Unreduced, Unstoppable

“I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.” — Maya Angelou

What better inspiring thought to begin the International Women’s Day issue of Samhita than this, by the legendary Maya Angelou. As I reflect on the month gone by – March 2026 – I feel so fortunate to have interacted (observed) with some amazing women who define this very statement.

• Nelamma from Mysore, a 70+ year old woman grave digger
  since 2005-ensuring every single day the graves she digs give a dignified, safe and graceful haven to the human body. I was felicitated along with her as a woman achiever by a Foundation recently where the awardees spoke. She chose to smile and just say a few words on stage though her YouTube conversations are very eloquent. She buries 3-4 bodies a day at very nominal charges and lives with her family in the graveyard with snakes, peacocks, monkeys, trees and tombstones for company. There is an earthy wisdom that comes from her life experiences. Pride that comes from the joy of her occupation. To me she personifies “The most effective way to do it, is to do it.” — Amelia Earhart.

   

• During a 1 to 1 women startup mentoring program, I saw a young mother from a Tier 2 city on screen, profusely apologizing for joining a bit late to the session. With an infant resting on her hand, sleeping blissfully, she deftly opened the laptop with the other and made a beautiful presentation about her startup business. I was already impressed by her commitment to pursue her startup and attend the mentoring session with no personal excuses. As the slides moved on, it unraveled this young mother’s grit, hope, risk-taking ability, and never-say-die attitude – she had built a special purpose chair for her first born who was diagnosed with a rare kind of neurological condition that limited his movements. She had turned it into a furniture business for the special-needs children and was seeking some legal advice from me. I was dumbfounded by her zeal and enthusiasm that defied her present condition. She stood for “Turn every adversity into an opportunity.”
  

   

• Picture this: A young lady driving an electric autorickshaw with an infant in one hand. As I was stepping out to attend a Women’s Day event, I saw this EV whizz past me that left me wondering if it was a real or an AI moment! While one may argue that this is not safe for her, her baby and the passengers, it left me thinking – what choice does this mother have if she must earn her living and take care of her baby? Does her financial and family condition allow her to hire a house-help or drop the baby at a day-care centre or Anganwadi? What drove her to do this? I truly wished this was a long, red-signal Bengaluru traffic moment where I could have asked her all these questions 😊

   

• At the Vonisha (https://www.vonishafoundation.org/) Women Empowerment Programme Graduation Ceremony, I was greeted by a large number of happy women of all ages, proudly displaying their tailoring and embroidery products. They beamed with pride and self-esteem as they shared their joy about skilling, financial independence, teaching, leading their own units and above all building a network of empowered women. They enjoyed their freedom, made new sakhis (friends) and shared their problems, finding a new identify beyond their kitchens! Who knows any of them could turn an Estée Lauder who said “I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.” 

I am sure each of you can think of the amazing women from your everyday lives that make each day a Women’s Day! The 322nd issue of Samhita is also put together by a bunch of spirited women (men included😊) with updates from MCA, IBBI, RBI, DGFT, GST, IT, SEBI etc. This issue also carries Annual Compliance Calendar for FY26-27.

For any previous issues of Samhita and the readers’ feedback, please visit http://www.sharadasc.com/resource-center/.