Bengaluru: “We want women to be educated and to stand up for their rights and raise their voice when they think they are being pulled down,” said Shrishti Bakshi, founder of CrossBow Miles. Ms Bakshi will walk from Kanyakumari to Srinagar (3,800 kilometre, 260 days and 1 billion steps) to empower women by conducting workshops on various topics ranging from sanitation, hygiene, rights, art project and many more.
The CrossBow Miles held a panel discussion in the City on Monday, throwing light on the gender divide and the growing disparity. The panel consisted of Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MP, Brinda Adiga, a woman activist, Sona Mohapatra, singer, composer and lyricist, Pragya Prasun, founder, Atijeevan Foundation, and Srishti Bakshi. The discussion was moderated by Lakshmi Pratury, founder and CEO of INK.
The panelists voiced their opinion on the prevailing gender disparity in the country. Mr Chandrasekhar said, “It is said that our country is fast developing in every aspect. But we still need to look into major issues which are basic in nature, like treating women with equality, and this can happen only when the women are educated and brought to the mainstream.”
Mohapatra said that there is gender disparity even today in every profession. “I have worked hard to make a name for myself and it was not an easy path. Recently during a major music concert in Shillong, of the 47 bands there were only four women performers and it is shocking. Our country has well-known women singers and musicians, but they are not given equal opportunity.”
The other panellists requested every woman to come out and speak up for themselves.
The campaign is aimed at empowering and educating women and girls on digital and financial literacy. Bakshi said that CrossBow Miles has tied up with Google. “We have started the ‘Internet Saathi’, where we educate women on how to use internet and mobile phones. Interested women can send us their information and we will send it to Google, who will conduct a six-month training programme. So far, we have received a list of 2,500 women.”
Bakshi, who started her walk on September 14, 2017, has covered 710 kilometres from Kanyakumari, clocking 51,59,593 steps. “The CrossBow Miles has met over 10,000 women and children. Till day, we have found that dowry and alcoholism is the major problem and we will try to find a strong solution to curb the social evil,” she said.
