| Hillary praises Delhi girl's poem in memoirs IANS |
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The title of the chapter has been taken from the poem, written by Anasuya Sengupta, and presented to the former first lady on her trip to India. Clinton reveals in Living History that the chance gift of the poem saved her from a writer's block and presented her with a theme and a cause she was to take up earnestly later -- that of the women whose voices were never heard. Of the reasons behind her visit, she said: "The State Department had asked me to visit the subcontinent to highlight the administration's commitment to the region... I had wanted to visit India ever since I was a freshman in college." "Before I decided on law school, I had considered going to India to study or teach. A quarter century later, I was making my first trip there, representing my country. Bill (President Clinton) had asked me to go because he wanted to oversee the development of good relations with India after 40 years of the Indian policy of non-alignment and its ties with the Soviet Union during the Cold War." More than reasons of state, it is the author's human quest that comes through. "I wanted to see for myself the world's largest democracy and learn more about grassroots efforts to spur development and women's rights. I was excited about what I'd be seeing, even though I knew my time and exposure would be limited." The poem by Sengupta was a turning point. "I had agreed to make a speech on women's rights at the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, but I was having trouble writing it. I was looking for one clear image that would express what I wanted to say. At the women's luncheon, Meenakshi Gopinath, the principal of Lady Sri Ram College presented me with my inspiration -- a hand-printed poem written by one of her students, Anasuya Sengupta. It was called Silence, and it began: Too many women In too many countries Speak the same language Of silence... "I couldn't get the poem out of my head. As I worked on my speech late into the night, I realised I could use the poem to convey my belief that issues affecting women and girls should not be dismissed as 'soft' or marginal but should be integrated fully into domestic and foreign policy decisions... The voices of women became my theme, and I decided to end my speech by quoting the poem." Numbed by jet lag and sleeplessness Hillary said she could barely see the pages. She concluded with these lines from the poem: We seek only to give words To those who cannot speak (too many women In too many countries) I seek only to forget The sorrows of my grandmother's silence. Hillary said: "The poem struck a chord with the audience members. Anasuya, lovely, humble and shy in the face of all the publicity her poem generated, was astounded that women all over the globe were requesting copies of it. "Her words also affected my travelling companions in the Washington press corps, who responded to me personally to what I was saying about women's lives and rights. Reporters asked me after my speech why I hadn't addressed these issues sooner... The transformation that took place in my relationship with the press was one of the pleasantest surprises of the trip." Living History is itself making history with a record first printing run of one million copies. It sold 1,000 copies at the opening book signing at the Barnes & Nobles bookstore at Fifth Avenue and 48th Street here Monday morning. |
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