Imagine-
“You hurriedly correct your messy saree and step through the classroom doors. In a class of sixty students, you walk towards the bench where only three girls of the batch sit together. The professor enters and you all rise to greet, “Good morning, sir,” it’s never never “Good morning, ma’am,” because there are barely any female teachers on the staff.
You open your old textbooks, their pages slightly worn, because your parents never really cared enough to buy you new ones. And no, you cannot entirely blame them. What is the point of all this education anyway, if you are eventually going to be married off? Why endure risky daily travel, the catcalling, the lack of proper washroom facilities, the constant time restrictions, the suffocating rules?
Your desire to study is labelled outrageous, ill mannered, and stamped with that overused verdict, “Zyada udti hai, sanskaari nahi hai.”
Perhaps it is easier, you think, to drop out and sit at home.”
Robert Frost once wrote, “I have miles to go before I sleep.” Yes, we do. But sometimes, before we walk further, it is important to pause and look back at how far we have already come.
The scene described above is not my mere imagination. It was the lived reality of countless female students, a few decades ago. That was how classrooms in the 20th century often looked. Through the sweat and sacrifice of our foremothers, through relentless resistance against rigid societal norms, change slowly carved its way into existence. So now, let us take a moment to sit with that truth and reflect on what has been achieved.
What now feels like a miserable imagination, was once, a daily reality for many women. And in some parts of the world, it still is.
Cut to 2025. (Let’s take a cinematic shot of Lucknow University) The classrooms are now filled with girls. (In fact, let us admit, they are often more regular with attendance.) Women move across campuses freely. There is no compulsion to wear sarees or suits. They show up in T shirts, skirts, trousers, frocks, tracks, whatever they feel comfortable in. Clothing is no longer a cage but a choice.
There was a time when using public transport alone was considered unsafe for girls, almost unthinkable. Now, stand for a moment in a metro security queue. The female guard can barely sit for a second because the line never seems to end. Exhausting, yes. But beautiful, too.
And do not tell me you have not met those female friends who own their personal vehicles. What was once considered a man’s territory, these Dhoom 3 inspired girls conquer with confidence. They drive, they navigate, they explore. They are literally your true ‘ride or die’ friends.( Although yes, sharing the petrol cost is still appreciated.)
Washrooms may still be messy at times, but the very existence of proper facilities on campus is no longer debated. We need to remember, what seems like a basic right today was once a rare privilege.
And my God, I have seen girlhood bloom in the most unexpected corners! That compliment from a stranger while adjusting your hair in front of the mirror? The exchange of fashion tips and lip liner brand recommendations? The quiet sharing of sanitary napkins without hesitation?The silent understanding that passes between women who may not even know each other’s names?
It is so beautiful to be a girl in a safe circle.
Truly speaking, my heart does a small happy dance when I see groups of girls gossiping in the PMP park, a reel being shot near the department buildings, a fashion walk taking place in broad daylight, clumsy badminton matches at Shivaji Ground, or a group dance lighting up the Malviya Auditorium. No one forcing them to cover their faces. No one dictating how loudly they may laugh. No one demanding lowered eyes. No one.
It all comes down to two words-
“Their choice.”
And yes, it truly is.
These are modern day women. Not submitting quietly to every societal expectation. Not clipping their own wings to fit into narrow definitions of respectability. The sky belongs to them, and this time, they know it.
Girls who were once asked to lower their voices in front of men, now have daughters who command entire contingents of cadets. Lucknow University has four NCC battalions, with seats reserved for female cadets in each. The very spaces that once hesitated to admit them now proudly represent them.
Remember those irritating neighbourhood uncle-aunties who used to say, “Beti hai, sheher se bahar bhej ke mat padhao”? Today, they can be shown the stacks of hostel registration forms piling up at the office. So many that it is difficult to secure a room at Kailash or Nivedita Girls Hostel.
And somewhere, parents are smiling as they say, “Hamari ek beti hai, bahar padh rahi hai.”
Oh, how times have changed!
Yes, problems still exist. There are complaints, struggles, and battles still left to be fought . Progress is not perfection. But we are far ahead of where we once stood, and we are not stopping here.
The women of the past paved the way with courage. The least we can do is walk it boldly. Some day, in future, girls will sit in these same classrooms and look back at us. I hope they feel proud of what we chose to protect and what we chose to challenge.
The women of the seventies and eighties did not give up on their education. They endured taunts, restrictions, and resistance so that we could sit here today. May every insult they swallowed, every tear they hid, every effort they made be worth it.
As Robert Frost wrote,
“I have miles to go
before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.”