July 20, 2007 - Chennai, India

"Awake, arise, or be forever forgotten."
~ Hindi Philosophy

The role of women in India is complicated.
Some discoveries I have made:
+ You may see a man on the street completely undressed, but a woman is required to be completely covered up to the neck, even when swimming in the Ocean.
+Often, a woman has an arranged marriage at birth. Usually the marriage does not take place until after puberty or when the man is ready to take his wife. The wife almost always moves in with her husband's family.
+ One is not recognized as a woman until she becomes a mother.
+ The red dot and red line from forehead to the hair-part, represents a married woman.
+ Men don't want to marry teachers, because they are thinkers.
+ Women will leave their professions to get married and have children.
+ There is no wedding ring, instead the husband presents his bride with a toe ring, which she will wear for the rest of her life. This ring is never gold, because gold is much too precious to touch the ground.
+ Women interactions with each other are closely monitored by men. Men do not want women to be thinking or communicating too much.
+ In the last 5 years, Indian banks will give a loan to a woman, before they'll give one to man. Women return the money, even though they don't have the initial collateral.

Across the planet, including the United States, more women are graduating from college than men. Women have more buying power, worldwide. However, men continue to hold the top positions.