Now, even old-fashioned accept working women

VARANASI: Sending her two kids to school and managing the affairs of a beauty parlour in Kabir Nagar Colony (Durgakund) has been a smooth transition for Kumkum Aggrawal, a housewife turned beauty parlour owner. She is now a working woman who is also capably running her household.
While she takes immense pleasure in accomplishing work that is close to her heart, she is also more than happy to find more women foraying into professions of their choice from an area that is considered a residential colony with traditional mindset."It was never in my mind when I started my parlour that I would be starting a new trend in the locality. Basically, I wanted to do something that was close to my heart and also try out something new. Luckily, I had enough spare time to work on my plans and my husband was also very supportive in the endeavour," Kumkum, who started the parlour a decade, said. She now provides training to other women interested in the field.
As the list of working women has grown in the locality, it has also brought a noticeable change in the mindset of the locals as the strong objection to the tradition is no longer visible. "It always augurs well for the family if there are more earning hands. I think if there is mutual understanding and trust in a relationship, little adjustments can be easily done to suit the family needs without compromising on various (essential) jobs," said Santosh Singh. He has helped his wife in joining a private bank in order to bring economic stability in the family.
Similarly, there are other working women, like Pallavi in Gandhi Nagar (Sigra), who work at BPO training centre in Rathyatra. They feel the job provides them much-needed confidence to tackle life. "It not only gives us a sense of freedom and economic empowerment but also reduces dependence on other members. I believe a working woman is in a strong position to carry herself and it is reflected in the way she is treated in the society," Pallavi maintained.
How one of the world's oldest living cities has accepted to the needs and demands of working women can also be understood by the fact that a number of residential colonies and newly constructed multi-storied buildings in different parts of the city are offering flats and rooms, either on rental or paying guest basis, to them. While the number of working women hostels (WWHs) are restricted with most of them confined to Sigra and adjoining areas of the city, posh colonies like Ravindrapuri, Lanka and Mahmoorganj are more than willing to accommodate working women.
Even, coaching hubs like Durgakund (where most of the premier coaching institutes for engineering and medical entrance examinations are located) have significant presence of working women. "Most of the working women are organised and they usually stick to the deadline for paying their rents. Also, they adhere to the time limit for coming back to their rooms and maintain discipline," said Shalini Sharma, owner of a working women hostel in Lanka.
"Getting the tag of working women has actually helped me in attracting good marriage proposal and recently my in-laws also visited the place where I stayed to get a first-hand experience of how I lived. I am going to be married soon and also continue with my job as there is no pressure from my in-laws to leave the job after marriage. I think it is a good change and positive outlook, reposing confidence and faith in working women," said Geetanjali, sales manager at a private insurance company.