Awaz Uthao and Reminiscences for Sunanda Pushakar

-Rashmi Singh (A Civil Servant and Gender Expert) 

I have been invited to a series of  Awaz Uthao programmes organized by Gender Resource Centres- Stree Shakti kendra in Delhi in the last one month  to address the women collectives and adolescent girls in different  parts of the city. The events gave me an oppurtunity to appeal to women to speak up. Yes we all need to speak up and we need to know what to speak for and whom to speak to. The initiative aims to encourage  the aggregation of such voices which normally remain unarticulated and unheard- voice  of women in distress, or those vulnerable to violence and exploitation. 

On every occasion I urge the women that that their voice should also be for affirming their position of  dignity and  right for equal oppurtunity which is not just de jure but also de facto. I also urge women to speak up for each other and not just themselves. 

At the same time, on every such occasion the face and voice which would keep haunting me would be that of  the voice who was a celebrity figure wanting to be understood and heard but whose life is cut short in a most unfortunate manner. This voice had told me just a few months before the sad end to her life that- "I am very interested in women empowerment issues". This was during my  chance interaction with her at Srinagar at the  house of Mr Saifidun Soz, a prominent leader from Jammu and Kashmir when I happened to be there for an official meeting and got invited by Ms  Nahid Soz, the daughter of Mr Soz to join for dinner at her father's residence. The very vibrant  couple  I got introduced during the brief time I spent here happended to be Mr Shashi Tharoor and his  very lovely and vivacious wife, Sunanda. On hearing that I worked for women empowerment ( at that time as the Executive Director of National Mission for Empowerment of Women, Govt of India), I was greeted with the husband's remarks that he  better beware with someone working for women's rights and empowerment. I took it to be one of the common reactions one would hear from men on engaging with any crusader on women's issues at a  time when Nirbhay case had happened and the nation was reeling with voices to demand action for improving  women's  safety, and security. I was touched when Sunanda Pushkar walked across to me to say that she would like to engage  with  me on the work related to women empowerment and  contribute whatever she could. She wrote down her cell number and mail address so that I could connect to her and also share with her a write up on "Stree Shakti" I had written for Yojana magazine recently which I mentioned to her in context of my views on women empowerment. Unfortunately beofre I could  connect with her she is gone and I write this on a day which is her death anniversary. Today she is too far and I wonder  whether she lost her life because she was going to raise her voice against something! But  this should  not deter me and others in my peer group to believe that come what may we have to speak up and be heard.

Sunanda may your soul rest in peace and may your spirit of working for women empowerment be translated through the voices of countless others.