Women the catalyst

A country deserves to have the best possible leader for smooth

functioning of its own, in order to make that happen, it is very
important to include women to compete against their male
counterparts and not deprive them the chance to change the face
of the country, cause if done so they will be depriving the nation
a golden opportunity to be a better place to live in. Giving
women a chance to participate in politics today be essential in
building and sustain democracy of the world at large with 50%
of the female population. Unfortunately, women are still
recognized as under- represented category in the political
arena. Women instead have turned out to be acting as catalyst,
bringing in change education, health and infrastructure standards
not just at local levels but at national and international standards
as well.
A perfect example to cite for women to learn from will be the
example of J. Jayalalitha former Chief minister of Tamil Nadu
who has definitely become an epitome of women strength and
empowerment. Fondly known as Amma, meaning mother, or
Puratchi Thalaivi meaning revolutionary leader Jayalalitha has
carved a niche for herself in the world today. Her ladder to
success definitely had a lot of obstacles that challenged her
every move. Often the leading men in ones life act as Godfather
figures that guide and protects one on her journey to the top. But
all this didnt work fairly well for Jayalalitha. The leading men
in her life were the ones that pulled her down from being what
she always wanted to be. She portrayed her father to be a
squanderer and an irresponsible person who never realized his
responsibility towards his family. Her mother, who was a known
face in the film industry forced her to get into acting
surrendering to the clutches of financial crisis in her family. A
meritorious student of her caliber had to give up her books only
to polish her acting and dancing skills to enthrall the audience
on the big screen. Victorious in her film career with about 140
films done in more than 4 languages, there was no stopping for
Jaya. She rose to fame when she was linked with former actor
turned politician Late M.G.Ramachandra .Jayalalitha is one of
the most looked upon political figure that evokes admiration
amongst her followers and also her fellow colleagues. She has
showed her distrust towards men in many of her statements and
that is definitely a reflection of what she has faced in the past. A
strong autocratic leader has won millions of hearts and billion
admirers. The brand Amma is her creation rightly called a
revolutionary leader ,she brought in the trend of subsidized
products from food to free laptops to college students. She
brought in the wind of change, and Tamil Nadu has reached its
peak of development under her guidance and rule. Nothing
could stop a determined soul from being

As India saw the rise of an aspiring politician representing the
voice of the unheard Pakistan too was on its way to preparing
itself for one of the greatest Prime Ministers of the country had
ever seen. Benazir Bhutto was Pakistans hope for true
democracy as she opened the doors of Pakistan to peace and
development. Unlike Jayalaltilta who was involved a chance to
study further Benazir was blessed to have persuaded her
graduation at Oxford University London. Even though Benazir
succeeded her father, her entry into politics was not a cake walk,
she faced rejection from the opposition who tried to pull her
down by counteracting on all her reforms and revolutionary
ideas. She was elected as Prime minister at an early age of 35
she was the first woman to work as a prime minister in an
Islamic country. She broke the stereotype already by stepping
into her fathers shoes. Being Benazir Bhutto called for being
overburdened with the responsibility of a country that opposed
her reign. Despite all the allegations and opposition Pakistan
was at its peak of glory in a decade under Benazir Bhutto as she
tried to restore democracy in Pakistan. All the death threats,
hostility of the government and assassination attempts did not
deter her from following the path that she had chosen, the path
that led to a better country for a better future.
These two leading ladies stand as a live example for us to know
that one does not need a God Father to survive in this male
dominant world. They have changed the face of politics in the
developing countries where politics was considered a no woman
show. Apart from them there other women leaders who are
striving to make a mark in this arena, one amongst them is
Smridhi Irani HRD minister who is actively been participating
in voicing concerns about women development and
empowerment, she has joined the league and is on her way to be
the change.

http://www.outlookindia.com/article/The-Life-And-Times-Of-
Jayalalitha/205450
http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-being-jayalalithaa-
2022446
https://www.ndi.org/womens-political-participation