Women

I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

– Maya Angelou –

Although my master thesis was on gender studies, I would not call myself a feminist. Yet I have always been interested in the lives of women in the countries I travel to. I’m often asked how I can travel to countries such as India, where women are obviously discriminated against in many respects.

I made me very thoughtful. I came to the conclusion that it would be wrong not to travel there. It would be like closing the eyes and forgetting. I will keep on going there to gain a deeper insight into and learn about these womens’ lives and stories.

Like the story of Sudath, the 23-year old fragile-looking woman with the big, sad eyes, who was married as a child bride at the age of 11 and who is beaten by her 20 years older husband regularly when he is drunk. Or the story of Tara, the shyly smiling woman in the colourful sari with the bling-bling stones, whom I also met in the small village Tirmasahun, who is married but who is said to have a toy boy 15 years younger than her. Or the  story of the old lady with the gentle smile, the white hair and the mala in her hand who spends most day near the small temple in the village and who is known to be a little crazy.

I want to give these great, unique, powerful women a face and would like to invite you to meet them here on NIMESHA.