When we wake up to our Shakti we are unstoppable

In Hindu iconography, Ardhanarishwara depicts the fusion of male and female divinities. Photo Flickr

In every century, every era, it has always been up to the individual to realize her or his own Shakti and do what it takes to get what one wants.

Is there really a battle between genders? Are women being suppressed by men? Do women have no free will? Growing up as a Hindu female in India, I have realized that the narrative of the battle between genders has often been a false one. When issues are looked at holistically, there are so many layers that the gender narrative fades away in the Hindu context.

Take the narrative that women in India do not have the right to make their own decisions regarding their lives. When one digs deeper, one finds that in every century, every era, it has always been up to the individual to realize her or his own shakti and do what it takes to get what one wants. The society makes norms based on its realities — during the Vedic period, women were debating over complex philosophical tenets, composing shlokas, performing yajnas either solo or with their husbands; and there were no strictures on them to conceal their bodies. The principles of dressing in unstitched clothes called antariya (lower garment) and uttariya (upper garment) were the same for men and women.

In later periods, due to violent invasions, restrictions were put on women’s freedoms in order to protect them from rapes…