Image of Pratibha Patil courtesy of Akorra.com

This year India celebrated its 60th year of independence, and finally the country is beginning to deliver on its long-awaited promises.

Over the past few years the world has stood by and watched the globe’s biggest and most disorderly democracy ultimately match its political freedoms with economic ones.

With an outrageous surge of growth and wealth conception that is transforming the lives of millions as we speak, finally, after all these years India’s economic influence is beginning to make itself evident on the international stage.

As the nation recaptures the title it once held as a global-trade monster long before colonial powers invaded, it is obvious that change has come and isn’t stopping anytime soon.

Twenty years ago the rest of the world saw India as an indigent pauper. Now it is just as famous or even more so for its software engineers, Bollywood celebrities, literary masterminds and steel tycoons.

Yet there is something even more fascinating about this time in the lush land. As the people of India celebrate their 60th year of liberty the country’s first female president gleams with pride, recognizing that her influence is vital to the prosperity of her homeland.

Once thought of as a black-sheep winner, Pratibha Patil was sworn in as the 12th Indian president on July 25, 2007. For the past four years her philanthropic efforts have included secondary school and university developments in Mumbai and Jalgaon as well as the Shram Sadhana Trust which controls a collection of women’s hostels and an engineering school. Now the 76-year-old, bindi-adorned leader has furthered her agenda for the nation on issues such as women’s empowerment, modern education and comprehensive growth.

During this pivotal moment women are hoping to see many more benefits coming their way. One of India’s most vital issues lies in child mortality and increased pregnancy-related deaths. Each year millions of baby girls go missing and just as many mothers die during childbirth.

The country’s first female prime minister just may guarantee some support on women’s issues that are desperately waiting review.

A simple yet classic quotation perfect for a bumper sticker captures the feeling of excitement and promise in many parts of the large nation. It used to read, “Mera Bharat Mahan” meaning “My India is Great.” A recently restructured version now reads, “Mera Bharat Jawan,” or “My India is Young.”

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“Rio de Janeiro – ain’t that a person?” –Jade Goody

Love her, hate her or never-even-heard-of-her, it’s impossible not to appreciate the epic effect Jade Goody’s incredibly public struggle with cervical cancer has had on women around the world, but most prevalently in the UK.

Jade shot to fame in 2002 when she appeared on Big Brother in the UK. Her popularity was concreted by her “loveable bimbo” persona, and hilarious lack of general knowledge.

Her career after Big Brother was nothing if not controversial, featuring television appearances, a fragrance line and biographies. In 2006, Jade was voted the 25th most influential person in the world by British celebrity magazine, HEAT.

Alongside all this success erupted an ill-advised appearance on Celebrity Big Brother, which was tainted by accusations of racism against Bollywood star, Shilpa Shetty, and causing an international controversy. These controversies led to a huge publicity drive, orchestrated by Jade’s media people, and culminated in an appearance on Big Boss, the Indian version of Big Brother. It was during this appearance that Jade was told that she had cervical cancer, following a routine test in the UK.

Jade’s battle and subsequent death in March of this year has inspired women all around the UK to get tested. In a move dubbed “Jade’s Legacy,” a campaign has been launched to encourage the UK Government to reduce the age of initial screening for cervical cancer from 25 to 20.

Of course, an intimate examination of this kind is never going to be the highlight of your day, but it is carried out by a health care professional, and they are well versed in ways to make you feel as comfortable as possible.

Research has suggested that there are a number of risk factors associated with cervical cancer, which all women should be aware of. (Check out
www.cancerresearchuk.org or www.cancerresearch.org for more details.)

It has been claimed that the introduction of Pap testing has reduced the numbers of deaths from cervical cancer by as much as 50%, so a few moments of embarrassment really are a small price to pay for your life.

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See it and Read it:

It’s not everyday you see women being slapped, pummeled, and yanked by the hair by men in broad daylight. But such recent events in Mangalore, India at a bar called Amnesia: The Lounge are being justified by some groups who call the violence “moral policing.” Whether a global audience agrees or disagrees with the justification is not the biggest issue here, whether or not the world, or India in this case, is ready for the modern female, however, is.

Shri Ram Sena, a radical wing of the Hindu nationalist movement, claimed responsibility for the January 29 attacks on young woman inside and outside the bar. Several women were assaulted and two were pushed to the ground outside according to a video posted by journalists for Daijiworld, Mangalore’s first internet TV.

Kuldip Nayar, a New Delhi-based journalist and political analyst acknowledged that tradition hasn’t been entirely abandoned in India and the “class of people going to pubs, dancing, is still very small.” Isn’t a comparison with the Afghani Taliban a bit harsh for the Shri Ram Sena group? They claim to only be protecting morality, after all. But here lies the double standard.

The key component of these violent acts was that women were the main victims, not a whole “class.” The fact that the women were attacked for doing what was seen as normal in Bollywood movies suggest the society may be moving forward faster than its culture. The culture is lagging behind its so-called image. I, myself, have seen countless Bollywood movies with women drinking in a bar – Dostana and Kal Ho Naa Ho, for example. Why does pop culture promote one modern lifestyle while the public condemns it?

Nirmala Venkatesh, a member of the central government’s National Commission for Women, had a suggestion for Indian women. In her opinion, women can enjoy themselves freely, but need to “recognize societal limits,” she said.

What one can infer from Venkatesh’s response is that women in India need to maintain a balance in today’s India. Yes, the country is moving forward rapidly in one sector, but perhaps other areas like culture will take more time. The idea is valid and perhaps women should keep this in mind. After all, who is to say wanting tradition and “morality” is wrong? But why is it that throughout the world’s history, freedom for female modernization has taken extra time?

“I feel caught between two worlds,” said Tina Chopra in an LA Times article, 21, a college student. “At home, it’s the old traditional India. When I go out, it’s the new India. . . . I’m like two separate people.”

Some view the acts against women at a bar in Mangalore as solely political. Regardless, it is still telling of a gender conflict. Why was violence towards women chosen as the political act? Why were women at a bar attacked? Conservative and liberal are two ways of approaching tradition. However, when women get caught in that crossfire it reveals more than just a political rivalry, but the repeatedly told story that societies modernize before allowing their women to.

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