Reminescence of Ethos

The ninetieth  birthday of All India Women’s Conference (AIWC) , New Delhi, inspired me to scribble down my journey with AIWC, Aluva and the strong women behind the venture in a real sense of ‘Gratitude’.

When the gravity of the situation drums up one cannot but find out means to solve the situation. That is what compelled me to reach out AIWC, Aluva branch. On 29^th December 1982, I went to the centre to enrol my fifteen month old daughter in the crèche run by AIWC situated opposite to the Aluva Head Post Office. My four year old son was in upper kinder garden at St John’s the Baptist School, Aluva. Both, me and my husband being employed we were forced to live 180 kilometres away from our ancestral homes and so away from our parents and relatives. It was not at all easy for us to get a reliable person to look after the baby. These were the factors led us to find a crèche and enrol our little one. Being very near to the bus stop was the real attraction for us to think about AIWC, Aluva.

I was having only a vague idea of what was going on under the roof of AIWC. As it was my first rendezvous with AIWC, to me it seemed to be an energetic place for women and girls who were busy in learning Hindi, undergoing the courses of KGTE Tailoring, Embroidery, Craft and Typewriting besides with the plays, laughs and cries of the little inmates of the crèche.

I met Mrs. Meenakshi Ramakrishnan, founder Secretary, a legend in humanity and Hindi language at office, filled the application form and enrolled my daughter in the crèche. Since she noticed from the application form that I am an Agricultural Officer, she asked me whether I could associate with the agricultural activities such as taking classes for women on kitchen gardening, composting and homestead farming. Since extension was and even now is my passion without a second thought I agreed to associate with the activities. Being in the Department of Agriculture I was involved in extension activities in my jurisdiction experimenting new varieties of rice, pulses and vegetable seeds in fields and homesteads along with the visits and discussions to farmer’s fields and their houses besides attending fortnightly and monthly meetings at thaluk and district levels and organising seminars, campaigns on soil testing, rodent control, eradication of bunchy top disease in banana, weed control etc.

The beautiful connection relation and with AIWC began there and was so happy to know Mrs. Vasanthy Kanakambaran, wife of the then District Head of Agriculture, a teacher of the SNDP School close by AIWC, and a woman of dignity and Mrs. Jayanthy Appu Menon, our founder President, a person of astounding energy with her charismatic abilities, was there to co-ordinate the activities along with a team of vibrant ladies.

After my promotion and transfer to the District HQ in 1990, I was busy with both technical and administrational works. I was destined to liaison with the State HQ and was almost out of touch with AIWC. Further in the peak of my career with multidistrict responsibilities, I became too busy, mentoring the farming personnel both men and women in Capacity building, Women in Agriculture, Project Preparation, Planning and Monitoring for the whole state.

In 2008, at the age of fifty five, as Joint Director of Agriculture, I was superannuated from the State Agriculture Department after a productive phase of thirty four years of service in the span of my life. One fine morning at a temple premises in Aluva I met, our family friend, Mrs. K. Droupathy Amma, a person of dynamicity, the then Standing Committee Member of AIWC. She invited me to attend a seminar on ‘Domestic Violence at Home and Workplace against Women’. The seminar for a full day was well organised by AIWC and it went well with excellent speeches by Advocates, Social Activists and a women Sub Inspector of Police along with the lively interactions by the participants.

Attending the seminar, something triggered in me and reminded that this is the platform where I can dedicate my time, energy, resources and rich experiences for the upliftment of women and children for a new horizon. The inspiring, untiring, hardworking members of AIWC, Aluva like Ms Kunjamma Cherian, Amritha Unnikrishnan, Cecily Mathew, Daisy Joy, Sumathy Resalam, Remani Kurup, Hymavathy, Omana, Beena Jacob, Padmini, Sarala Balakrishnan, Indira Asokan and Haleema Naina were real boost to me to become part of the organization and to join with them. (Paying tributes to our beloved Haleema Naina, Sarala Balakrishnan and Indira Asokan who are no more with us)

As the name indicates AIWC, Aluva is a real conference for women from all walks of life irrespective of caste, creed, religion, politics, education forming a heterogeneous group together striving for the betterment of the women and the down trodden. Our dream is the betterment of the world through women empowerment. We are doing sincere service for the upliftment of women to the main stream in the societal setup by running crèches, conducting awareness programmes such as seminars, discussions and campaigns on adolescent programmes, yoga and meditation, gender equality, entrepreneurial skills on tailoring, fashion designing, jewellery and soft toy making, computer literacy and old age day care for lonely women. All these programmes are keeping us also active and vibrant.

AIWC is gloriously marching to the ninetieth year. There were hurdles in the past as it was awakening from the slavery to the freedom and to the aftermath of freedom. The past was as thrilling for the leaders in charge as they bravely held the torch of love and compassion for the social upliftment of women. The future is calling us. Let us join hands for the global renaissance of womanhood.

“A woman with a voice is by definition a strong woman.”    Melinda Gates