On Women's Day, why can't we get a day off?

Like most "equalists" out there, you're going to say, "Why should women get an off for just being women, when they're fighting for equality?"

Okay, point taken, but hear us out for a minute (or five).

Why do we celebrate Diwali? Because Lord Ram supposedly returned home a gazillion years ago, so we still light diyas and distribute sweets in the spirit of the festival. Spirit, that's the keyword.

So, if we can keep the spirit alive for Lord Ram, why not for half the world's hard-working population? Actually, that's 48 per cent in India, because we don't like kids if they're born with non-male gentiles.

But that debate is for another day. Today is International Women's Day, and all of us (especially the ones demanding a Men's Day) ought to know why it was brought into existence in the first place.

Haters, get your dictionaries out, please. This is going to be a bumpy ride.

So, Working Women's Day was first celebrated on February 28, 1909, in New York, in remembrance of a strike in 1908 of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union — there were 15,000 women who marched through New York to demand social and political rights. Yes, that's as old as 1908 — 109 years ago.

Since women weren't allowed to voice their opinions then (they are now, aren't they?) the first modern International Women's Day was celebrated in 1914, five years later, on March 8, which was a Sunday. Celebrating the day on a Sunday gave the women time to participate in marches and other events.

So, technically, International Women's Day should be celebrated on the second Sunday of March. But it is not. It is instead celebrated on March 8, thanks to the United Nations, who made the day its own in 1977 — it took them 63 years to see sense in celebrating the day, but we're not complaining.

In fact, since 1996, the UN has been assigning a theme to every International Women's Day. This year's theme is, Be Bold For Change.

As of today, the United Nation's definition of International Women's Day is: "A day when women are recognised for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. It is an occasion for looking back on past struggles and accomplishments, and more importantly, for looking ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of women."

And as most of you might not know, the day calls for an official holiday in countries such as Mongolia, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Zambia and Vietnam, and only for women in China, Madagascar and Nepal.

This year, in fact, the women of America are celebrating International Women's Day by taking part in a one-day protest, and not going to work, to be able to raise awareness about economic inequality, reproductive rights, civil liberties and ending violence through marches. The day has been labelled “A Day Without A Woman”, and is being marked by the colour red. In fact, various schools in North Carolina and Virginia have been declared shut due to unavailability of staff.

So, are we really asking for too much? A day off today, just so we can together work towards a brighter, safer India for women of the future generations doesn't sound like too bad an idea, does it?

Also read - Why Pakistan doesn't have enough reason to celebrate Women's Day