They walk to reclaim night for women, kids

NEW DELHI: The India Gate lawns were lit up for a special occasion on Sunday as hundreds walked hand in hand towards Rashtrapati Bhawan for a ‘Night Walk’, an attempt to “reclaim the night as a safe space for women and children.” Through street plays and encouraging slogans, a huge crowd gathered holding banners and asked for ‘safe spaces for women.’
A participant of the rally, Pratibha Bhaduria, said, “It is a unique programme and we are trying to convey to people that there is a need to support women and empower them.”

The idea for the event was envisioned by Srishti Bakshi and implemented in collaboration with the National Commission for Women (NCW) ahead of International Women’s Day. Bakshi, on September 15, began efforts to voice concerns of women through a programme where she would walk from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. “I was in Hong Kong and talked to people about India. While all of them agreed it was a beautiful country, they often asked about rape cases here. While I debated with them, it was the Bulandshahr National Highway 91 mother-daughter rape case that made me realise that I have to do something about the menace,” said Bakshi.

She said that she realised that the youth of the country “are armchair activists and with this initiative, we decided to give them a platform to channelise their anger.”

The event saw 20 bloggers and social media influencers to propagate the cause. Kiran Khokhar, a fashion blogger with more than 1,07,000 followers, said, “Growing up in Delhi, we are constantly aware of the reality of safety.”

Sushma Sahu, a member of the NCW, said that women should take their cause forward with strength.