Riya

** The Catalyst **  “Be the change you want to see in the world,” – Mahatma Gandhi  Over time the role of women in society has changed tremendously and the catalyst has been the women themselves.  My grandmother, Sudha Saxena, born in 1944 went to an all girl’s government run school. The public schools in India were single gender. Social norms dictated that it was best for boys and girls to learn separately. It was also not expected of a woman to get a higher education. But my grandmother defied this stereotype, went to an all girl’s college, received a bachelor in arts and attained a teaching degree. She then had an arranged marriage to my grandfather but instead of getting a job she stayed home to take care of her children while writing magazine articles in her spare time.


 *  “How was your day?” Sudha said as she served hot chai to her husband who had just returned from a long day at work. “It was very busy at the university today,” he replied, “How was your day?” “Oh, it was the same as always… but I did receive a job offer to teach at the Carmel School in Dhanbad,” she said casually while reaching to get the cookies, “I was thinking of taking it.” Her husband’s eyes widened but he remained silent. “The kids are going to school now and I have a lot of time on my hands,” she continued. She sat down and took a sip of her tea anxious to hear what he had to say. He put his cup down gently and said calmly, “Well, if you think I am not making enough money to support this family, then by all means take the job.” The next day Sudha called the principal at Carmel School and politely refused the offer. **

 My grandmother wanted to do more than just stay at home all day but at the time it was unacceptable for the wife to work if the husband was working. Although my grandfather did not support Sudha getting a job, they both encouraged their children to get good education. My mother, Paridhi Verma, and her two sisters all went to private all girls’ schools in India until tenth grade. All three pursued graduate degrees and now have successful careers in science or teaching. My mom has mastered the art of work–life balance and works from home, which allows her to take care of her family while being financially independent.


 *  Paridhi and Nidhi walked down the hallway swinging their lunch boxes back and forth. They pushed open the door to the cafeteria and sat down with the other girls in their grade. Paridhi opened her lunchbox and gasped. The only things left were a spoon, a crumpled up napkin, and an empty thermos. She smoothed out the napkin and read, “Thanks for the lunch.” //Well at least they thanked me this time//, she thought. “I wish those boys would bring their own lunch,” Nidhi said as she watched the group of boys in the corner who were comparing what they had stolen from the girls’ lunches. **

 My mother, Paridhi, was born February 13, 1970. For eleven years she attended an all girl’s school before switching to a co-ed school for eleventh and twelfth grade where she noticed the difference between male and female behavior. After that she attended an all girl’s college as an electrical engineering major. There were only eighteen girls in her class in the field of engineering. My father, Dinesh Verma, went to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) for his undergraduate education as a computer engineering/sciences major. In his class at IIT, the most prestigious college in India, there were only six girls out of a class of three hundred students. Today one of the top engineering colleges, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has an incoming class of freshmen that is fifty-five percent female. In the last thirty years in two different countries, the amount of women in the field of science and technology has grown exponentially. This happened because women have embraced change and are not afraid of breaking down barriers to fulfill their dreams.  Today, I go to a co-ed public school and do not think twice about gender expectations affecting my future. I want to become a lawyer, a career that there are not many women in, but I am not focused on the changes I am making, I am becoming the change I want to see in the world.

The Paridhi and Nidhi story wasn't clear to me till I puzzled through it--can you expand the story so it's clear from the start what's going on? The two bold story sections will be italicized to show they are different? MrC