A woman’s place is in the kitchen? No.  It is in every place where she thinks the world can change for the better.

We are certain you will agree with us if we say that our IWI Talk on Friday, 11 December was a fitting tribute to every woman politician and the family standing by her. Anupama Jain, IWI was in discussion with Atishi, MLA from Delhi, and what a relevant and important discussion it turned out to be!

As our guest rightfully pointed out, ground reality, which is so essential to effective public policy, is something so many people are unaware of. So the thought ‘What can you do for your country?’ and actually converting those thoughts into action, is perhaps what differentiates a leader like Atishi from an armchair activist in a big way. She belongs to the tribe of women who brave it all, and dare to get their hands dirty working in the field of public service, in little known nooks of the country.

If you are wondering why women do not participate in politics as much as their male counterparts, well this is what we learnt. Public domain, as Atishi pointed out, can be a nasty place. The muck and slandering are a prime reason many women step back from active politicking. You need guts of steel to live through and ignore the naysayers and misogynists, and to persist in doing what you should do in spite of it all. We are all aware of the staggering reforms Atishi and her team had brought about in the field of education. “But why is education not a mainstream discussion in this country?” we asked her. This led to one of the most important takeaways of the debate. “People need to vote for the right cause. They need to back a politician who promises and delivers on good education over one who speaks the language of caste and communal pride.

Atishi’s is a story of turning adversity in her favour and making best use of the opportunity she has to serve the people and the cause she is passionate about.  This MLA from Delhi and Rhodes Scholar, won our hearts with her love for black coffee and bujia, her calm demeanor and relatable conversation.

Thank you, everyone, for tuning into The IWI Talk. We hope you value and appreciate the power of your vote all the more now. It is in us to use this gift of democracy bestowed upon us wisely. Thank You Atishi, for joining us on Friday. We hope to see your vision for Delhi and the country come true soon! More importantly, we look forward to seeing a new generation of woman politicians, inspired by you and leading from the front.

We really enjoyed bringing this session of IWI Talk to reality, from reaching out to our Incredibly Wonderful Guest to painting the town red with our creatives to sailing through technical glitches on D-day with our fingers crossed all the way!

Team IWI

About the Author

Nithya Rajagopal is Manager – Content and Community at Incredible Women Of India. She works for a non profit and is also an author.