AFVOA Newletter August 2020

Section 6 – eConnect Reviews CV 2 No. 02 / 2020 Page 205 of 237 As one of the participants brought it out, the men in uniform who are usually associated with bravery and quick thinking in the face of the enemy were all swept off their feet today by the sheer brilliance, grace, honesty and humility of the most articulate and gutsy Ms Meenakshi Arvind. She is indeed a source of inspiration for all of us. She said travel is all about learning and it is the biggest classroom where one acquired knowledge on history, geography, polity and culture, all at once. While women have made exceptional strides in all domains in the post independent India, the last two decades stand out for a few gutsy women venturing into domains hitherto dominated only by men. About 100 years after Bharathiyar penned his dream of ��ைமப்ெபண் (Woman of the new age), the following lines of his poem seem to come to life in their fullest glory now. இல���ைட நாற்�ைச நா�கள் யா�ஞ்ெசன்���ைம ெகாணர்ந்�ங்ேக …… ……………… �ல��ட்�ேலார் ெபாந்�ல்வளர்வைத �ரப் ெபண்கள்�ைர�ல்ஒ�ப்பாராம் . ……………… �த்த ெபாய்ம்ைமகள்யா�ம்அ�ப்பராம் �டக் கட்�க்கள்யா�ந் தகர்ப்பராம் The above verses loosely translate as follows : (The woman of the new age) …would travel the world over and bring back modernity ...would abhor the practice of being compelled to stay indoors …would destroy all age old superstitions …would break out of all unreasonable binds imposed on her Ms Meenakshi Arvind dreamt out of the box and achieved it in style. Her free spirit knows no boundaries. The International borders are mere imaginary lines on the ground for her. All of us have heard the popular Tamil quote from our Sangam era poet Kaniyan Poongundranar which goes thus “ யா�ம்ஊேர யாவ�ம் ேகளிர் “. This translates in English as “To us all towns are one, all men are our kin”. Her adventurous travels across continents make Ms Meenakshi Arvind a living example in flesh and blood of this lofty ideal. In short, she is a ��ைமப்ெபண் and a wholesome woman of substance!