Awaz-e-Khwateen

Rutba Iqbal / Awaz e Khwateen February 2 is celebrated as The foundation day of AMU's Women's College, whose earliest alumni are pioneers like Rashid Jahan and Ismat Chutagai. The foundation day of AMU's Women's College is the marriage anniversary of Sheikh Abdullah and Waheed Jahan. The marriage of these two was instrumental in the impetus of Mulsim women's education in India. Sheikh Abdullah was a reverted Muslim who hailed from Poonch. A lawyer by profession, he was influenced by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, founder of the Aligarh Movement. On February 2, 1902, Sheikh Abdullah got married to Begum Waheed Jahan, daughter of Mirza Ibrahim Beg, in Delhi. Begum Wahid belonged to one of the few Muslim families of the time where daughters were allowed to get educated. Begum Wahid's father became her tutor when he couldn't find a female teacher (ustani) to educate his daughters. Holding the issue of women's education close to her heart Begum Wahid talked to her ...

  Dr. Mahino Fatima / Awaz e Khwateen On a thunderous rainy day of July, 2003, a shy, timid and clueless girl from a small town of Faizabad was trying hard to complete the ‘long admission procedure’ to B.Sc (Hons) at the Women’s College at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). The first adult from a conservative family to have got an opportunity to study at a residential institution, she was reluctant of the traditional AMU culture, after studying at a co-education school, where genders were not allowed to mix freely. Since her name was in the chance memo, she waited a few days to get her name in the cleared list. The aspirants were praying to have their names in the list. Aligarh was a dream for the parents, and ignited the girl's charm towards (now) her alma mater. After taking admission, in August, she came back from her hometown to attend B.Sc classes. Attracted by others' dreams to be a student at AMU she was not much sure of what she had secured. It was the reaction of her...

  Rutba Iqbal / Awaz e Khwateen A trailblazer, Begum Qudsia Aizaz, was the only Muslim woman in the Constituent Assembly that drafted the Constitution of India. The royal upbringing: Aizaz was born in the royal family of Maler Kotla, a Muslim state in current day Punjab, in the early 20th century to Sir Zulfiqar. She ran in elite social, political and intellectual circles. Rasul, from a young age, accompanied her father to various political meetings, even working as his secretary. Later she married a Talukdar (landowner) of the former princely state of Oudh, Nawaab Aizaz Rasul. Despite her family background, she was known for her anti-feudal stance and strong support for zamindari abolition. She was committed to the abolition of the Zamindari System and became a Member of the "Tenancy Reform Committee'' In 1939. When the bill was put up for discussion, she advocated more rights for farmers. More than 1,000 amendments were made to the bill whereby more hereditary righ...

  On National Girl Child Day 2022 , let's take a look at some of the inspirational young Indian girls who with their brilliance and innovative spirit are taking India's name to new heights-   Vinisha Umashankar, 15 Vinisha Umashankar is a child prodigy whose innovation is a sustainable step towards clean technology. Her solar powered ironing cart is set to replace the conventional charcoal ironing box that results in production of greenhouse gasses and other pollutants. Hailing from Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu her mobile ironing cart has already won her the prestigious Child Climate Prize, 2021. Her speech at Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP26) in Glasgow won her a standing ovation by world leaders like Narendra Modi, Joe Biden and Boris Johnson.   Esha Singh, 17 Esha Singh is pistol prodigy who won the gold in air pistol in the women’s, junior and youth sections in the National championship in 2018, at a tender age of 13. She won a silver medal ...

Rutba Iqbal / Awaz e Khwateen Let's talk about the woman who started the Beti Padhao campaign of the 19th century. Her legacy cannot be forgotten, she paved the way for millions of girls to get educated. Called India's first Muslim teacher, Fatima Sheikh was born, by major accounts, in 1831 in Maharashtra's Pune. She grew up at a time when education was more or less dominated by men, with fewer or no opportunities for women education. She began in earnest and started teaching at an all-girl's school in the 1840s. Sheikh fought all odds and resisted the conservative society of those days, focusing on providing education to women of all hues and castes. Largely overlooked, Sheikh's contribution to India's education reforms needs to be widely discussed and applauded. Google, on January 9, paid rich tributes to Indian educationist Fatima Sheikh with a doodle on its homepage. The event coincided with the reformist's 191st birth anniversary. But what did Fatim...

Rutba Iqbal / Awaz e Khwateen One of the lesser- talked about feminine hygiene measures are menstrual cups, having been around for more than 80 years. These eco-friendly feminine hygiene products are in demand now - thanks to the environmentally conscious society. With various awareness and health campaigns all across India actively popularizing the idea of sustainable menstruation, menstrual cups have emerged as a product to minimize any impact on the environment. Kumbalangi in Kerala's Ernakulam has achieved a major feat - it has become India's first sanitary napkin-free village. This after more than 5,000 menstrual cups were distributed to women and girls during an event on January 13. It is pertinent to mention that Muhana in Alappuzha district of the state also has the distinction of being the first sanitary pad-free panchayat in the country. The initiative is part of the Avaljayi (For Her) campaign organized by Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, HLL Management Academy through...

    Rutba Iqbal / Awaz e Khwateen On the evening of May 27, 2014 the nation was jostled by the double rape and lynching of two young girls in Katra Sahadatganj, Uttar Pradesh. The young girls, 12 and 14 years old were cousins, they had ventured out into an open field that served as their bathroom. The girls were found hanging from a mango tree, brutally raped. The double rape exposed the caste violence prevelant in India but it also gave us a hint about the threat women from marginalized communities face while performing the most normal bodily function. Nearly half the world’s population who lack access to improved sanitation conditions reside in India, according to a 2015 UNICEF/WHO report. Almost half a billion Indians defecate in the open and about 300 million women and girls in India have no access to bathroom, making them vulnerable to sexual violence. WaterAid, an international non-governmental organisation listed lack of safe toilets among top five killers of wo...