IF I COULD BE A WOMAN FOR A DAY, I WOULD BE.....

If I could be a woman for a day, I would be... In this edition of Male Menu, we asked three men if they could be a woman for a day, who would they choose to be and why... Thoughtful, honest, appreciative and touching, here’s what they had to share.... Mike E LillyFounder president, Sangkalpa Having known and worked with several noted women, including Mother Teresa and Jane Goodall, as well as my own mother who is 89 years old and still in charge, it would be easy to reflect and write about them. I like who I am so I don’t want to change even for an article, but more importantly I don’t need to change. Because, I am so truly fortunate and honoured to be married to such an outstanding woman, my hero, Sushma Maharjan Lilly, that she is my one and only true choice in answering this question.  I don’t need to become her either as we get to share a life together. We mirror each other’s thoughts and beliefs as we strive to do good for all here in Nepal. She has, by her supreme love and understanding, transformed me to becoming a complete person. All my goodness within my heart came out because of our mutual love and her patience. Sush is such a beautiful attractive graceful woman. Her style and manner are sweet and feminine as she kind-heartedly helps those in need. When she enters a room she commands attention as her aura fills the setting with warmth and cheerfulness. Through her health struggles and her dear sweet Mother’s passing, we have learned to rely on one another. I am so inspired by her determination to do good, it has reinvigorated me to excel in all I do. I do actually ask myself, “What would Sushma do?” or “What would Sushma think?” when I have a concern and she is not readily available. So everyday, I witness this awesome, gorgeous, lovely woman and feel uplifted and blessed. I continue to pray and do good works so I can emulate Sushma everyday for the rest of my life. Dr Minendra Rijal  Member, Constituent Assembly If I could be a woman for a day, I would be my daughter, Anita Rijal, who is 22 years of age now. Because, first, I would be young and would get to see the world from the eyes of the following generation and get a better understanding of the aspirations of the youth of today. I would be adequately sensitive to, among other things, issues related to gender and environment, and thus become a better citizen. Second, I would be able to look at myself from the eyes of my children, be a better critic of myself, and thus be a better father. Anil Keshary Shah  Chief executive officer, Mega Bank If I could be a woman for a day, I would choose to be Bhinda Swari Shah, my mother. For her, life’s journey has been epic in every sense, and one from which I have learnt and grown at every step of my own life’s journey. She was born in a Bhaktapur Malla family in which her father Padama Sundar Malla’s caste was taken away for having crossed the seven seas and gone to America for higher education, thus taking the family to India where she did her schooling in St Helen’s, Kurseong. In her final year she took part in a global New York Post essay competition and won, the prize being a trip to the United States. She went to the States and was offered a scholarship to do her Bachelors in Bernard University, in which she excelled and then got a full scholarship in Johns Hopkins to do her Masters. After completing this, she returned to Nepal and took the Public Service Commission exams to enter the Foreign Ministry. She got through and then was posted back to the Nepal Embassy in Washington DC. It was there that she met my father and a journey of unique love started. He, the son of a Thakuri, that to the Raja of Bhirkot and she, a newar Malla of Bhaktapur – their marriage was a very high profile one between two castes in an era when acceptance levels were not very high, yet my grandparents’ support and their love made it all happen. Then there was me and my younger brother Ujjal to add more spice in her life. Being a professional woman dedicated to her career and yet a caring and loving mother, what she did was remarkable in so many levels. To rise in the civil service to become the first Nepali woman to be an Ambassador, while all along being a great life partner to my father and an amazing mother to my brother and me. And even today when at times I feel weakened by the loss of my father and younger brother, I look into her eyes and see the courage that gives me strength to go on. If I could be a woman for a day I would definitely be her, for she taught me everything I know, to make me all I am today by not only making me a good son to her, but a good son to my mother Nepal as well.