Women Of the world

Knocking on the glass ceiling has become passé for these achievers, storming into the male bastions, is a thing of the past as well. Comfortable in the driving seat of the their chosen fields, these women have reached the pinnacle of success. Topping the Forbes and the Times lists, they make all talk about their gender inconsequential. If Oprah were a man who would she be? There are no male equivalents or superiors to some of these women. This article is a tribute to the women rock and rule the world.


For a woman who believed that she may not be able to buy a hamburger at Woolworths’ coffee shop but was capable of being the president of the Unites States of America, Condeleezza Rice has come very far. The first woman to occupy the position of the National Security advisor for the first term of the bush administration and moving up the ranks to make the transition to secretary of state, a post held by amoral intellectuals like Henry Kissinger in the Nixon administration. To make the move is my no means an easy task but relationship between the president and his secretary in state leaves no one is doubt about the fact that when she speaks it is on behalf of the white house. At 50, this political Science student is on the board of Chevron Corporation, the Charles Schwab Corporation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the University of Notre Dame, the International Advisory Council of J.P. Morgan. In addition, her past board service has encompassed such organizations as Transamerica Corporation, Hewlett Packard, the Carnegie Corporation, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, The Rand Corporation etc. This should leave no one in doubt about who actually makes all the tough decisions at the white house, thus making Ms. Rice one of the most powerful women in the world.


Although Mrs. Clinton comes lower down in the rung of the power politics, she is a nonetheless a force to reckon with. Instead of being arm candy for the president, as most of her predecessors, this feisty lady had an active career that prepared her for the senatorial race. In 1993 she was asked by President Clinton to chair the task force on National Health Care Reform for which she received a lot of flak. Even though as the first lady, some of her actions came under severe criticism but she has been always known for her staunch support to the cause of women empowerment and children’s issue. A pioneer, who became the first woman to become a senator after being a first lady, was also the first woman senator from New York. Touted as a probable candidate for presidency in 2008, this fiercely ambitious lawyer is also famous for her faux pas that demonstrates the pinnacle of her ambition, ‘'I'm having a great time being the Pres, I mean Senator from New York.' To give her credit, if anyone has the potential to be the first woman president of the United States, it is Hillary Rodham Clinton.

It was in the middle of an interview with a woman named Trudy Chase, who has multiple personalities and was severely abused as a child, Oprah realised that she wasn’t to blame for the abuse she received as a child. This revelation, she says, finally set her free. She finally acknowledged the fact that her teenage promiscuousness, was her inability to recognise the fact that the child is never to blame. All this at the age of 36, on the show made famous by her inimitable style and panache – the Oprah Winfrey show. Self-realisation, battling inner demons and still having the courage to face life with the same flair is what makes Oprah so popular with her 34 million audience in US and countless millions the world over. The self made Billionaire, entrepreneur, actress and entertainment executive who dedication to child reform is incomparable says that her compassion for the downtrodden comes from her own childhood experiences. A staunch child activist, she helped president Clinton sign the National Child protection Law, which helped create a database of child abusers and made it mandatory for all agencies hiring child care providers to be able to do background checks on the applicants, the law was informally known as the ‘Oprah bill’. She got America reading again with her book club transforming books into overnight best sellers. She's the first black American woman billionaire, and reportedly makes about half a million dollars a day from her TV show alone. She owns or co-owns the Oxygen Network, O Magazine, her own Harpo Studio, Harpo Productions, Harpo Films, Harpo Print, and Harpo Video. Harpo, of course, is Oprah spelled backwards. A role model for millions and a philanthropist, when this little girl from Mississippi talks the world sits up and takes notice.

Capturing the imaginations of millions, introducing the world to a host of new odd sounding words, Muggle Joanne K Rowling would have done well at Hogwarts, such is the magic her pen wields. Enthralling an entire nation and the world with the adventures of an orphan who finds out the truth about himself and his origins, made Ms. Rowling the richest woman in the United Kingdom and the only person who became a millionaire through her writings. A teacher of the English language at Porto, Portugal, Rowling began Harry’s journey while on a train journey herself. This divorced and single mom on welfare actually skipped meals to save enough money for her four-month-old daughter. She then wrote the first Harry potter novel and met literary agent Christopher Little and the rest as we know is ‘HIS-story’. Such as been the impact of Rowling’s words that ‘Muggle’, a term she coined for non magical people is going to appear in the revised version of the Oxford English Dictionary, because of the popularity of its usage. A classical story of triumph of the human spirit in times of adversity.

If someone knows how to turn everyday things one learns at home into a successful multi million dollar empire is Martha Stewart, a name synonymous with good living. In spite of being convicted of insider trading Martha’s appeal has never gone down with the public, which explains why she is richer today than the day she got convicted. Learning the basics of cooking, decorating and entertaining from her mother and gardening from her father at the age of three, this entrepreneur realised her potential when she was decorating her own house. It was then she started her small catering business and there has been no looking back for Martha Stewart. Voted as one of the 25 most influential and richest women in the world. Martha makes even the most mundane and boring of things look good. With her award-winning magazine Martha Stewart Living, an Emmy Award-winning television show, a Web site, syndicated newspaper columns, national radio show, mail-order catalogue and product lines, Martha shares the creative principles and practical ideas that have made her America's most trusted guide to stylish living.

A rather unusual entry in this article would be that of Sharon Osbourne. Even someone who is not a heavy metal aficionado would recognise the name. But she enters this list not for being the better half of the ex black Sabbath member Ozzy Osbourne but because of her strong business acumen. Her father Don Arden was the manger Black Sabbath, after Ozzy was fired from the band; Sharon took over as his manager and life partner. Over the years the decline in Ozzy fortunes and personal life was evident. The drugs and alcohol problems plagued Ozzy as he also tried to strangle Sharon. The incident probably lead to Sharon taking over the reins of their lives and careers. She resurrected Ozzy’s fading career and went on to be the manager for some of the best rock acts in the business today like Marilyn Manson, Limp Bizkit and Slipknot. This colon cancer survivor along with her husband also snagged a rank in the Forbes list with a 40 million pounds fortune. In, what is typically a very male dominated industry, Sharon Osbourne has made her name and reputation as a ace businesswoman and a tough nut to crack.

Another person who will raise eyebrows is also one of the youngest woman to receive a Damehood. This 28-year-old yachtswoman was the fastest person to circumnavigate the world as of 17th February 2005. Inspired by a sailing trip she took with her aunt when she was just 8 years old, she saved up her school dinner money for three years to buy her first boat. The sailing world began to sit up and take notice of this whirlwind of a woman when she won the mono hull division of the solo transatlantic race and later a second place in Vendee Globe solo around the world race. Experience and brawn are two things that are of paramount importance in the sport of solo sailing, both of which Ellen does not possess and still at 28, she is at the pinnacle of the sport. Her success reinforces our belief in the power of dreams.

until the decade or so, the words nuclear power and woman were used only in sexist jokes that is till Anne Lauvergeon took over the reins of Avera, the worldwide leader in energy(nuclear power and electricity transmission & distribution. This super achiever who is a scientist virtually created the nuclear power company ‘Avera’ in 2001. In an industry that is extremely controversial, Anne manages to break the barrier and gain more and more acceptance for the usage of this alternative form of energy production. Starting her professional career in the mining industry in France she moved on the become the secretary general and the “Sherpa” to the G7 summits in Francois Mitterand’s administration. She followed that up with being the Chairman and Managing Director of Cogema, the French nuclear power and followed that with snagging the CEO seat at Avera. She is the only woman to be a director of one of the CAC 40 companies. Anne achievements send us a strong message: doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, as long as you have the skills and the perseverance, the goal is never very far.

“I try to steer people away from the approach of saying I care more about the environment and less about animal rights or something of that nature, but to look at the whole picture and take the whole picture into account”, with these words the founder and CEO of Domini Social Equity mutual fund, Amy Domini tries to explain why she found her company. The author of ‘Ethical Investing’ points out that investing after investigating will raise the standards of accountability for most companies and will in turn help make the world a better place. No ideal dreamer this woman, Amy has managed to double the assets of her social investing funds (to $36 million) in just three years. Most high profile successful companies like Ford, Intel, and Gap etc have been spurred to see the impact that they are having on the environment and human rights. If children working in small claustrophobic sweatshops, pregnant women working long hours and hundreds crammed into a small room making expensive shoes that cost hundreds dollars for a few cents an hour are the few things that upset you maybe you should look at the Domini 400 social index before you invest in the company. The index not only stays clear of companies involved in betting, boozing, tobacco, and nuclear power but also sees the company’s gauges its employees. Trying to make a small change, Amy stands all and proud as one of the only women who quite literally put her money where her mouth is.

CEO of Olayan Financing company a consortium of some 40 odd companies and a member of the Saudi Hollandi bank’s board, Lubna Olayan was the first woman in Saudi Arabia to be appointed to such a position in a Saudi public company. She made history addressing the Jeddah economic forum as the keynote speaker in 2004 and co chairing the world economic forum 2005 in Switzerland. Lubna’s achievements remind us that it only takes one person to turn the tide. Even today she continues to break barriers and perceptions. She has shown that Saudi women (or for that matter most Arab women) can manage more than just households. Since the day, Lubna’s veil slipped off during her address at the Jeddah economic forum last year, it seemed to have also removed the veil from the general public eyes, showing the power of a liberated woman’s mind.

Some other noteworthy women are Meg Whitman, CEO, Ebay who has taken her company from success to success with her vision. Sonia Gandhi, the Italian born Indian, who controls the Prime Minister’s office in India as the president of the working committee of the ruling Party, Congress (I). The highest paid actress Julia Roberts, the trailblazing superstar also one of the first woman to break the Hollywood norm and get paid as much as her male counterparts.

The list of trend setting women in various fields is endless. It just goes to show even though women have a long way to go as far as erasing the gender gap, it just seems that the horizon keeps coming closer.

Beauty pageants and the Indian Culture

How long are we going to we going to beat our chests and protest against beauty pageants as a pagan ritual for showcasing women as objects. It is the mindset of the people that has to change and no amount of protesting can do that.

A protest cannot herald a change. The change has to come from within. Participation in a beauty contest is a personal choice, both of the parents and that of the girl herself. If we want to protest at such pageants then why do we idol worship a Sushmita Sen and an Aishwarya Rai, who bring home international acclaim? Why is Mallika Sherawat considered sexy (I don’t think so but my tradition respecting mother does. )

Everywhere around us we see the hypocrisy - of people - the obsession with beauty without a thought to what lies beneath the surface. Pick up the Sunday supplement – Matrimonial Times of the Times of India and scan the pages to see the attributes people look for in mates these days - slim, beautiful, tall girl. How is this criterion any different from the selection criteria of a beauty pageant? Effectively we have turned even the simple match making process into a selection procedure for a beauty contest.

No one is more to blame that us. We are major contributors to this phenomenon. Every time we pick up a fairness cream or a magazine with a beautiful face on the cover we are endorsing the view that beauty is all that matters. I mean how many magazines have you picked up in the last year that had Ravina Raj Kohli’s face on it or which was the last advertisement you saw which had Kiran Bedi endorsing a product (and would you be sufficiently motivated to try out the product). Or does the public even know who these women are in the first place. Our society has no place for achievers only for beautiful bodies and faces making the headline.

Sandra bullock in Ms. Congeniality - a classic example. When asked what she would like to see change in the world her heartfelt answer is met with a cold response as opposed to the ever popular ‘World Peace’ answer. Then there was Priyanka Chopra who misheard a question and parroted the politically correct answer ‘Mother Teresa’. No surprise that she won the crown inspite of that faux pas. This brings me to the one woman who we booed off stage when she did give a heartfelt answer – Madhu Sapre. When asked what she would like to change about her country, instead of the usual well rehearsed, ‘ Eradication of Poverty’ answer, she championed the cause of sports ( a fact I remember every four years when we have a dismal showing at the Olympics) She missed the crown but won a place my heart for sure, as someone who can speak her mind.

So instead of blaming the society and screaming yourself hoarse on the evils of pageants look deeper into the issue and I’m sure you will not like what you see. As for the traditions and culture of ancient India that you were talking about – Culture wise the kamasutra and the ancient temples along with a peek into the Ajanta and Ellora caves should be sufficient as a reminder.

Tradition - our tradition demands that a widow jump into her husband's funeral pyre.
Or can be a divorcee on the whimsical repetiton of 'Talaq'.
Or when young baby girls are left either in dumps or on hill tops to die.
or when parents seel their souls for money to marry off a young daughter.

Even religion and it interpretation can make you hang your head in shame -

The agni pariksha - or the four marraiges that men are allowed.

Really the issues if you want to cry hoarse about are a plenty

Just pick your with care.

Battle of the Bulge

Hello and thanks for stopping by. Now you have heard that phrase before, haven’t you? So have I. We belong to the subspecies ‘Fattus humongus’. We sit up and take notice every time a lifestyle magazine or an ad on the Internet tells us the ways to lose weight. But the minute the aroma of a freshly made chocolate donuts wafts in, the resolve to burn those calories wafts out. Indefinitely. That is till we see another one of those ads. The thing with us is that we are lazy. It’s as plain and simple as that. We want to wear those low-slung hipsters with the miniscule bikini tops but sadly don’t have the shape to carry it off. So what do we do? We sit and sulk. We sulk about not meeting the right men who would appreciate us for who we are, calling them superficial SOB’s. . The funny thing is that we abuse the temple that is our body and expect someone else to worship it. That’s not about to happen in this lifetime. No it a’int. We sulk about not finding the perfect dress in our sizes. We sulk for not getting that job or the big raise. And then we bury our faces in crepes with ‘extra’ nutella sauce and double scoops of ice cream.


When was the last time you saw a fashionably thin and reasonably healthy person at a fast food joint like Hardees and KFC? I presume you know the reason why. Water retention as a probable cause only counts for five days, what’s your excuse for the rest of the 25?

In the age of instant gratification, we always look for simpler and faster solutions to all our problems. Feel Hungry, pop in to pizza joint or better still grab some burgers. Need to travel around the block, get out the car. Why read the book, if it’s interesting someone will make a movie out of it? Effortless existence is a meaningless existence. That is not what you were looking to hear, were you? You were looking for a quick recipe for FIRM ABS. Well keep reading, I will get to that part in a bit. We look for quick easy and effective ways to shed the flab. Where in the sad fact is there aren’t any. You’re still reading this? Looking for a simple solution from this article, and me, is it? Well like I said earlier, there aren’t any.

Except things I have discovered along the path paved with many fad diets and exercise regimens. What I have discovered is extremely simple and the answer lies in looking inside you. Exploring reasons you put on that extra weight. Learning to visualise yourself as the healthy person you want to be and working towards it. That is one thing we lack, determination. Desire is the key to motivation, but it's determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek. Determination and perseverance move the world; thinking that others will do it for you is a sure way to fail. So move that Ass. Haul it outside and start walking. Begin with as little as 10 minutes a day and then keep increasing it. Work on building up your self-esteem. Learn to embrace your individuality and love yourself. Get a theme song like Ally in Ally McBeal. Do something, anything, except sit and mope around like a fat cow. Coz that’s really going to get you nowhere. I know, I belong to the ‘Fattus humongus’ subspecies too, remember.

Nothing and no one can help you unless you have the will and determination. Simple things like making a routine. Small things like deciding what you should and shouldn’t stock in your refrigerator, switching regular soda with diet soda, white bread with brown bread and walking till the grocer’s shop are things that will help. The other things that I have found helpful are waking up to a glass of lukewarm water with a little lemon and honey in it. Drinking grapefruit juice. Having a healthy breakfast, decent lunch and soups or salads for dinner. Search the Internet for the Atkins diet and follow it. Walking with the image of Beyonce doing ‘crazy in love’ in your mind. It needn’t be in the morning. I know I can’t walk early in the morning. I don’t even surface till about 7.30am when my office starts at 8 am. Take the time out when you are comfortable. You’ll be amazed how a quick walk interspersed with jogging can make you feel alive again. This, again, is not a quick fix solution. An hour of walking is minimum at least 4 to 5 days a week. Even a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. And the things I have spoken about here are not things you didn’t know about earlier. But they are the small things you didn’t put into practise. Why? What are you waiting for , CHRISTMAS?

It’s like getting a root canal done. The procedure is painful but it’s pure bliss afterwards. So in a month or two from now when you fit into these hot pants or swim in those jeans you are wearing now, drop me a line and we’ll exchange notes. Who knows I might even learn a thing or two from you.

P.S. Chocolate Doughnut anyone?