International Women's Day (IWD)

It is first week of March and IWD is already in the air.

Every year, and like every previous year, my organization will enthusiastically flash flyers, emails and stuff like that to make sure all souls are aware that 8^th March as international women's day (IWD).

HR will arrange few exclusive sessions for women employees like – health camps, financial advise, lecture on time management and for work-life balance.
Most of newspaper ads will be changed to accommodate offers  on products ranging from houses, jewellery, household things etc.

Now in the era of whatsapp and facebook, since midnight of 7^th march, all groups and walls will be over-flooded with poems, stories, posts, shayari emphasizing on how it is great being a woman and how the world respects n admires the fairer sex.

In schools, there would be many programs, in which few smart girls and teachers will talk on great women like Indira Gandhi, Savitribai Phule, Rani Laxmibai to newest Malala Y.

You will get at least 10 diff SMSs from brand stores, saloons, spas about offering discounts on the ‘special’ occasion of IWD.

On the D day, In office suddenly all your colleagues notice you as different specie and make an attempt to wish you, like they would have wished ‘happy Diwali or happy new year’ to everyone.

Unmistakenly, few of your colleagues and male friends  will ask you, ‘so whats special today? Or what’s the plan for today’

Special!? Plan!?

Is there supposed to be any special happening in my life today? How IWD is supposed to alter my routine day that revolves around home-office-kid? Am I suppose to do any of daily chores differently because it is IWD? Am I suppose to do anything in a different way compared to other 364 days in the year? Am I supposed to get 'ANY' special treatment for that matter?

And why should I get it BTW?

I am a woman, but am I not as human as men around me? If women are special then the men are also equally special, isn’t it? then why there is a need of dedicated day?

The world now takes pride in making big out of each and every small diversion that happens in our lives.

How is IWD serving to society? It gives a day to make it count in the year for those who count. 

An occasion to promote the business by offering discounts, an occasion to peak up sales numbers by promoting offers , an occasion to fill up the airtime on various channels with interviews of successful women, an occasion to another tick-mark in the list of events to be celebrated in the year, to give reason to talk about gender diversity for next 10 days?

It is worth introspecting, do we really need this day?

Rather than emphasizing on womanhood, Would it be more appropriate to set up the example for new generation about having more inclusive society?
To cultivate ‘we all are human first’ and  ensure to have their life gets developed based on cohesion. Would it be more worth to ensure that there is no such term itself as 'gender discrimination' and 'gender diversity'?

If we are able to do it right from our own home n surrounding, and nurture the new generation towards cohesive world, we certainly won't need the glorified and 'exclusive' IWD to celebrate the feminism.