– An article by Shreya Raolji and Shivani Gadre
International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks the need to work towards achieving gender equality. Worldwide various groups come together to celebrate women’s achievements or rally for women’s equality through a range of activities, events, conferences and other means.
International Women’s Day is celebrated on the 8th of March every year to celebrate women’s achievements, to educate and raise awareness for women’s equality, towards a positive change in women; advancement and development in various sectors and to help
fund-raise for a multitude of female-focused charities. Thousands join in the celebrations that include campaigns, events, rallies, performances, festivals, marathons and all such events as the celebration of this day does not discriminate on the basis of gender or region, thereby being the most inclusive worldwide social campaign and celebrations.
The UN theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”. This theme is aligned with the priority theme for the upcoming 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW-67), “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls”
On the occasion of International Women’s Day (IWD), Our Vadodara will be joining in the global celebrations through our home-grown campaign #WomenDoItAll. This campaign was launched with the aim of covering female-centric stories of women engaging in unconventional professions.
Due to the patriarchal atmosphere that we have been socialized in since our childhood, we have certain prejudiced notions towards divided roles for both men and women. However, as time progressed and people began delving into an inclusive mindset, gender roles are no longer restrictive but are ambiguous. The aforementioned divided roles would include the classic ‘woman as a homemaker and the man as a breadwinner’ which now would straight up be CANCELLED. As times progress and the roles become more inclusive, now seeing women in sports, STEM, outside of the four walls of their homes and away from their kitchen platforms is what we celebrate, among other aspects.
As part of the #WomenDoItAll campaign, we bring in stories from women and those identifying themselves as one, where they share their journey with us, their struggles, their achievements, their pillars of strengths and of course, their audacity (what patriarchy thinks!) that guided them toward success and their liberation from the shackles of extreme patriarchy since times immemorial.
We at Our Vadodara had a candid chat with Mrs. Anjali Dipak Halwai, a veteran female professional shooter from Vadodara.
OV: “Ma’am, as an award-winning professional shooter in your capacity, can you tell us why you chose this as a sport and as something that you wanted to engage with? Because on the basis of stereotypical notions that the society set for women, shooting and similar activities are often considered a ‘male-oriented’ sport rather than something women would dabble in. So how did you find your way around this?”
Mrs. Anjali: “ I have always been interested in Sports, since college. But it’s not just me, almost every woman in my family has been a sportsperson, mothers, daughters, grand-daughters. Every generation has seen a set of female sportspersons. Moreover, people around me knew about this, about the fact that I have always had an inclination towards sports.”
OV: “Somebody as well-trained, confident, indomitable such as yourself, have you ever faced any difficulties in your journey? Because, considering the times, what you did was rather incredible and may have raised questions. So, how did you go about it, and who has been by your side at such times?”
Mrs. Anjali: “ My father-in-law, Late Ramdas Mansingh Halwai, is my coach and has always supported me. From the very beginning, knowing where my interest lay, he trained me, till the year 2000 after which my husband, Mr. Dipak Halwai, took on the same role. My family has always been supportive and have helped me a great deal. My father-in-law, my husband and my family have always been by my side in this journey. Therefore, I have had the support I needed and have never faced any difficulties as such from the perspective of a woman in this situation. I have also never faced any untoward situations surrounding societal stereotypes in this regard.
OV: “ That is truly great ma’am! Now that the times have changed, mindsets have changed and people may or may not have progressed, do you think women have begun taking up similar activities today freely? Shooting is something that is extremely empowering and competitive and we believe that women interested in this must not hesitate from truly pursuing it. What are your opinions on this?
Mrs. Anjali: “Yes, women today are taking up shooting, as active female participation in similar events and competitions are observed. And ys, they must take it up freely, following their interests and passions, if this is something they really wish to dabble in. I myself took up shooting after my marriage and had won a silver medal. This ade everybody in my family happy, especially my father-in-law. My mother-in-law and my sister-in-law also took it up, securing silver medals. Needless to say, the support, encouragement and the faith has been immense from my family’s side, which later bore fruit in the form of our success.
OV: “Today, there has been an alarming increase in crimes against women and the need for women to take up self-defence is at its peak. Do you think women should take up shooting as a means of self-defence? As several self-defence camps and training is provided, do you think this must also be considered?
Mrs. Anjali: “Absolutely. Women already learn Karate, Taekwondo and other forms of martial arts, as well as other techniques of hand-to-hand combat. Hence, they must also take up shooting. Either way, women’s participation has increased with the change in times and this should definitely be something they should consider learning. The more women participate and engage with such activities, the happier I feel.
Mrs. Anjali: “Professional Shooting essentially is something that runs in our bloods, so to say. Every member in our family is a shooter or is training to become one. But as I mentioned before, I have been interested in sports in general and not just shooting specifically. And I must mention, there has been an incredible amount of change in the society’s perspectives as compared to abc in the 90s. We had to participate in competitions wearing sarees and had to shoot covering our heads with the saree pallu. But today, that is not the case. Women today are not subject to such extreme restrictions, although there do exist a few today. But times have changed incredibly.
OV: “ That is an extremely empowering example that you’ve set. We hope that your story and journey inspires not fellow women exclusively but also reaches into societal and familial stereotypes to help break them and set new heights in the way such professions and activities are perceived and acknowledged.
