I’ve forever found it an ambiguousness of sorts whenever our leaders talk about women empowerment. And who better knows it than the women in power talking about it at Jaipur Literature Festival’s session Women and Power.

“I was called a ‘dumb doll’ on several occasions. No one sees that I’ve held many positions of authority, all they cared about was their mentality that a woman is not fit to be their equal or superior,” said Margaret Alva, the former governor of Rajasthan, who was one of the speakers for the session along with Helen Kennedy, a leading barrister and a member of the House of Lords in the UK.

“The exact reason I have been labeled a ‘rebel’. If a male puts forward his thoughts he is being smart, if a woman does… Oh, oh! She is rebelling! I’ve gone against their policies, refusing to back down just because I am a female. In fact, I have a dissent rate of 33.3%,” said Helen, while the audience cheered her on for standing up for her rights.

Margaret recounted how when she worked with Rajiv Gandhi the discrimination against her never died but that’s not what she remembers vividly about working with Gandhi. “Oh, I was a fan! Mr. Rajiv Gandhi was someone I looked up to, he was a force to be reckoned with,” she said with a smile.

With this, the serious session took a lighter tone, and Helen Kennedy concluded the session describing the benefits for a man who accepts the confidence and intellect of his woman.

“Let the men on the outside sit and stew but what about the men in our life? Well, you men should graciously accept and boost your woman’s confidence. Why? Dear, your respect for her gets you better conversations, better understanding and above all, better sex! Try it sometime,” Helen said as people laughed at her direct punchline.

Photo courtesy: Aparna Natha