Hello, young friends! 

I wish all of you a very Happy Ashtami! I'm sure by now you all are decked in your finest (probably new) attire, hogging on jalebis and you must be pandal-hopping to your heart's content. And you rightly deserve to do so. After all, Goddess Durga comes just once a year! 

As you engage in the festivities and soak in joy, I want you to ponder upon certain aspects associated with the festival of Durga Puja. The most important aspect is the worshipping of a female deity. Goddess Durga is considered to be immensely powerful and a destroyer of evil. She's an embodiment of nari shakti or woman power. She reminds us every year that women are capable of doing anything they want to do. All the things you've heard about women being incapable of doing things on their own are not true. In fact, today women are going to space, exploring underneath oceans, flying planes, etc. 

If you are a girl, please remember that you are capable of doing anything just like your brothers and friends. And all the boys out there, please don't underestimate your sisters and friends. All of you should not pay heed to anyone who says women cannot do anything. Right from this year's Nobel Peace Prize (Narges Mohammadi) to the Nobel Prize in Medicine (shared by Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman), women are shining in every sphere and proving that gender is not at all a reason to lag behind.

As you grow up, you'll come to know that sometimes society is biased against women. They are not treated well in some households. I have come across little girls who are not treated well by their grandparents/parents while their brothers are given all the love and attention. They are not given enough food and their education is not given priority. This is really sad. We have to love all children equally, whether boys or girls. Girls should not be treated badly under any circumstances. In some households, women are expected to do household work day and night without rest or proper meals. That is extremely wrong. The load of household chores should be shared by all the members of the family, whether men or women. In some households, women are not encouraged to take up a job outside the house, which is really unfair. 

If you are a little boy, as you grow older and start seeing these inequalities prevailing in society, try to change your own mindset. Break the vicious cycle. Do not make fun of your sister or female friend, saying she can't play video games. Instead, teach her if she shows interest. Do not demand to be served water by your mom or sister. Instead, pour yourself a glass of water on your own. Try to help your parents with household chores as often as possible. Do not assume it's your mother's/sister's job to work in the kitchen just because they're women. No, gender doesn't define tasks we should or shouldn't do. Learning to cook for your own survival is a good thing as we all need food to satiate our hunger.

Sometimes, unknowingly, we do or say things that are unfair as they're biased against women. Let's all ponder upon this and identify these things so that we don't do or say such things in future. And Durga Puja is the perfect time to ponder upon this, as we seek the blessings of the Goddess, who is an embodiment of nari shakti and a reflection of the power women have. 

Happy Durga Puja to all!