My love, respect, fascination and admiratation for Anne was further cemented by the 1969 movie "Anne of a Thousand Days" Sure parts of it bordered fiction, yet the movie captured the true essence of "Anne Boleyn the person." The cherry on top of everything was that Genevieve Bujold who portrayed Anne Boleyn in the movie was so authentic, and exactly like the picture of Anne Boleyn in my mind, that the whole movie experience was inspiring yet eerie.

I love women with moral strength. Were I a woman, Anne Boleyn is who I would have liked to be. I raise a toast to Anne Boleyn and celebrate all the women the world over on this 8th of March. The world just would not be the same without women😉

portrait of Anne Boleyn by an unknown artist, late 16th century

Anne Boleyn is one of the most famous queens in English history, though she ruled for just three years.  The daughter of an ambitious knight and niece of the duke of Norfolk, Anne spent her adolescence in France.  When she returned to England, her wit and style were her greatest charms.  She had a circle of admirers and became secretly engaged to Henry Percy.  She also entered the service of Katharine of Aragon.  But she soon caught the eye of Henry VIII.  He ordered Percy from court and tried to make Anne his mistress.  She refused.  Her sister, Mary, had been the king's mistress and gained little from it but scandal.  Her hopes with Percy dashed, Anne demanded that the king marry her.  She waited nearly seven years for Henry to obtain an annulment.  It finally took an irrevocable breach with the Holy See before they wed in 1533.  But she was unable to give Henry the son he desperately needed and their marriage ended tragically for Anne.  She was executed on patently false charges of witchcraft, incest and adultery on 19 May 1536.  Her daughter, Elizabeth, would become England's greatest queen.

Originally posted by: qwertyesque

uh oh - only women are finding other women of substance.... yeh acchi baat nahi hai... 😆

I beg to differ qwertyesqueji.😉

ok I consider all the women above as women of substance and I mean it... QT, Maya, Buffy, lighthouse, dewey, Myth, Tania, Petsy... Sowmya

with radical and modern viewpoints and a right mix of tradition... I think women of substance are these women on DM...

dont want to make up one for now...since there are too many just here..

Happy woman's day to all of you 😊 Edited by qwertyesque - 17 years ago

@ Serialbuff: That was an inspiring story. Your grandmother is indeed a woman of substance.

 

@Mandakini: Thanks for your input.

 

@ Bunbutt: Thanks for the input with the picture.

 

@Qwerty: That is so sweet of you. I appreciate it if you really meant what you wrote😳. Please post about a woman who inspired you while growing up or achieve your dreams.