News Input by Shabnam Hashmi, Social Activist.
Empowering Kashmiri women through education, skill training, and One Billion Rising, Anhad’s community-driven movement promotes gender equality and social change in remote villages, igniting hope for the future. Shabnam Hashmi writes…
For the past two years, Anhad has operated a community resource centre in Khumriyal. Every day, over 125 women, kids, and young students visit the centre to learn computers, engage in creative activities like cutting and tailoring, study in the library for different exams, and play football. In a nearby villages, women and young girls are crafting lovely items through crewel embroidery, while in three other villages, they are learning to knit sweaters using knitting machines. In 15 more villages, we arrange talks with women about gender equality, mental health, hygiene, and health. The sole 24-hour library in Kupwara is maintained by Anhad, and students can study there until three or four in the morning.
We launched the Mere Ghar aa Ke to Dekho campaign throughout India last year. Preconceived notions and unquestioned populist views about many communities—based on, but not limited to, class, caste, religion, sexual orientation, language, ethnicity, area, and disability—are intended to be challenged and altered by the campaign, which runs from August 15, 2023, to January 30, 2024. On August 15, 2023, #MereGharAaKeToDekho (Visit My Home, Be My Guest) was successfully launched throughout India, encompassing hundreds of districts, cities, towns, and villages in 27 states. Nearly a hundred organizations and many individuals joined the campaign that Anhad started. An estimated one lakh people took part in the campaign.
As part of the campaign, Anhad extended an invitation to individuals from all across India to visit Kupwara and spend time in people’s homes from October 13–17, 2023. Bringing communities together and gaining knowledge about Kashmir, Kashmiri people, and their culture were the objectives. Interpersonal connection is the most important way to understand society. In Kashmir, tourists usually go to a few popular spots. People’s lives, especially those of the rural population, are beyond their reach. The visitors, who came from Pune, Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kochi, Mewat, Ahmedabad, Kutch, and Varanasi, were accommodated by families in different villages. It was one of the most incredible campaigns, and those who participated returned with a whole different outlook on Kashmir and made friendships that lasted a lifetime.
This year, in partnership with OBR India, we chose to host the One Billion Rising event in Khumriyal on Republic Day. In 2012, the global campaign One Billion Rising was launched as a call to action to eradicate violence against women and girls. One Billion Rising has inspired millions of people throughout the world with its use of dance, rising, and solidarity. The campaign is still a key player in the global battle to eradicate violence against women, even as it develops and grows.
An opening ceremony for the event, “Celebrating Constitutional Courage: United We Rise for Women Empowerment,” was held by hoisting the tricolour. Children Humaira Beg, Zohra, Razia, Aksa, Afreena, Farhat Rasheed, and Inza sang a welcome song to kick off the cultural event. Abdul Rouf Sheikh, Coordinator of the Anhad Community Resource Centre, then gave a speech regarding the centre’s activities.
Ulfat Farooq, Munahib Latif, Rizwana , Sumaiyya, Tabassum, Iqra Ahat, Shagufta, Sana Latif, Rizwana Altaf , Kausar Kadeer , Rabia , Sumaiyya , Arzu Riaz , Nazia took the stage to pay tribute to the 15 women (Leela Roy, Malati Choudhury, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, Renuka Ray, Sarvepalli Sarojini Naidu, Sucheta Kriplani, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Purnima Banerjee, Ammu Swaminathan, Annie Mascarene, Dakshayani Velayudhan, Begum Aizaz Rasul, Durgabai Deshmukh, Hansa Jivraj Mehta ) who were part of the constituent assembly and played a major role in making the constitution and ensuring equal rights for women and other marginalised communities. For the first time, the majority of the young students telling the story of these 15 women had to deal with an audience of more than 350 people. Many had never taken the stage to speak.
The show featured a dance performance by Aqsa, who is not even eight years old, a Pahadi dance performed by Irfat Bano, Maroofa Bano, and Irshad Bano, and a Kashmiri Rouf Dance performed by Khushboo, Munahib, Rakshanda, Sumaiyya Shabbir, Kausar, Rubeena, Mumtaz, Shagufta, Arzoo Riaz, and Marefat. The crowd was moved by Zubaida’s heartfelt rendition of “Aurten Utthi Nahi to Zulm Badhta Jayega” and Laraib’s “Bekhauf Azd Hai Rehna Mujhe.”
These might seem ordinary conversations but for a remote village in Kashmir, with both men and women in the audience, this was a major step forward in the fight for equality. No one in the village was ever exposed to these conversations.
Healthcare Professional Shujauat Hussain Dar, Manager of Sehatyaab Healthcare, discussed women’s access to high-quality education and skill development. According to him, training for women is typically limited to cutting and tailoring, although there are many other skills that can be taught, such as general duty assistant (GDA), lab technician, and home nursing attendant. Any girl who has completed the tenth grade can enrol in the training. He discussed how crucial economic independence is to women’s equality efforts.
Majid Mir, a social worker at the Special Cell for Women in Kupwara, discussed the constitutionally guaranteed rights of women and how these rights have not been implemented in practice. He discussed the violations of women’s rights to their own bodies. He narrated case of a woman who had four daughters, and the family was pressuring her to have a son in order to provide a waaris. He described her predicament and asked whether she had the right to control her own body.
Social activist Azad Naqshbandi discussed the value of having centers like Anhad in rural areas and how this center has improved the lives of 15 villages by enabling the installation of bore wells in areas without water, thanks to sponsorship from IMRC. He discussed the direct connection between women’s emancipation and access to water. According to him, having access to water empowers women by allowing them to pursue their goals with greater time and health. Better health, education, and financial prospects may result from this.
Students from the Anhad Community Resource Center, presented the guests with hand-painted dhaani bags made by Seher Hashmi, who has fought mental illness for over a decade.
Hum Honge Kamyab had to be sung in unison to end the celebration, but the crowd was unwilling to disperse even after we announced that the program was ove , so another song Aa Chal Ke Tujhe Men le ke chaloo was also sung by nearly everyone who knew the song. This is Kashmir; it is not at all what it is projected as in the media. I have worked all throughout India, yet I have never experienced the warmth, compassion, and kindness of this place’s welcome.
I have personally met a lot of people, including corporates but have failed to attract any long term support. This work would have ended long ago if it weren’t for our friends and Anhad supporters who donate to us. For the past ten years, Anhad has operated entirely on personal donations.
A transformation is happening in the minds and hearts of people here. The challenge is whether we can maintain this effort over time.
Here is a rewritten version of the text, expanded to include more details and names: Anhad’s Community Resource Centre in Khumriyal, Kupwara, has been a vibrant hub of activity for the past two years. Every day, around 125 women, young students, and children visit the centre to learn computer skills, engage in creative activities, and access the library, which is open 24/7. The centre also offers football coaching to 15-20 girls, while women and young girls in nearby villages learn crewel embroidery and knitting skills. In addition to these activities, Anhad organises interactions in 15 villages on health, hygiene, mental health, and gender equality. These initiatives have empowered women and girls in rural Kashmir, fostering a sense of community and promoting social change. Last year, Anhad launched the “Mere Ghar aa Ke to Dekho” campaign across India, aiming to break down preconceived notions about different communities. The campaign, which ran from August 15, 2023, to January 30, 2024, was joined by over 100 organisations and 50,000 individuals. As part of the campaign, Anhad invited people from across India to visit Kupwara and live in people’s homes from October 13-17, 2023. This initiative aimed to promote people-to-people contact, fostering greater understanding and empathy between communities.
This year, Anhad collaborated with OBR India to host a One Billion Rising event in Khumriyal on Republic Day. The event, titled “Celebrating Constitutional Courage: United We Rise for Women Empowerment,” commenced with a flag-hoisting ceremony led by Arefa Begum, former Sarpanch, and Azad Naqshbandi, social activist. The cultural program began with a welcome song performed by children, including Humaira Beg, Zohra, Razia, Aksa, Afreena, Farhat Rasheed, and Inza. Abdul Rouf Sheikh, Coordinator of Anhad Community Resource Centre, spoke about the centre’s activities. Young students, including Ulfat Farooq, Munahib Latif, Rizwana, Sumaiyya, Tabassum, Iqra Ahat, Shagufta, Sana Latif, Rizwana Altaf, Kausar Kadeer, Rabia, Sumaiyya, Arzu Riaz, and Nazia, paid tribute to the 15 women who played a crucial role in shaping India’s Constitution. These women, including Leela Roy, Malati Choudhury, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, Renuka Ray, Sarvepalli Sarojini Naidu, Sucheta Kriplani, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Purnima Banerjee, Ammu Swaminathan, Annie Mascarene, Dakshayani Velayudhan, Begum Aizaz Rasul, Durgabai Deshmukh, and Hansa Jivraj Mehta, were honoured for their contributions to Indian history. Majid Mir, Social Worker, Special Cell for Women, Kupwara, spoke about the rights granted to women in the Constitution and how they are often violated. He highlighted the importance of women’s rights over their own bodies, citing the example of a woman who was forced to produce a male heir. Shujauat Hussain Dar, Healthcare Professional, Manager Sehatyaab Healthcare, emphasized the need for quality education and skill training for women. He noted that women’s training often gets confined to tailoring and cutting, but there are many other skills, such as general duty assistance, lab technician, and home nursing attendant, that can be taught. Azad Naqshbandi, social activist, spoke about the impact of Anhad’s work in the village, including the installation of bore wells, facilitated by a sponsor, in villages where there was no water. He highlighted the direct relationship between access to water and women’s liberation. The event concluded with the joint singing of “Hum Honge Kamyab” and “Aa Chal Ke Tujhe Men le ke chaloo.” Anhad Community Resource Centre students presented hand-painted dhaani bags to the guests, made by Seher, who has fought mental illness for over a decade. Anhad has been running on personal donations for ten years, and it is imperative that this work continues to empower women and girls in rural Kashmir. The question now is whether this work can be sustained.
