Every day is National Girl Child Day for us, say DU students

On National Girl Child Day, students of Delhi University share how they propel the conversations around feminism, empowerment of women, and support peers. From workshops to open mic sessions, a lot of activities are conducted all round the year to promote inclusivity and women’s education.

From winning laurels in sports to making strides in the armed forces, Indian women have proven their mettle time and again. But much before they begin their journey upwards and onwards, it’s their existence in this very world alongside equal opportunities during upbringing that help lay a strong foundation for success. In line with this, students across Delhi University are chipping in by organising events and sensitisation workshops all through the year. On National Girl Child Day (January 24), here’s a look at some of their initiatives.

Students of Maitreyi College’s western music society will hold an informal jamming session to mark the day.

On a quest to educate the less privileged about the importance of girl child is Kirti Mondal, a final-year student of BSc (Hons) Computer Science at Indraprastha College for Women. “I am raised by a single mother, and have seen instances of daughters being treated as less than sons with my own eyes. But when I started studying college, seeing women uplift each and learning the same from our faculty made me feel grateful to get this exposure in my life,” shares Mondal, who now works to educate the underprivileged women about the importance of girl child. “My neighbour aborted her child because someone told her it would be a girl, and this would have been her fifth child. That’s when my friends and I decided to teach her and other women in the locality about celebrating daughters, embracing our identity, and gaining financial responsibility. One day is not enough for us to do all this; it has to happen every day and throughout the year. So we keep our efforts consistent.”

The sentiment that this movement is a continuous process is also shared by Annapurna Behera, a final-year student of BA (Hons) Sociology at Jesus and Mary College. “I’m a part of the Women’s Studies Centre in our college. Under this, we organise quite a few participatory events and discuss feminism while critically looking at its mainstream definition. We also talk about women’s position in the economy, the issue of women’s unpaid labour, and the women’s movement at large,” shares Behera, feeling particularly excited about the open mic sessions that the students hold in the college. “These acts are about finding our own voices. When we get a space to discuss the intersectional impact on all individuals, it makes the activity less academic and more real. We want to become responsible members of society and hence endeavour to create a better space for all to live,” adds Behera.

On a similar note, Sivasankari J, general secretary of Maitreyi College’s students’ union, shares how the amphitheatre in their college provides an open space for all students to come up and share their opinions on matters such as the significance to support girl child. “We have open mic sessions all the time, and one will definitely take today,” informs this second-year student of BA (Hons) Political Science, adding, “But this is not specific to one day. We regularly have student led talks about feminism, female empowerment, overcoming gender roles, and breaking stereotypes. This is not about one day for us, it is about entire lives! Our western music society will also have an informal jamming session, open to all students, to mark this day.”

Author tweets @KritiKambiri

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