Life after Divorce

For many women the thought of divorcing is almost too horrible to contemplate, too risky and  too scary, leaving you insecure both emotionally and financially as well as vulnerable.  But for one woman it was a step which put her onto the path of living again.

Elizabeth Gilbert was born in 1969 and was brought up  on a small family farm in Waterbury, Connecticut in the United States.  The farm was isolated and there were no neighbours, no television nor even a record player.  As is often the case when people are thrown back onto their own devices she escaped into her imagination and entertained herself and her sister by writing little books and plays. 

She could have had no idea that later in life she would write a novel that would prove to be such a phenomal success.  The novel 'Eat Pray Love' is such a novel.  By July 2010 it  had been on the New York Times  'Best Seller List'  for 180 weeks.  It has recently been made into a film of the same name starring Julia Roberts. Her come back film after many years off the wide screen.   Basically it is the story of a thirty something woman facing a mid life dilemma, should she stay or should she go?  After a bitter divorce she sets of on her own journey of discovery, travelling to Italy, India and Bali.

During one of her conversations with a friend she said "I want to go some places where I can marvel at something".  She has certainly done that in many more ways than one.  The book has sold over 7 million copies in over 30 languages.  During her travels she goes to India and this has not been lost on women who have either seen the film or read the book.  Many more people have been to India this last year including women travelling solo or with other women's groups.

With the recent global financial downturn, it would seem that western materialism would appear to be to steering many people towards a more spiritual search for inner peace and India certainly provides this if  you are willing to look.

Women and Leadership.

As a former Police Sergeant and  lawyer, and having worked around the courts and prisons a great deal of my life, I am full of admiration for this woman, especially as she is Indian which by any definition is a very macho country.

Kiran Bedi was born on the 9th June 1949, the second of four daughter's, already a difficult start in India. Although born into a  well to do family she was nevertheless aware of her privileged position compared to the majority of Indian children.  Her parents sacrified a great deal in order for their daughter's to go to the best schools, learn sports and to be exceptional in a male dominated country.

Having become a lawn tennis champion as a teenager, Kiran Bedi went onto to graduate in Arts and then obtain a Master's degree in Political Science.  She then went into active service with the Indian Police and obtained a law degree (LLB) from Delhi University.  In 1993 she was awarded a Ph.D in Social Sciences by the Department of Social Sciences.

She is a courageous woman both in her personal life as well as her public life, for  she also kicked the traces when it came to relationship's. She did not believe in the dowry system.  This is where the girl's family give the boy's family goods and money in return for their daughter's marriage.  She was also not willing to be domesticated, wishing to concentrate on her career and so ended the relationship.  This would have taken a great deal of strength of mind and courage.

It is not surprising therefore that she went on to become India's first and highest ranking woman in the Indian Police Service. She then became the Director General of one of Delhi's toughest and largest prisons and began to turn a hellish institution into a humane one.  Many prisons around the world would do well to look into her methods, but that is another story!

India dazzles and never disappoints you visit http://www.tigertravel.co.uk/

The Bandit Queen

Phoolan Devi - who?   Very few people outside of India know who this woman is or have ever heard of her and yet she has had a remarkable life.  She was born not in the last century but in 1963 and her name translates to 'goddess of flowers' in Hindi.  But her life was anything but a bed of roses! Born into the lower mallah caste (boatmen).

From a young age she was repeatedly raped by men of various standing and was oppressed, molested and undervalued.  The final straw would seem to come after the breakdown of her marriage when she became a social outcast, although  her life up until this point had been a series of disasters, disappointments and injustice.  At one point spending a short time in jail and being repeatedly beaten and raped.  This experience left her indelibly scarred and ignited her hatred for men who routinely denigrated women.   She then became akin to the 'Robin Hood' of her area, a superwoman to the economically and socially lower classes.

In 1979 a gang of dacoits (bandits) abducted Phoolan.   She became the symbol of people like herself but unlike most women and especially Indian women she chose to take vengeance in a more extreme manner. Having been taught how to use a rifle she took part in the dacoits raids on high-caste villages where they would ransack their houses and kidnap upper-caste landowners for ransom. 

Despite being labelled a murderer, kidnapper and self appointed desperado  she became a legend within her own lifetime. Phoolan Devi became a famous female warrior and rebelled against the Indian social system. 

Following a massacre in an Indian village in 1981 when twenty-two men were killed, there followed a massive police hunt for her, but they did not find her.  She eventually surrendered herself to the police in 1983 denying any involvement in the killings.

After 11 years in prison, justice prevailed and the charges were dropped and she was a free woman.  She then stood for election and became a 'Member of Parliament' for a town in Northern India.  At the time she was quoted as having said  "My main goal is that things that only the rich and privileged have enjoyed until now should also be given to the poor: for example drinking water, electricity, schools and hospitals...."

On the 25th July 2001 Phoolan Devi was assassinated, being fatally shot as she got out of her car at the gate of her New Delhi residence.

Make what you will of her life, was she a bad woman or one who had had the great misfortune to suffer within the Indian caste system and at the hands of men?  Whatever you decide there is no getting away from the fact that she was denied a life with dignity even in the manner of her death.

To see this amazingly complex country visit http://www.tigertravel.co.uk/

Famous Woman Bullfighter.

One thing that Spain is renowed for is bullfighting.  For many Spaniards it is an art form and courageous, but for many others around the world it is felt to be cruel in the extreme.  Just as the UK banned fox hunting there is now a movement in Spain to ban bullfighting.    In July 2010 the Catalonian parliament voted to ban it, the first region of mainland Spain to do so. The ban will take effect from January 2012.

Whilst the main and oldest bullring is in Barcelona, support for bullfighting has waned.  Just as in the UK with foxhunting the argument against banning is that it will affect many livelihoods as well as possible tourism.  

It has a deep rooted tradition and the fight usually lasts some 20 minutes.  During this time the bull is stabbed several times before a fatal blow with a sword between the shoulder blades.  

One of the most famous fans of bullfighting was Ernest Hemingway  an America  writer who wrote about it in his well known book.

A lesser known  fact is that a woman called Cristina Sanchez who was born in 1972 in Madrid was also a famous bullfighter.  Upon leaving school she started her working life in a beauty salon, but soon changed to bullfighting.  Having been in bullrings in both Mexico and Ecuador she debuted in Madrid one week before her 21st birthday.  She was a very successful female bullfighter having cut a total of 316 bull ears.  This is a sign of conquest over the bull. 

Cristina Sanchez was viewed by many people as a step towards the feminist movement in Spain in the 1990's, as bullfighting was and is still  regarded as a macho sport. She retired however in 1999 as she felt she was not being given sufficient credit and top billings because she was a woman, indeed many of the male matadors refused to be billed alongside her. A film of her life can be obtained from the link below.

http://icarusfilms.com/new97/sunshadow.html

Why not come and see Spain for yourself visit http://www.senoritasinthesun.com/