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Behind the scenes of an International Women’s Day edition

Let us put the debate on the discussion why dedicate a single day to women and go gaga over it aside.

On days like March 8, especially on days like that, the world gets further divided into two camps, upholders and challengers. With 2.61 million lives lost to Covid-19, a lesson that we have re-learnt is that no single day is enough to acknowledge life, genders aside. Let us put the debate on the discussion why dedicate a single day to women and go gaga over it aside. Now that it is off our chests, we can warm up to the idea that whilst fighting stereotypes is always a good idea and feminism is a word that never fails to trend, we need both, just as much as we need to ween off it; with ‘we’ a representation of her and him, she and he, and us and them.

So, when Khaleej Times’ women editors got into a meeting room, masked-up, their raised brows and eyes that smiled said the same thing, “So, we’re here to pat each other’s backs for the work spirit we ooze 365 days (plus one, for the year gone by). Compliments are lovely for any soul, male or female, so let’s do it, why not!” An edition by the women, for humankind, was established as the guiding principle, just as it would be on any other day in the newsroom, irrespective of the gender of the person, who sat on the chairs.

The friendly discussions got animated when in unison, the team decided against the colouring of the edition in pink, after all, little things count as well (and why not). And while am at it, a little ode to the costume designer of Frozen’s Elsa, who told us that it was okay to wear blue and that a sister can be the knight. Our male head designer too seemed happy with the call and suggested we use the colour purple, and so it was.

So, in your hands yesterday were the hues and ideas, views and news that matter to the world inhabited by each of us. For, at Khaleej Times, the space is as much ours as our male colleagues, for interestingly the idea for such an edition came from the male editors. And since we are still celebrating each other, here’s our little more of the wonderment and a question to ponder over.

The women are continuously adapting, absorbing, growing, leading, inspiring, changing, struggling, and balancing, who is preparing the men for this ‘new’ world? For men too are doing all that and more, if one may add, a few are beginning to step into our shoes just as they are being told to keep it together, for it doesn’t suit for them to be weak? They’re tying their hair into man buns as they cook and getting ‘labelled’. Who’s been teaching this world that you can’t be strong, compassionate, and ambitious at the same time? It’s time to correct that. For, we at KT are leaders, writers, parents, partners, icons, and everything else in between and beyond; just like our male counterparts.

purva@khaleejtimes.com