I have decided to join AAUW,
a women’s organization, dealing with multiple women-centered issues and
problems. So, I paid the required fee, volunteered to help on the website and
got an invitation to attend their meeting, going to be held at one of the
member's house. Being a software engineer I was offered the role of a web editor.
At the scheduled time, I reached
the house, rang the doorbell and a small boy opened the door, probably the
grandson of the lady. She herself came to invite me inside, visibly shocked to
see me as I was merely 30 years of age. She was in her seventies, took me
inside. There was a dining table, around which sat a few other ladies, most of
them in their seventies and I couldn’t escape the surprised looks of them to
see so young a girl in their organization. One of two of them were in their
sixties, all White American women, and me, an Indian girl. Despite their age,
they all looked confident, determined to do something for their nation.
There were coffee and tea, a few
brownies and pastries, but I just took a cup of coffee, feeling shy and hesitant
to take more on the first encounter. They were thoroughly prepared, equipped
with pens and papers, a habit of their generation. They spoke about a number of
women-centered problems, decided to felicitate a few female authors and
novelists. Then began the gossip, friends’ health issues, and family problems.
Sitting there amidst them, I kept
wondering the mystery of life I kept asking whether I was dreaming, whether I
was there for reality! ‘Who am in’, I thought, a normal girl from an unknown
city of India, sitting there amidst these old and dynamic women of America,
listening to their chatter, participating in their conversations, is it all real?
I kept wondering about the mystery of life and so on.
The time came when we all got up, parted with smiles and
with good luck for future meetings. My heart felt overwhelmed with the day’s
adventure, hungry for more encounters.
