This is a new generation of women who take time off from weighty concerns of home to enjoy togetherness with other women, Anju Munshi discovers.
Ever notice groups of women in multiplexes, tens of them at a banquet hall enjoying their Martinis and dinner or a big gang of women revelers in your city's night clubs? Well, it seems today the so-called adage that a woman is another woman's worst enemy does not hold. More likely, she is a trusted companion, with whom she can let her hair down, confide in times of distress- and have fun with when in the mood. Those rushed conversations over a cup of coffee or an excited chat over a drink, even a quick telephone call from the office is a joyful experience and also brings in an extra energy infusing one with a good mix of cheer and good spirit. And what can replace a bout of girlish giggles, even some good-humoured gossip anyway?
Women who some years ago would slip into domesticity without question, their life revolving around household work, children's tuitions and examinations are today taking time off for a film with their friends , happily brunching in multiplexes or having coffee session at one another's houses.
She has evolved in these modern times, observe sociologists. "In breaking away from a four-walled existence, she is trying to move beyond her fears and interact with others in a positive manner," says Sunita Kumar, consultant psychotherapist at Apollo clinic, Kolkata.
A women get- together is usually not an intellectual rendezvous but truly happy hours away from home problems. Interacting with like minded women with similar issues regarding snoring husbands, rebel kids, nagging in-laws to more serious issues like a crumbling marriage and extra marital affair issues offers a free therapy where the friend listens patiently fully understanding the intensity of the problems and the
whole process becomes therapeutic.
"Our lives have reached a point where we are being deluged with too much work stress from our jobs and families; with my friends I escape all that and just flow and enjoy," says Reshmi Ralhan who runs her own event management company in Hyderabad called Happy Hours.
Increasing number of talk shows and reality shows on television are an example of how women bonding is highly therapeutic in cases of abuse, suppression violence. Take, for example, Oprah Winfrey's talk shows, where women speak on what troubles them and how they wriggle out of difficult situations in different ways without the help of a strong masculine shoulder.
"It's wise to shake off the buried tension by talking about your feelings, even if you don't know where the conversation may lead, most of the times it a mad chatter a meaningless conversation but we just laugh," says Ralhan.
A warm family is like a cushion but talking to your women friends gives an outlet to your pent up emotions feel many women. "Luncheons, kitty parties, yoga and movie groups along with gym sessions encourage me and my friends to loosen up and enjoy
ourselves," says Lavanya Sen, a middle- aged architect from Kolkata.
Discotheques and Lounge Bars have caught on the trend and are not lagging behind in offering sops to women revelers like festival offers and weekend discounts or keeping 'women- alone' bar nights with a welcome drink, free entry, etc .
Zara in South City mall of Kolkata and Umang in Mumbai are some pubs that have exclusive Friday nights when women can go uninhibited for a drink. The concept of 'All women holidays' is also catching up fast and indicates this trend of togetherness based on support, strength and spirit . Shireen Mehra, with a travel agency in New Delhi, stumbled on the idea of launching something exclusive for women and came out with Women on Clouds (WOC), a women's travel group, in 2008. She felt that society does not approve of women undertaking long journeys alone owing to safety reasons and accompanying a woman is always an issue in most families, leading to compulsive loneliness and anger . Girls on the Go (GOG), founded by Piya Bose, has been a hit with Mumbai women ever since it was launched last year and claims to have over 500 members on its rolls. Travel writer Sumitra Senapati of New Delhi founded WOW Club which caters solely to women travelers who like to explore exotic locales. The most recent group took an extended tour of Jordan.
Women even smaller towns like Jammu and Dehradun are shifting from quiet indoor women to outgoing fun loving women who meet up on alumni meetings, plan weekend parties or just have fun together sans the male partners.
It is not only eating, travelling and watching films together, "even shopping can be done with peace of mind without a man hurrying you up," says Madhavi Purohit, a homemaker of Jammu.
Life can be a ball even for housebound women in company of other women, these women have discovered. Is it a modern form of the age-old 'sakhi' tradition in India where bosom women-pals were common ?
