by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Azamgarh (Uttar Pradesh) : Raking up the controversy over the reported remarks of Rahul Gandhi that the Congress is a party for Muslims, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday accused the Congress and other parties of wanting continuance of practices like triple talaq.
He also wondered whether the Congress was interested only in the welfare of Muslim men and not women.
“For the last two days I am hearing that a naamdar leader (a sarcastic reference to Rahul Gandhi) recently said that the Congress is a party of Muslims. I’m not surprised. Even former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh once said that Muslims have the first right over nation’s natural resources.
“But I want to ask the naamdar of Congress, congratulations to them. But please tell us whether the Congress is only for Muslim men? Or does it have space for Muslim women too because they don’t stand with Muslim women on issues of triple talaq and nikah halala,” he said addressing a public meeting after inaugurating the Purvanchal Expressway in a speech aimed at the next Lok Sabha polls in the battle ground state.
Modi said all the parties have been exposed on the issue of triple talaq. It concerns the lives of lakhs and crores of Muslim women. Even in Islamic countries, there is a ban on triple talaq, he said.
The Prime Minister’s attack on Gandhi and the Congress on the issue of Muslims came a day after Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman accused the Congress of dividing the country on communal lines and playing a dangerous game before 2019 general elections.
Citing a report in an Urdu daily which claimed that Gandhi told a meeting of Muslim intellectuals earlier this week that the Congress is a party for Muslims, she had demanded an apology from the Congress President.
The Prime Minister also accused the opposition parties of not allowing Parliament to function. “They don’t allow the Parliament to function. They stall the proceedings. I would like all anti-Modi leaders to go and meet these women who have been affected by triple talaq and nikah halala and then come to Parliament. People have to be alert about such parties.
“These parties want triple talaq to continue. I will try to make them understand and bring them together for the sake of Muslim women so that they get freedom,” he alleged.
He said these are 18th century parties in the 21st century and cannot do any good for the country.
Modi said that Purvanchal Expressway will take Uttar Pradesh to greater heights. “More than Rs 23,000 crore will be spent on the project. All cities, towns between Lucknow and Ghazipur, that fall on this route will witness a change.”
The Prime Minister also said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had changed perception about Uttar Pradesh.
“The Yogi Adityanath government has been able to control crime rate, corruption in Uttar Pradesh. He has contributed immensely in the state’s development,” Modi said.
He also said besides highways, work was also on relating to waterways and airways.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Interviews, World
By Vishal Gulati,
Da Nang (Vietnam) : Women everywhere still face everyday disadvantages. Empowering them will unlock new potential to tackle environmental challenges, President of the Marshall Islands, Hilda C. Heine, has said.
“The GEF (Global Environment Facility) has long emphasised on gender – still, every woman, especially in our Pacific nations, needs to walk the talk and make sure that they enjoy the same economic rights as men,” Heine, the first woman to lead an independent Pacific Island nation, told IANS in an interview.
Heine, who was elected President of the Marshall Islands in January 2016, was in this Vietnamese tourist resort city to address the GEF Assembly, the organisation’s highest governing body.
The assembly saw attendance of 1,200 delegates, including ministers and other representatives, from all its 183 member-countries, with bold commitments for action to avoid an environmental catastrophe.
“We have to keep working for gender-responsive government policies and programmes; decision-making and leadership; economic empowerment; ending violence against women, and ensuring effective education and sexual reproductive health services,” Heine contended.
She advocated that building capacity on gender equality also helps catalyse actions that have the potential to materialise greater environmental impact.
For Heine, the low-lying nations like hers are still grappling with an existential threat in the face of the growing global environmental crisis.
According to her, the GEF, the world’s foremost institution for financing environmental change, has given a billion dollars in grants to safeguard the environment.
“The work of GEF supporting developing countries with nationally-led emission reduction efforts and protection for millions of people vulnerable to climate change has saved lives and improved our chances for survival. Still we need a political momentum in tackling climate challenges,” a confident Heine said.
Around 50 heads of government will hold the world’s first-ever virtual summit on November 22 that Heine announced at the GEF Assembly.
The carbon-free summit will bring together leaders of the 48-nation Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), which represents many of the countries most threatened by climate change.
Heine, who will soon assume the chairmanship of the CVF, announced that the summit would be convened entirely online as a “Virtual Summit”, showcasing intentions to work in new and innovative ways and to build broader coalitions.
The summit was immediately acknowledged by global leaders like French President Emmanuel Macron and California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. Heine said it is a crucial step for helping to renew political momentum and awareness to enable the vulnerable to survive and thrive.
“Our summit will be showcasing our intensions to work in new and innovative ways and to build broader coalitions across society for the change we need.
“Small countries like mine are showing leadership through ambitious mitigation targets, we want every country to step up the ambition of their own NDCs (nationally determined contributions) if we are to stay within the 1.5 degrees Celsius temperature limit we set in Paris (in 2015),” she said.
“We are working hard to match our international engagements at the national level. Under our 2025 climate target, we have committed to a 32 percent reduction in emissions compared to 2010 levels, and we have already committed to bringing forward new and more ambitious target for 2030.”
The former Education Minister, whose country played a crucial role at the 2015 Paris climate summit, is confident that optimising tapping of renewable energy sources could help overcoming climate change mitigations.
Heine said GEF’s work supporting developing countries with nationally-led emission reduction efforts and protection for millions of people vulnerable to climate change has saved lives and improved chances for survival.
She praised GEF’s contribution to addressing chemicals and pollutants played a pivotal role in paving the way for a recovery of the ozone layer.
Describing the CVF summit as an important opportunity to accelerate action towards a low carbon future, GEF CEO and Chairperson Naoko Ishii said: “At this critical time, we all need to raise our climate ambitions and the GEF is committed to transformational change.”
“In its new four-year investment strategy, GEF puts a strong emphasis on financing for Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States,” she added.
The Sixth GEF Assembly, held once in four years, took place from June 27 to 28 here. It also saw the presence of President David Granger of Guyana and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phu of Vietnam.
(Vishal Gulati was in Da Nang for the Internews’ Earth Journalism Network Biodiversity Fellowship Programme at the Sixth Global Environment Facility (GEF) Assembly. He can be reached at vishal.g@ians.in )
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Interviews
By Sugandha Rawal,
New Delhi : Actress Huma Qureshi says people in India have a tendency to intimidate a woman when she opens up about sexual harassment, making her feel like an offender instead of a victim. She feels there is a need to create a safer and comfortable environment for women.
“To be honest, sexual harassment at work place is not being managed well. We often have a tendency to intimidate or talk against a woman when she speaks out on sexual harassment as if she is the offender not the man,” Huma told IANS in interview over the phone from Mumbai.
“We need to change the environment where more women feel safer and more comfortable to talk about who is harassing them. It is our responsibility as a society,” she added.
The actress, who opened up about facing sexual advances from people associated with showbiz and different professions, said men need to be part of the dialogue to bring a change.
“I am a feminist. When I say I am feminist, I mean an equal world. I don’t believe in an unequal world. An equal world can be created when men and women come together.
“We cannot do this without the men. We need good, strong male role models as well…So that other men have role model to follow. It has to be done together.”
When it comes to gender equality in the industry, she said: “The problem will go away when we talk about women working behind the scene. There were female actors, but there were few female technicians, women directors, editors, camera person. Today, I see a lot more women working behind the camera.
“It creates a far more safer environment.”
From “Gangs of Wasseypur”, “Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana”, “Ek Thi Daayan”, “Dedh Ishqiya” to “Jolly LLB 2”, Huma takes up strong female characters in films.
She has delivered hits like “Ek Thi Daayan”, “Badlapur” and “Jolly LLB 2”, but failed to generate the expected response with films like “Dedh Ishqiya”, “D-Day”, “Dobaara: See Your Evil” and “Kaala”.
From Shah Rukh Khan to Salman Khan to Anushka Sharma, there are many actors who are expanding their horizons by coming out with production houses. And Huma feels getting into production is the “next logical step” for every actor.
“As an actor, that is the next logical step because all actors — men or women — have certain shelf life and we have to wait for the right script and right project to come to us. It is very important as an artiste to generate work for ourself…We don’t need to be main protagonist all the time but just to be able to find interesting stuff.
“It is amazing that men and women are getting into production and creating extremely interesting content.”
The game has changed with digital platforms like Netflix and Amazon, says Huma.
“You need not rely on theatrical release. You need not be dependent on the hit or flop aspect. You can just create a work of art and that is so liberating and amazing.”
So, when is she stepping into production?
“Well, keep your eyes and ears open,” she said with a chuckle.
Asked about her next project, she said: “Going through some. I will let everyone know when it is confirmed.”
(Sugandha Rawal can be contacted at sugandha.r@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Entrepreneurship, Interviews, Women Entrepreneur
Zoya Akhtar
By Arundhuti Banerjee,
Mumbai : Bollywood filmmaker Zoya Akhtar says as more and more women make their mark in the workplace in Indian society, it is reflecting in the country’s cinema as well.
“Every time we have a woman on-screen, we can empower her in a different way rather than just giving a speech on the importance of equality and empowerment. I think sometimes we have to show her as powerful. I think the influx of women at the workplace is also changing the narratives in our cinema,” Zoya told IANS while commenting on how the image of women and woman-centric films is changing in Bollywood.
“There are women everywhere now — whether it is a film producer, director, studio head,publicist or in marketing — therefore there is a change of sensibility in the narration. As cinema is a reflection of the world around us, with more women coming into the mainstream business, more women narratives will grab the limelight,” added the 45-year-old.
Zoya’s forthcoming work is “Lust Stories”, an anthology of films by her and Karan Johar, Anurag Kashyap and Dibakar Banerjee, with whom she had earlier collaborated for “Bombay Talkies”.
On “Lust Stories”, which will release on Netflix on Friday, Zoya said: “We did not intend to make stories on women… It happened coincidentally. We did not sit together saying ‘Let’s make stories on sexual desire and lust of women’. But eventually, that has happened in all these four stories. You know why? Because that is how the world around us has changed, where a woman is voicing her thoughts on sexuality.”
Having said that, she added: “When it comes to writing characters, whether men or women, I think a good writer writes good characters. I know many men who, for years, have written strong, progressive women characters. I think how a writer and filmmaker think about women always translates into their work.”
So, which woman character reflects Zoya’s own personality?
“I write my films with Reema Kagti, and I think all the characters that I have written, somewhere or the other, reflect my thoughts, ideology and morality. I cannot choose one… But surely more flawed characters are closer to my heart,” answered the daughter of celebrated poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar.
As a filmmaker, Zoya wrote and directed the male bonding film “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara”. She believes making such a road trip film on women would be much easier today.
“Of course, the same film could have been made on women back then, but it would be easier today. But when I wrote the film, I wanted to make it on men. So I do not know if I had to struggle more to find people to back the film say seven years ago. Since I did not try, my aim was rather to make a film about three boys and their experiences.
“I cannot say how different it could have been if it was made with women. But, I am sure, commercially it may be much easier now,” said the “Luck By Chance” maker.
In “Lust Stories”, her story revolves around the class difference in our society between house helps and their employers.
“Though the film is releasing worldwide digitally, I want the Indian audience to watch it. They will be able to relate to it the most. They would identify with the situation… how differently they treat their house helps, who are practically a part of their family. They will hopefully think about how they behave and change it,” said Zoya.
(Arundhuti Banerjee can be contacted at arundhuti.b@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Entrepreneurship, Success Stories, Women Entrepreneur
16-year-old Shivangi Pathak hoisting the national flag at the highest peak in the world.
By Mudita Girotra,
Hisar (Haryana) : On May 15 this year, a teenaged girl from Haryana embarked on the very challenging task of climbing Mount Everest from the Nepal side. But having dropped her radio transceiver during the trek, she couldn’t inform anyone about her whereabouts.
With no one able to contact her, there was hushed speculation that 16-year-old Shivangi Pathak might have lost her life in one of the world’s toughest mountain terrains.
After a tense 10 hours, a great piece of news came down the mountain and, later, her family in Hisar got to know about her epic triumph — she had become the youngest Indian woman to scale the highest peak of the Himalayas.
“We were extremely worried about her safety. Our whole family kept praying for hours for her safety without eating or drinking,” Shivangi’s mother Aarti Pathak, 42, told IANS.
“It was after a really long ordeal that we got to know that not only was our girl safe, but that she had also scaled the summit. I cannot describe in words what it felt like to hear this news. We are so proud of her. She achieved what she was determined to,” the mother said.
Now a recognisable celebrity across India, the journey of this go-getter girl to this huge accomplishment began with a joke made by her mother.
“We got to hear of an Everest summiter (Mamta Sodha) being appointed as a Deputy Superintendent of Police. I jokingly told Shivangi to do something as big so she gets a similar job,” Aarti said.
Later, Shivangi saw some videos on Arunima Sinha, the first Indian amputee to climb the peak. Inspired by her, Shivangi, in November 2016, decided to climb the Everest.
She trained herself for just over a year to prepare for the challenge.
The trainer she approached initially criticised her for being “too stylish” with her hair. “She asked me if I have come to the ground or for a fashion walk. I was fat, and had long hair then,” Shivangi recalled. “It hurt. I thought that maybe I am dreaming too big.”
What seemed too big then eventually became a reality with her hard work and dedication. She got her hair cut short and toiled to get in shape. Weighing 65 kgs two years back when she decided to climb the summit, she now weighs only 48 kgs.
“I started shaping myself according to the requirements of the sport. I got my hair cut very short, started training under the same trainer, Rinku Pannu. She is my guru. She encouraged me to do it. I am immensely grateful to her,” said Shivangi.
“It is pretty funny that because I had short hair, girls who came to the ground started hitting on me thinking of me to be a boy,” she laughed.
The training session went on for six to seven hours every day. Shivangi didn’t attend school and dedicated all her time preparing to climb the Everest.
One training session included a 10-km run, weight lifting, rope -skipping. She was made to run with a backpack of 20 kgs on her shoulders.
“At times, she would tie ankle weights and run. When tired, she put them on her wrist,” said her 27-year-old trainer.
One day during her training, she suddenly woke up from her sleep around 11.30 pm as she was yet to jump rope 200 times.
“I had promised my trainer that day that I would do it 5,000 times but I couldn’t complete. So, I woke up in between to do it before midnight,” said the summiter.
Pannu exclaimed, “Look at her dedication!”
On April 1, she landed in Nepal from where she trekked up to the base camp where she reached by April 5. This was followed by over two weeks of acclimatisation.
Finally, on May 10, she began her “Everest Mission”, as she called it.
“The route was full of stones and pebbles, and it was very slippery. There were many struggles. A storm hit the range a day before I reached the summit,” Shivangi said, adding that she had to constantly motivate herself to overcome all hurdles.
“Ice on the way was very hard. It wouldn’t break. Stepping on it would make us slip. There was also a day when I fell sick due to the weather conditions, but I refused to give up,” she said.
She was accompanied by a Nepalese guide, Ang Temba Sherpa, who was with her throughout the journey.
“My guide was like god for me in that journey — he treated me like a younger sister, didn’t let me miss my family. He was with me through all ups and downs,” she explained.
On May 15, at 8.21 am, she made it. “The first person on my mind was my mother. I desperately wanted to embrace her at that moment. I was so happy I made her proud.”
Hoisting the national flag at the highest peak of the Himalayas was “a great feeling” for her. “It was a moment of pride for me. This achievement turned out to be an inspiration for many girls in Haryana and in the country,” she said.
“I feel girls can do anything. They can go anywhere. They just have to make up their mind and have faith and determination towards what they want,” she added.
She urged girls’ parents to “encourage and support” them in their goals and never let them feel they are less than the boys.
“My parents were the biggest support and that is why I know how important it is for a girl to have her parents standing by her in her decisions,” she added.
Her next target is to climb to the highest summits of the rest of the continents before she turns 18.
“Seven summits before 18,” she said.
Pannu (her coach) said that this was going to be a cakewalk for her.
“She has climbed the highest in the world, reaching the highest of the other six continents won’t be tough.”
“She is a girl of ambition. She made so many sacrifices. She never complained even when she was made to slog, gave up on all her food delights, lost weight, made herself physically fit. I have confidence in her. She can do it, she will,” Pannu said.
(The weekly feature series is part of a positive-journalism project of IANS and the Frank Islam Foundation. Mudita can be contacted at mudita.g@ians.in)
—IANS
