GUIDING STARS : A FEMINIST GLORY
Updated: Sep 23, 2020
It is so nice to see authors writing about something concrete when the world is busy writing about cliched topics. These days we seldom find the book worth inspiration. The book “Guiding Stars : Glimpse of a girl’s mind” by Aarti Jain Sahai is one such book. It truly gives a glimpse of a girl’s mind. Girls want to upgrade their lives and not run behind their already successful male counterparts as is always portrayed. Gone are the days when girls used to be confined to the four walls of the house and spend their entire life circling around the lives of the family members. Girls today have realized that they are equally capable and can make their own lives beautiful on their own. Even their personal desires are not selfish. They always think about the betterment of their loved ones.
Talking about the above selfless trait, the book showcases the same. The book contains the story of a little girl, Asha who, like her name, is hopeful about her future from her very childhood. Though her family is very conventional and is under the societal norms and traditions, hence giving no freedom and voice of opinion to her daughter, yet she is inspired and favoured by her grandmother, Shanti who is of totally different mentality. She loves her granddaughter and wishes to see her as a successful woman breaking the shackles of society. She narrates her life stories of great females of the past and present who have done a commendable job. Shanti herself wanted to do something of her own and be independent but her wings were clipped by her family. She doesn’t want to pass on the same legacy to her granddaughter. Hence, she always keeps on motivating her whenever she feels worthless. Asha has a little dream of her own but faces the same conflict with her family as her grandmother. What was it and was she able to overcome it? To find that, one must surely dig into the book.
One of the life stories of the female leaders mentioned, which truly inspired me personally was that of Anandibai Gopalrao Joshi. I know everyone must have heard of her but those who haven’t, she was indeed an epitome of hard work and perseverance. Belonging to the pre-independent era of 1860s, when women were restricted to homes let alone be allowed to study, she was the one to become a doctor at a mere age of 19. Unfortunately she died at the age of 22 but she left a great mark in the world. She is remembered till date for her contribution in medicine and her life story still inspires all the ladies. There are stories of other leaders’ lives too like Kiran Bedi, Sushmita Sen, Hima Das and many more lady fighters.
When we say “feminism”, we mean empowering women to their full capabilities and not grudging over men. The concept is highly misunderstood these days. Men and women are equal, no gender overpowers the other and when we say “Women for women” we mean books like this where lives of women inspire those who really need motivation to move ahead. For all the people, both men and women, who understand the importance of gender equality, go grab a copy of this book!
FLY HIGH GIRLS !
Happy Reading !
You can get your copy Here!!