“I have been silent, but not mute.

My existence has been marginalized.

But now I am in the limelight.

I had a choice to learn many languages.

But all I chose to speak was in voices of

hope, courage, determination, and fearlessness.”

Here are few of the women’s voices from around the world on International Women’s Day, March 8, 2009.

Hillary Clinton in Times of India, wrote about how important it is to invest in women and urges to stop Violence against women.

Just a few months ago, a young girl in Afghanistan was on her way to school when a group of men threw acid in her face, permanently damaging her eyes, because they objected to her seeking an education. Their attempt to terrorise the girl and her family failed. She said, “My parents told me to keep coming to school even if I am killed.”

That young girl’s courage and resolve should serve as an inspiration to all of us – women and men – to continue to work as hard as we can to ensure that girls and women are accorded the rights and opportunities they deserve.

For the first time, Shobha De seems to be making sense and comments on how domestic violence is still alive in India and we cannot gloss over it anymore.

More than 60 years after Independence, 10 women are burnt every hour in our great country, according to the Lancet, a reputed British Medical journal.

Burn one, get one free. Yes? The horrible answer may be just that. Despite these grisly statistics being available to us, we continue to pretend all is well in our society. Less than 9% of our women have a shot at higher education. Coincidence? Cultural bias? In this day and age?

Disappointingly enough, with the elections round the corner, not a single political party has thought it important to address women’s issues, forget reservations. It is as if women don’t exist – not even as a vote bank. They are making a huge mistake. A society that marginalises its female population is a society in decline. Domestic violence remains India’s best kept dirty secret.

I hope the change comes far sooner than later…

With a word of curiosity 

And a manner of mysticism

You will bring a breath of fresh air

Wherever you go

 

With a feeling of warmth,

And a smiling face,

You will bring life,

To the bereaved tired souls

 

Like a little dove

Who determined to bring peace,

Flies with its white-wide wings

Despite the red blood stains.

When the wind blows,

And the leaves fall,

The autumn begins,

The dry leaves cry,

But the boots crush them,

And the world is red,

The color of blood.

When the rain falls,

And the leaves grow,

The spring comes,

The shy leaves smile,

And our hearts fill with love,

The world is green,

The color of joy.

I await the spring….

These quatrains are from the book Rumi: Whispers of the Beloved… by Maryam Mafi

“If you have illusions about heaven, lose them.

The soul heard of one attribute of Love, and came to earth.

A hundred attributes of heaven, could never charm her back.

It is here the soul discovers, the reality of Love.”

“Imitating other, I failed to find myself.

I looked insider and discovered, I only knew my name.

When I stepped outside, I found my real Self.”

“You know what love is? It is all kindness, generosity.

Disharmony prevails when, you confuse lust with love, while

the distance between the two is endless.”

“I said to the night, “If you are in love with the moon,

it is because you never stay for long.”

The night turned to me and said, “It is not my fault.

I never see the Sun, how can I know that love is endless?”

“It’s good to leave each day behind,

like flowing water, free of sadness.

Yesterday is gone and its tale told.

Today new seeds are growing.”

“Last night, I begged the Wise One

to tell me the secret of the world.

Gently, gently he whispered,

“Be quiet, the secret cannot be spoken,

it is wrapped in silence.”"

“Be motivated like the falcon, hunt gloriously.

Be magnificent as the leopard, fight to win.

Spend less time with nightingales and peacocks.

One is all talk, the other only color.”

“There are no signposts in the desert,

caravans are guided by the stars.

In the darkness of despair, hope is the only light.

But in the garden of your life, my dear, never hope that

a weeping willow will give you dates.”

We build numerous structures of power,

But its only one monument of love,

That makes us gasp in delight.

We tell endless stories of the glory of war,

But its only one tale of love,

That makes us teary-eyed.

We fight a number of wars,

But its only one moment of peace,

That gives us true happiness.

We spend a lifetime accumulating wealth,

But its only one word of wisdom,

That gives us strength.

We spend hours looking for the best wine,

But it’s only a glass of water,

That quenches our thirst.

We spend hours perfecting the look,

But it’s the soul within,

That makes a beautiful human being.

We spend hours choosing the perfect gift,

But it’s the gift of love,

That makes us smile.

We spend years building a perfect house,

But it’s the feeling of warmth,

That creates a loving home.

It is for us to strike a balance…..

It is that which you seek

and the way you seek,

Takes you inside the ocean,

amidst its fathomless depth,

or makes u fly in the air,

in the vast limitless sky.

When you look for a pearl,

empty shells do not satisfy you.

When you look for a rose,

the prick of a thorn,

does not deter you.

That which is eternity, the truth,

is not undermined by the ephemeral

That which is fleeting cannot be held,

That which exists cannot be wiped,

The true essence of our being lies within us.

It is that which defines and governs,

our nature and destinies.

For those who seek, find the pearls,

Those who are mesmerized by the shells,

Will never know the beauty,

that lies within our soul.

I love poetry and one of my favorite poets who has stuck with me is Rumi…I am a great Rumi fan…He inspires me to live a life full of compassion and love…His thoughts speak to me in a language that touches my soul…First time, when I came across Rumi, I immediately felt a connection. Rumi inspires me to look at the world with new eyes…to embrace its flaws and perfection…I could feel his frenziness…his energy through his quatrains…if the world is an oyster, then Rumi’s verses allow me to see that pearl enclosed deep within…the wisdom of Rumi’s words…enable me to cry and melt and yet feel strong within…i am so glad i found him…when i could…he brought alive the poet within me…and i am hoping that his words and wisdom will always provide me with a strength to withstand the tests of time…