Indian Army celebrated international women’s day in Kupwara

Srinagar: Indian Army celebrated international women’s day to promote the agenda of ‘women equality and women empowerment’ in the frontier Kashmir district of Kupwara on Wednesday, officials said.

As many as 450 young girls and women from neighbouring villages of Panzgam attended the event held at Girls Higher Secondary School Lunahara Kupwara.

International women’s day is celebrated every year on March 8 to commemorate the cultural, political, and socioeconomic achievements of women.

International wheelchair basketball player Ishrat Akhter was also present on the occasion.
Akhter is instrumental in the formation of J&K’s first female wheelchair basketball team, inspiring young girls to participate in sports by setting an example for them by achieving success in her field despite adversities.

The emerging star in sports from Kashmir Tajamul Islam an International Kickboxing Gold Medallist, delivered motivational lectures to inspire the women folk to take up sports as a way of life.

She candidly brought out how she faced the similar challenges in her house and the society, where everyone dissuaded her to take up her passion for sports.

However, she said her parents supported her during her journey towards achieving the success she always dreamt of.

The young girls showcased their talent by creating artwork on the theme ‘Best out of Waste’ which highlighted their abilities. They also actively participated in the drawing and quiz competitions held on the occasion.

It was heartening to see the participation by the girls who overcame their fears of stage fright to put up a display of group songs, lecture on G20 summit awareness and motivational talk on the need for women to stand up for their rights within their homes.
A tree plantation drive at Trehgam was also conducted by girl students of Hajipir Army Goodwill School on the occasion. A total of 55 students and school staff planted 100 trees provided by SBI Branch of Trehgam.

The Indian Army in Trehgam & Panzgam has been actively involved in encouraging women to come forward and share the same pedestal with men by establishing and running skill development centres.

The women are being trained in these centres to become frontline health workers and develop skills in cutting and tailoring so they can support themselves with such talent.

In the past 12 months, these skill centres have trained over 300 women and girls.
Commander Hajipir Brigade complemented the women who have been spearheading this initiative of upskilling other girls and stitching of national flags for sale and distribution and also honoured during the event.

He urged people to take a pledge to empower women and give them their due rights so that they can contribute meaningfully to the growth of the Kashmir valley as well as the country.
He mentioned that education is the first step towards women empowerment and gave away books to all participants of the event to enlighten them as to what women are capable of achieving.
UNI