hand that rocks the cradle...

I had this story picked up a year back and had planned to write on it however it's only today i allowed my mental space to release in text on this blog of mine. It was the sunday supplement of Hindu with this cover story of Justice Leela Seth. She seemed unfamiliar till I found she was writer Vikram seth's mother. He is famous . Though I havent read any of his work yet , I am familiar with the name. But now when I write this it's different . Her son is no more her identification for me. She is of course well known for being first women judge of a state high court in India. Applying the primacy effect the first ones to do something ofcourse find place in history. But what inspired me was neither her intelligence not her achievement but her brave heart and courage. To have the heart to leave her first newborn back home shortly after childbirth and to have the mental strength to not only give a bar exam in England but also top it , filled me with awe and admiration.
This newspaper article reminded me of a similar story of courage and ambition nearer home.One of my aunt's continued studies even after marriage. She left her newborn back home alone sleeping in the cradle  because she had to write a law exam.  Those who heard of it criticised her . But I keep wondering where were they when it was time to babysit? As for me I was a kid then and was little shocked ' how can a mother do that?' . Bottomline  she passed the exam and nothing happened .Now  of course I  have a new perspective to the incident. I think she is a real daredevil braveheart.She really is.

bravely ahead of her time

Nearly a 100 years after she conceived and wrote it, I got introduced to her work. She wrote her theory of public administration in 1909. Her work was dismissed and then acknowledged as prophetic . What I wonder about her most was what is it for a women to be ahead of her time?... to have thought and theorized what no MAN could! When Taylor was mechanizing and measuring work and finding ways to cut metal efficiently, she wrote about conflict ... and wisely proclaimed it to be a normal process and envisioned a constructive conflict. Meaning how to put conflict to use instead of criticizing it... since it's unavoidable.
She sure was wise, imaginative and observant. But above all she was brave. To have made a mark in a male dominant discipline and perhaps in a man's world (which still is a man's world when I sit and type this in the 21st century) is remarkably courageous.

" All polishing is done by friction. We get the music from the violin by friction and we left the savage state when we discovered fire through friction" ... Mary Parker Follet.