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Despite the trauma of losing her daughter to a road accident, Dorris Francis has been voluntarily managing traffic at the same busy intersection in Ghaziabad for the past five years.
Carrying a broad smile on her face, when an ailing Dorris Francis stepped on the stage, the audience gave a standing ovation to this braveheart mother who was awarded at the 2nd annual international Women’s Day Awards ceremony organized by the Delhi Commission for Women.
69 year old Dorris who is currently suffering from cancer has been aptly called the ‘traffic queen’, as she ecstatically compares managing traffic to meditation. Clad in her fluorescent traffic jacket, with a cap on her head and a whistle in between her lips, Dorris is not a traffic police officer still; yet, she manages traffic at the Aitbar Pushta intersection in Ghaziabad, a suburb near Delhi.
In 2008, when one of Dorris’s daughters succumbed to her injuries after suffering for nine months due to an accident at the very same spot, she decided to not let the demise of her beloved child go in vain. Considering the fact that well-managed traffic that day could have certainly saved her daughter, Dorris vowed and took charge herself, so that no one suffers the same fate again. (And since she took charge nothing of that sort has been reported till date.) It speaks volume of her immense dedication and selfless service. She has also been featured among other ‘unsung heroes’ in a documentary by the BBC. Dorris Francis continues to offer a lesson in humanity. She is a woman of exemplary strength and an inspiration to us all.
Smiling effortlessly in her wheelchair was Swarna Raj, a lesser known face among other extraordinary awardees at this year’s DCW awards. Her legs amputated at the tender age of two, Swarna didn’t quit and took to sports as a career. A para table tennis player, who won two medals for India in the International Para Table Tennis Open, held in Thailand, she is now preparing for the next Para Olympics. Swarna is one of those tough women who did not give in to her disability, but dared to achieve, thereby making the nation proud.
I should make here a special mention of Laila Shah, a transgendered woman from Delhi who got her own share of applause from the present audience. She was awarded for her brave act in opposing and stopping communal riots in Delhi two years back. Laila fought back with all her courage, blocked the colony gate and played a major role in dispersing the angry mob. She was praised for her efforts in setting an example for the rest of the society.
It was not just women who had received applause, a few men in uniform held their heads high too. Delhi Police personnel, including a few male constables were also the recipients for their acts of bravery involving a number of women related cases, where their timely intervention saved the lives of many.
These strong, powerful, daring and enterprising women from all spheres of society were not just the day’s awardees but the torch bearers of change. A change that is exemplary, a change that is revolutionary.
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Top image via BBC documentary Unsung Indians
I writer by 'will' , 'destiny' , 'genes', & 'profession' love to write as it is the perfect food for my soul's hunger pangs'. Writing since the age of seven, beginning with poetry, freelancing, scripting and read more...
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The plight of Indian women's mental health often goes unnoticed. Co-founders Vivek Satya Mitram and Pooja Priyamvada conceived the idea of the Bharat Dialogues Women & Mental Health Summit to address this.
Trigger Warning: This contains descriptions of mental health trauma and suicide, and may be triggering for survivors.
Author’s note: The language and phraseology used are not the author’s words but the terms and narrative popularly used for people living with mental illnesses, and may feel non-inclusive. It is merely for putting our point across better.
I have seen how horrifying was the treatment given to those with mental illness.
People say that women are the greatest enemies of women. I vehemently disagree. It is the patriarchal mindset that makes women believe in the wrong ideology.
The entire world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024. It should be a joyful day, but unfortunately, not all women are entitled to this privilege, as violence against women is at its peak. The experience of oppression pushes many women to choose freedom. As far as patriotism is concerned, feminism is not a cup of tea in this society.
What happens when a woman decides to stand up for herself? Does this world easily accept the decisions of women in this society? What inspires them to be free of the clutches of the oppression that women have faced for ages? Most of the time, women do not get the chance to decide for themselves. Their lives are always at the mercy of someone, which can be their parents, siblings, husband, or children.
In some cases, women do not feel the need to make any decisions. They are taught to obey the patriarchal system, which makes them believe that they are right. In my family, I was never taught to make decisions on my own. It was always my parents who bought dresses and all that I needed.
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