What does freedom mean to me as an Indian woman?
Founder, Director of Avaali Solutions Pvt Ltd, Ms. Srividya Kannan’s interview published in yourstory on the future of the IT Industry.
Freedom of choice, expression, and belief, as enshrined by the Indian Constitution, is a reality in today’s India. But what does freedom mean to an Indian woman? Do women have to fight to make their voices heard? HerStory speaks to a cross-section of women to understand their concept of freedom.
As India celebrates its 75th Independence Day today, what does it augur for the country’s women? With the pandemic throwing lives into disarray over the past one-and-a-half years, women’s lives have changed drastically – with increased responsibilities and added anxieties.
Safety remains one of the Indian women’s top priorities – a community social-media platform LocalCircles survey found that Indian women do not feel safe in public spaces. About 29 percent of Indian women have faced molestation or sexual advances in public places.
A 2019 YouGov Omnibus survey among 1,011 respondents in India in 2019 using YouGov’s panel of over eight million people worldwide pointed out that many women felt that economic conditions (39 percent), political situations (35 percent), and job scenario in the country (35 percent) did not see any improvement in 2019.
What do Indian women want? Freedom of expression, safety while out in public spaces, work the way they want, and the ability to speak up. This also translates into being proud of one’s choices and the freedom to dream big.
On Independence Day, HerStory speaks to women from different fields to understand what freedom means to them. Here’s what they have to say:
With freedom comes responsibility
Freedom, to me, is about being able to make my own decisions and execute them instead of the pressure of having to conform to somebody else’s views. Freedom to me also dares to take risks, to fully trust myself, follow what I truly believe in, removing any boundaries and constraints in my mind. With freedom also comes immense responsibility to think and act sensibly. Freedom without responsibility would be akin to servitude and therefore be in total misalignment with the very essence of liberty.
– Srividya Kannan, Founder & Director, Avaali Solutions.