A bright future for girls
A bright future for girls s
On May 7, 2022, the Om Shanti Retreat Centre in Gurugram launched a campaign— Empowerment of the Girl Child. The event began with a peaceful guided meditation by one of the Brahma Kumaris (BK) sisters. The Brahma Kumaris gave a platform to girls who excelled in different fields like bike riding, music who shared their journeys with the audience. This was followed by a melodious classical music performance. At this event, Dr Mahendra Munjapara, Minister of State for AYUSH as well as for Woman and Child Development; celebrity Shehnaaz Gill, the brand ambassador of the Brahma Kumaris; BK Chakradhari, the chairperson of Women’s Wing of Brahma Kumaris; Sister BK Shivani; Ms Parul Srivastav, the joint director of the National Institute of Public Cooperation & Child Development; Ms Sheela Kakde, the president of AIWC; and Mr Ravindra Upadhyay, playback singer and composer, were present as distinguished guests.
The goal of this campaign is to focus on the girl child and empower her with skills, knowledge, and resources to enable her to make independent choices and, thus, build a progressive value-driven society. This campaign covers many edifying workshops and personal mentoring sessions for women and girls in remote and rural areas as well. It also aims to bring about a change at the grassroots level.
Sister BK Shivani said, “It is important for teachers and parents to reward children for their goodness and moral values in the same way that they are acknowledged for getting good grades at school. This will instil in them good character, strong inner values, and a higher conscience. The need of the hour is to highlight the quality of having a pure heart and mind in children.”
Dr Mahendra Munjapara, who was felicitated with a tulsi plant, said, “I wanted to be a paediatrician to be able to work closely with children. By being associated with this campaign, I have realised that dream of mine, and it gives me utmost happiness to contribute to the mental, physical, and spiritual welfare of the girl child.”
This event also included many stunning dance performances, keynote speeches by the board of directors at Om Shanti Retreat Centre, and the launch of a melodious music track dedicated to the campaign, ‘Shusanskaroki Dharohar Bharat ki Betiya,’ sung by Mr Ravindra Upadhyay. It conveys a beautiful message: when millions of girls and women come together, they can create history through the power of collective consciousness.