UNIT 1: Flights of Freedom
Chapter 1
‘The 3Ls of Empowerment’
1. ‘It is time to create a world where all women can meet their potential without impediment or prejudice and the world will reap the benefits. The three Ls will help us get there.’
a) What are the three Ls referred to?
b) What does ‘impediment’ mean?
Answers:
a) The three Ls referred to here are Learning,
Labour and Leadership.
b) ‘Impediment’ means obstacle.
2. The Literary Club of your school is celebrating the International Women’s Day. Prepare the script for a speech on ‘Educating the girl child’ to be delivered on the occasion.
Answer:
Respected principal, teachers and my dear friends,
Today we are celebrating the International Women’s Day. We have assembled here to ponder on the topic ‘Educating the girl child’ in connection with this special day.
In today’s world, girl children are facing a lot of adversities. To face them boldly the girl should have a certain level of confidence. Education is the best way to raise the confidence level of girls. Our government has taken several steps to promote education to the girl child. Reaching out to the girl child is central to the efforts to universalize elementary education. ‘Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan’ or ‘Education for All’ programme recognizes that ensuring girls’ education requires changes not only in the education system but also in societal norms and attitudes.
If a girl child is educated, she can lead the family socially, economically and morally to progress. Formerly a girl child was deprived of good education. There existed discrimination against girls in our country. There was a range of discriminatory practices such as female foeticide, female infanticide, son idealization, early marriage and dowry. I doubt whether some of the above evils still exist in our remote villages.
As time passes, I am sure such evils will be
discarded. Today women are not behind men in any way. They have truly shown their worth in every field.
In short we all must agree that giving education to a girl child means we are educating a family, the society, the state and finally our nation. Education will awaken girls to a new life. They are powerful. So we must focus on girl’s education. It sets them on a path to greater economic opportunities. To have progress in our nation, we must empower women in all the ways possible. So dear friends, let’s empower girls through timely education.
Thank you all
3 ‘.... They need to change the mindset and reset the narrative in their favour. So it is essential that women be ready to ‘dare the difference’ - to take risks and step outside their comfort zones.’ Based on your reading of Christine Lagarde’s speech, prepare an essay on how women can realise their true potential.
Answer:
We know that any society consists of girls and boys and women and men. For years and years in the past it was men who dominated in every field of human activity. Women were to remain within the four walls of the house doing house- hold works, giving birth to children and looking after them. They have no right to think independently and were destined simply to obey. Women in those days were not aware of the inherent abilities in them, which were no less powerful than those of men. Fortunately things are changing now. Women have started identifying their abilities, merits and potential. Women should have faith in themselves. Most often women lose self confidence. They lack the faith in their talents and skills. Sincere encouragement can go a long way in helping someone stay the course. The more specific you are, the better the results.
What matter most are the 3Ls of women empowerment. They are learning, labour and leadership. For the realisation of all these the first thing is education. It can break the shackles of exclusion. The second step is labour. It helps women to flourish and achieve their true potentials. Eliminating gender gap in economic participation can bring an uplift of women in society. The third L which is leadership enable women to fulfil their abilities and talents. Women must have the confidence to match their competence with their counterparts. So women themselves have to change their mindsets and be ready to dare the difference.
The crucial thing is that women must identify themselves as equal or more than equal to men in society.
4. After reading Christine Lagarde’s speech, a social worker is speaking to the people of your locality about the need for educating women. Fill in the blanks choosing the appropriate adjectives/
adjectival clauses: Education helps women to be ________ (seriously/financially/sustainably) independent and to break the shackles of exclusion. Women who _____(look good/ look after children/ study) actually help themselves and their community. If learning is the first step, labour is the second. Women who ______ (procure labour/ suffer discrimination/challenge the social norms) are able to flourish and achieve their true
potential. They contribute to the development and well- being of the community. So it is ______ (clear/essential/favourable) that women equip
themselves with education.
Answer: financially, study, procure labour, essential
5. A programme chart of the International Women’s Day celebration conducted in a Higher Secondary School is given below. Imagine that you are the school leader. Prepare a report to be included in the school magazine.
8 th March, 2022 : International Women’s Day Celebration
Venue : School Auditorium
Programmes
Time : 10 am
Prayer song : School Choir
Welcome Speech : Miss Soumya Hassan (School Leader)
Presidential Address : Mr. Rahul S. Gopal
(Principal)
Keynote Address : Adv. Remya Jayasankar
(Member, State Vanitha Commission)
Felicitations : Mrs. Suja Kumari (President, Grama Panchayat) Mr. Joy Varghese (Vice- President, PTA)
Vote of Thanks : Mrs. Sheela N.(Secretary, Staff Club)
Competitions (Essay Writing, Elocution)
Time : 11.30 am
Venue : Mini auditorium
Answer:
ABC Higher Secondary School celebrated the International Women’s Day on 8 th March 2020. All the students, teachers and guests gathered in the school auditorium. The programme started at 10 am with the prayer song of the school choir. School Leader Miss Soumya Hassan
welcomed the guests.
The presidential address was given by our Principal, Mr. Rahul S. Gopal. He said that the educated empowered women can do a lot in building a strong nation. Adv.
Remya Jayasankar, member of the State
Vanitha Commission, inaugurated the
programme. In the keynote address she expressed her views that education is the best way to raise the confidence level of women. It is the most powerful weapon for women empowerment. Mrs. Suja Kumari ( President, Grama Panchayat) and Mr. Joy Varghese (Vice- President, PTA) gave felicitations. Mrs. Sheela N., the Secretary of the Staff Club thanked all. The programme was over at 11.30 am. After the celebration competitions in essay writing and elocution were conducted.
6. Prepare an essay on the topic ‘Women in Leadership’. (Hints- capable of taking leadership- in business, politics, various jobs- commonsense and evaluating ability- examples of leaders)
Answer: We are familiar with great women playing their role successfully in all walks of life __ industries, politics, science and technology, music, acting, literature, sports and so on __ in the present world. Smt. Indira Gandhi, affectionately called Priyadarshini was the first woman Prime Minister of India, a person with exceptional powers of
administration. As a political leader, she was highly admired not only by the people of India but also by the nations of the world. She was well-known for her strong determination and heroism.
Marie Curie in turn was a hugely successful physicist and chemist, a pioneer in her field, and the first woman throughout history to win a Nobel Prize. Her persistence, curiosity and her great ability to move forward relentlessly were some of the characteristics that enabled her pioneering mindset, making her an exceptionally successful scientist and female leader whose work has influenced the world of science.
All successful women leaders, have gained success through their ability to be confident. A leader has to be confident, starting with self-confidence. People love leaders whom they trust. Everyone wants to follow a leader who trust them in turn. Great
leaders dedicate their life to benefit humanity in a creative way, with determination and persistence, but never in a way that would harm others. Their purpose in being humble and helpful is always marked by giving others, including themselves, a sense of hope and inspiration.
Successful leaders do never copy others, they rather create extraordinary results through unique work, authenticity, a personal style and continuous expression of that uniqueness.
In the present world also we are familiar with great women who adorn significant positions in various fields in science, aviation industry, law and order sector, statesmanship and so on.
‘If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be’ (Maya
Angelou)
Chapter 4 - Horegallu
7. After reading Sudha Murty’s ‘Horegallu’, you realise that it would be worth setting up Horegallus on the pavements to help citizens to take a break and ease themselves. Write a letter to the Mayor of your city putting forth the suggestion and explaining the reasons.
Answer: Name
Address
12 July 2022
The Mayor
Kochi
Dear Sir,
Sub: Setting up of horegallus on the pavements regarding
I would like to invite your attention on the need to set up horegallus on the pavements to help citizens, especially the aged people.
Sir, In my opinion, the horegallus have become a necessary thing for the people to take a break and ease themselves. We find many travellers loitering finding a place to take rest to refresh them. If horegallus are there, they can take rest to regain their strength. Moreover, people who are taking rest can share their burden (of problem) to relax or relieve its intensity. It is a kind of both mental and physical relief. Also, the cool, fresh air under the tree will revive them. A pot of pure water also be placed to quench their thirst. It would do a great thing to the travellers
especially while they walk under the scorching heat.
Sir, I request you to consider this matter to do the needful for the relief of the people.
Yours sincerely
Sd/-
Name
Chapter 3 - Matchbox
8. There is an African adage that goes : ‘If you
educate a boy, you train a man. If you educate a girl, you train a village’.
Prepare a write-up explaining the meaning of this adage.
Answer: This well-known saying is attributed to the Ghandian scholar Dr. James Emmanuel
,one of this century’s greatest educators. This saying is probably used to convince African parents who were more willing to allow their male children to attend missionary schools than their daughters.
The message here is that once we know the
value of education for men in society, we should allow women also to have equal access to it. The term education is used here to mean knowing, through formal or informal means, what is right for the spirit, mind and body and acting upon this knowledge. Women in general are the newborn child’s primary caregivers in most societies. From the womb through its early formative years the baby has more direct contact with women. It is during this time that the words,
unspoken messages and expectations of the caregiving woman affect and determine the child’s future destiny most. A physically abused and psychologically hurt child at this time is
likely to project his or her anger on society in later life. On the other hand, a child that is
surrounded by the warm embrace of loving women caregivers will most likely spread that love in his or her future dealings with others as the child grows up.
Hence it can be reasonably stated that
educating a girl child has greater fruitful effect on society and future generation.
9. Prepare a script for a short speech on the topic ‘Role of Women in the Modern Society’.
(Hints: role of modern education- out of the home- in work place- all duties independent- equality- leadership)
Answer:
Respected principal, honourable teachers and my dear friends,
Women play a great role in the growth and development of the society by making it an advanced and modern one. If a woman is getting educated and empowered, the whole family and society will be benefited. Women form half of the population of the world which means that they contain half the power of the world. If women of any country are not empowered it means that, that country is not utilising half its power. We need to understand that if an uneducated woman can manage the home successfully then why can’t a well
educated woman lead a whole country like men. Without woman nothing is possible for men, because they form the foundation of the society, they make families, families make society and ultimately societies make a country. So the contribution of a woman is widespread. The roles and responsibilities of women can never be neglected by the societies. Women know well how to talk, how to behave, how to deal with people of different classes, etc. She knows to handle all situations because she knows well the fundamentals of a good society and can play her roles as a main contributor in building a strong society.
Thank you.
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