How Gender inequality is mistakenly learnt from the home

Often, we mistakenly pass on erroneous gender and social constructs to our children. It only happens because patriarchy is so deeply ingrained in our society for a long time.

There is a huge outcry against women-related crimes in India today. However, if we are not paying attention to the fault lines pervading our culture and social environment, and if we don't not take steps to mend our ways, our situation is only going to get worse.

The video below is just a reminder of our own biases reflecting back at us, and the dangers of our own biases attitudes being picked up by young minds.

Change must begin from us, and as families are the most basic unit of a society, we must begin gender sensitisation from our homes.

Here are 5 things that we all can do to start practising Gender Sensitivity at home, and help build a society that treats and respects all gender equally.

1. Start by making our language free of gender bias

Refrain from using gender-specific statements like, “boys will be boys”, "don’t be such a girl" or "man-up".

2. Change the way we look at gender roles

Every day, encourage yourself and your child to do one task that is not associated with your genders.

3. Change the age-old gender constructs that compartmentalise people

Tell them that boys too can cry, and teach girls how to defend themselves

4. Break free from gender-based social expectations

Tell them that both men and women are strong and independent. Show them role models of both genders and help them see that greatness does not depend on genders.

5. Raise children to be independent, irrespective of their genders

Teach both boys and girls to cook, clean and look after themselves

6. Stand up for gender justice

Be intolerant against gender-based harassment and crimes, and show them the importance of standing up for others

Inequality gets learnt. Equality needs teaching.

Unknowingly, children are being taught gender inequality. Let's PREACT to reverse this. We don't have to fall back in the trap of gender-related menaces and crimes. Work now to make our country safer for our children.

Only when children are gender sensitised from an early age, will it reflect back in our society. Gender sensitisation right from the schools is a correct step in this direction.

Join Tata Tea’s movement to make gender sensitisation programmes compulsory in schools. Sign the petition by clicking here or by calling 7815966666 toll free.

Alarm Bajne Se Pehle Jaago Re!

A Conversation with Radhika Vaz - The Need for Gender Sensitisation in Indian Schools

Despite the recent outcry on violence against women, our society is still debating on the need for gender sensitisation in India. We still fail to understand the issue of threat to women's safety, and hence, we fail to discuss the possible solutions. With the 'Alarm Bajne Se Pehle Jaago Re' chapter, many experts and concerned citizens have come forward to discuss the issue and possible solutions.

We met Radhika Vaz, a writer and comedian who passionately speaks up on the need for gender sensitisation in schools in India. Here's what she had to say:

Make Gender Sensitisation Compulsory in Schools

We have to move now to make gender sensitisation a non-negotiable reality in India. Only when children are taught from a young age the importance of being gender equal, will the future of our country change.

Join Tata Tea to make this change happen by signing the petition to make gender sensitisation programmes compulsory in schools. Click on this link or call 7815966666 (toll free) to register your petition.

Alarm Bajne Se Pehle Jaago Re!

Safe & Inclusive Workspaces: How Gender-Sensitising Kids Will Change Future Work Dynamics

India is struggling with gender sensitising her citizens today. We grow up in a society where men have more rights. Things may be changing today, but the change is rather slow.

Many corporate organisations today want more diversity and inclusion, yet they are struggling to manage that. After all, how many women do we see in senior positions in most businesses and corporates around us? To tackle this, we need to sensitise men and women - that's where the problem lies, and it is a problem that is best tackled early.

Rainmaker is a Corporate Training Programme that has provided gender sensitisation programmes to over a lakh employees in several corporate organisations and MNCs across India. Here’s what Sanjay Jagtiani, (Senior VP of Corporate Solutions, Rainmaker), had to say about the need for gender sensitisation in India.

Is the workplace an equal playing ground for both genders?

Back at one of our corporate training sessions, the organisation had a sales team. The management and the teams believed that the men performed better. We decided to look at the situation more carefully.

It turned out that women were putting in nine hours of work, while men were putting in twelve hours. This was attributed to the fact that women had families and children to look after. A question then presents itself: Is this an equal playing ground?

We did the math and concluded that if men and women both were putting in same amount of hours at work, their performance would be at par.

This assumption was because of an inherent gender bias. This kind of discrimination can only be tackled through awareness, and gender sensitisation workshops which are most effective when started at an early age.

The youngest minds are the easiest to mould

To tackle the issue of workplace harassment and bias, one has to first look at the years of exposure our young men and women have to gender bias. Our society is biased, our families are rooted in patriarchal norms, our education barely fares any better. If people have to change, the change has to begin from the grassroots - and one space that can be easily influenced through policies and interventions are the schools.

In addition, school authorities, teachers and parents need to be sensitised. Simple things like the segregation of the kids’ seating arrangements in school leaves them with a feeling of disparity. They need to understand that eventually, the world is for both genders.

The habits, attitudes and perceptions children pick up in school stay with them. Once they have been conditioned, it's hard to break their mindsets. It becomes difficult to break these attitudes once they’ve been firmly set.

For example, we had different sports for girls and boys in my school; the more physically intense ones were for boys. Girls weren’t even allowed to play cricket, and had to opt for other classes, like dancing or performing arts.

This also affects career choices later. The stereotypes they see, the subjects they see divided among boys and girls, later impacts them and their decisions and life choices. The message of equality, empowerment, and respect for all genders must come to them right from an early age. Only then will we see equal and fair opportunities, respect for all genders and more inclusive and diverse workspaces, with healthy attitudes and no room for discrimination.

We have to move now to make gender sensitisation a non-negotiable reality in India. If our society and our workplaces have to be safe, we have to make sure that our children are getting gender sensitised, and are learning to respect all genders.

Join Tata Tea to make this change happen by signing the petition to make gender sensitisation programmes compulsory in schools. Click on this link or call 7815966666 (toll free) to register your petition.

Alarm Bajne Se Pehle Jaago Re!

Tackling raging gender bias through gender sensitisation

The World Economic Forum did a survey in 2016 which considered the proportion of resources and opportunities made available to women on educational, economic, political and health parities. India ranked a dismal 87 in the survey. We could blame the patriarchal society and regressive mindset, but the truth is that urban areas fare only a little better than rural areas.

India has a gender problem, and bridging this gender disparity is the need of the hour. Experts from both, urban and rural areas, advocate that gender sensitization is the key to resolving this issue.

National Research Center for Women in Agriculture recognizes the change in perception brought about by gender sensitisation in both, men and women. With their study, they identified that after gender sensitisation, men no longer perceived women in a stereotypical manner, and accepted that they are equal partners in the overall socio-economic development. However, they pointed out that for the inherent biases to change, women too need to change the age old perception that they are subordinate to men. They need to accept that they have an equally important role to play in decision making at household, community and organizational levels.

The State Institute of Urban Development in Mysore also identifies gender sensitisation as a weapon towards Gender Equity, Equal Opportunity and Women Empowerment, which is essential for creating sustainable development as enshrined in our constitution. Thus, it provides women with the dignity, liberty and opportunity that they rightfully deserve.

Gender sensitisation programs are advocated by all experts on the basis of results exhibited in various communities all over the world. Here are two instances of how such initiatives have been instrumental in bringing about a positive impact on society, and in improving the economic condition of women.

Indigenous communities in Rajasthan:

With the objective of raising awareness about gender-related issues and mobilizing equal participation of women in community affairs centered around the joint management (JFM) of common property forest resources, the Rajasthan Forest Department implemented intense Gender Sensitisation Programmes in a group of villages in Udaipur District. The effect was evaluated after 1 year of initiation of the program, by assessing the changes in five particular aspects:

• Involvement of women in the functioning of community institutions
• Overall effectiveness of community institutions
• Self-empowerment of women
• Attitudinal change for women participation
• Awareness and concern of women for community affairs

Overall, the scores had improved in all areas. When women came forward to make decisions, it resulted in economic development in the communities. However, while some villages showed significant improvement, the progress in a few villages were hindered by the patriarchal mindsets of the dominant Rajput community.

While it is very difficult to change the set ideals and beliefs of adults, this problem can be tackled in a much more effective manner by sensitising children against gender bias.

Men in Kerala:

Capacity building program focussed on gender sensitization by charitable trust Sakhi amongst the young men from Universities led to the formation of a core group of pro-feminist men. These men initiated a rally of men and conducted a public meeting during a 16-day campaign against violence against women. The theme ofmasculinities also figured at the workshop organised during the Kerala social Forum in December 2002.

Having said that, in most cases the benefits of gender sensitisation are not be realised overnight but relentless effort in this regard definitely contributes towards changing the mindset that women are ‘weak and unequal.’ The real challenge is that it becomes difficult to sensitise older people. It is much easier to mould a child’s opinion rather than change the deeply entrenched beliefs of an adult. We all know the wonders that gender sensitisation can bring about in our society. It has been proven that there is a positive correlation between socio-economic well-being and gender equality in society. Why shouldn’t we then take the necessary steps now to ensure gender sensitive education for our children?

Join us in our quest to realise a safe, equal society for all.

Sign Tata Tea’s petition for making gender sensitization compulsory in the school curriculum to pave the way for a better tomorrow. Click on Link or call 7815966666 toll free.

Alarm Bajne Se Pehle Jaago Re!

CREATING SAFE SPACES FOR OPEN CONVERSATIONS & MORE

To end violence against women, you first have to name it, know it, and recognize its many forms as an unacceptable assault upon the dignity of women and all society.

I am a facilitator at an NGO called Seeds of Awareness. We hold sessions on sexual health at different low-income schools across Mumbai. For several years we have been trying to understand the complexities of this situation, and the best way to handle it.

Inaccessible and Stigmatised – Sex Education

Sex Education is relatively inaccessible in many parts of India. Currently, almost half of Indian population is within the age group of 18-35 and the majority of the crowd do not have access to correct information about sexual health. Plus, sex is stigmatized in our society, even if the youth want to seek help there is no place they can go to. And thus, they resort to seeking information from other avenues like watching pornography.

Is Sex Education Gender Sensitisation?

A lot of times there’s apprehension and confusion among parents, teachers, schools and even children on what gender sensitisation really means. While sexual health and knowledge empowers children, it’s also crucial to look at psycho-social conditioning and biases that are developed among children from an early age. It’s important to address behavioural patterns and perspectives, that enable children to develop a healthy attitude towards both their own sex and the opposite sex.

Mixed Messaging – A thin line between romance and crime?

The youth of India pick up a lot of mixed messaging from the media, the society and their friends. Hence, they are already confused. They think that following a girl and harassing her would make her fall in love. Youth also end up resorting to violence (rape, molestation, voyeurism, human trafficking, child sexual abuse etc.) as there is no place to have an open conversation.

Conditioning and gender bias

During our childhood years, we are told that a girl and a boy has a set of spoken/unspoken rules - this leads to discrimination on so many levels. If we are to concentrate on sexual health, then we are conditioned to believe that a girl should never ask for sex or be caught dead buying a condom. There are still parts of India where women and sometimes men do not have rights over their own sexual-reproductive health.

Social media and internet

Thanks to technology, the youth today has access to a lot of explicit content (read: pornography). This leads to exploration and experimentation without the safety blanket of gender sensitisation, which could go horribly wrong.

Reaching Out and Making a Difference

Until now we have been able to work with over 2000 children in about 15 schools in Mumbai, and the response has been phenomenal. We use Bollywood/Hollywood videos, dance movement therapy, sharing circles and many activities to make the sessions very interactive and spread awareness about feelings, communication, gender, stereotyping, body image, sexual / domestic violence, consent, sexuality, social media, along with anatomy and reproduction.

The children initially are in shock, but are later receptive and want us to do sessions for their parents too. These formats of gender sensitization initiatives go a long way in reducing violence against women and enable children to grow into individuals who take informed decision that are healthy for them. However, for these initiatives to have the desired effect, it needs to reach out to each and every child in every nook and corner of India.

Hence, we urge you to join the movement for making gender sensitization compulsory in school curriculum, to pave the way for a better tomorrow.

Sign Tata Tea’s petition for making gender sensitization compulsory in the school curriculum to pave the way for a better tomorrow. Click on Link or call 7815966666 toll free.

Alarm Bajne Se Pehle Jaago Re!

What We can Learn from NorthEast India about Sports

The North-Eastern states in India are home to some of India’s most recognised international players. Just to name a few, M.C. Mary Kom - 2012 Olympics bronze medallist and a five-time world amateur-boxing champion, footballer Baichung Bhutia, boxer L. Sarita Devi, silver medallist at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, Jayanta Talukdar, Gold Medalist and Arjuna Award winner, weightlifter K. Sanjita Chanu, who won gold at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, etc.

While Northeast India constitutes only about 3.7% of the total Indian population, the youth out there are well-known for their inclination towards sports, especially Manipur. Out of the entire 2016 Rio Olympics contingent, 6.72% of them belonged to the NE.

Why is Northeast India repeatedly at the forefront of sports news? Is a culture of sports the reason behind their thriving sports scene? Let’s look at some numbers.

Sports Culture & Infrastructure in the Region

As of 9th March 2017, 13,684 talented sportspersons are being trained under Sports Authority of India (SAI) Schemes throughout the country, out of which 9653 are boys and 4031 are girls.

22.3% (901 out of 4031) of girl trainees at SAI centres are trained in the North-Eastern States of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura. They are provided with regular sports training in 27 sports disciplines on residential and non-residential basis in 290 SAI sports centres.

One of the fourteen SAI Regional Football Academies in the country is in Imphal. Out of the five proposed NSAs, the government plans to set up an SAI National Archery Academy in Guwhati.

According to a 2016 study by Dr Anil Mili (published by the International Education and Research Journal), Assam and Manipur have synthetic athletic tracks for all-weather competitions. These states “have good number of sponsorships from corporate giants and other public sector-undertakings which help in promoting physical education and sports” in the region.

Children are motivated to participate in sports from a young age and the general opinion of the people in Northeast India is that physical education should be implemented as a compulsory part of school and college curriculums. They believe that sports leads to the overall development of their youth, unlike other states in the country where sports and games are thought to be a waste of time and a distraction from studies.

Dr Mili’s study also revealed that 82.77% of the respondents from Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur and Nagaland opined that “physical education and sports may be helpful in curbing the menace of drug addiction, HIV, alcoholism, terrorism etc.” amongst the youth.

Sportspersons have given back to their communities by supporting and guiding young athletes from their native lands. Mary Kom Regional Boxing Foundation is a great example of this. The foundation provides free coaching to students with free lodging and food and covers additional expenses involved during competitions.

Another such example is the chain of Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools that were set up in Mumbai and Delhi, by Bhutia after his international success.

Support from the Centre and State

When it comes to generating funds and using them for sports, the North-Eastern states stand apart. 8.78% of the National demand for funds to develop sports infrastructure and conduct sports competitions under a new central scheme implemented in the FY 2016-17 called, Khelo India Scheme came from the North-Eastern states. This Scheme provides for conducting sports competitions in two age groups of under 14 and under 17 all over India to encourage mass participation of both boys and girls in Sports and creation of sports infrastructure facilities.

Even in the past, out of the Rs. 191.25 crore spent from 2014- 2016, under the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan (RGKA) and the Urban Sports Infrastructure Scheme (USIS), 17.2% of the national demand came from the Northeast. In 2016-17, Assam’s state expenditure on Education and Sports at 35% is significantly higher than the national average of 15.6%.

Can the rest of the country follow the example of the Northeast?

Physical education is important in a secondary school levels to inculcate confidence, competitiveness and team-spirit in the minds of the youth. Incorporating sports into a child’s education adds to his/her holistic growth and personality development. They have also been very enthusiastic in demanding better sports infrastructure and facilities in their regions. Hence more states in the country should follow the example of the North-Eastern states, not just to produce better sportspersons representing the country, but also to help build a better society for the future generations.

Tata Tea’s Jaago Re has started a movement to make sports a compulsory subject in schools by bringing together the community to sign a petition. Such initiatives and better implementation of the Central schemes aimed towards sports infrastructure development could eventually help us reach our full sporting potential as a country.

Do your bit and join the movement today. Click on Link or call 7815966666 (toll free) to sign the petition to the HRD Ministry, to work with the sports ministry and implement sports as a compulsory subject in schools, and advise state governments to implement this across all educational institutions.

Alarm Bajne Se Pehle Jaago Re!

Paving a way to build a safer society for women: A conversation with Anand Koti

With the recent rape cases discussions on the situation of women and children safety in India have surfaced yet again. However, statistics prove that our reactions to these incidents do not help much. India records a crime against a woman every 1.7 minutes; every 16 minutes a rape is recorded whereas domestic violence against a woman is recorded every 4.4 minutes (NCRB). Clearly, reacting to incidents is not enough. We need to act on issues of women safety before other incidents happen. We need to Pre-Act. But, how?

The Tata Tea Jaago Re ‘Suraksha’ initiative was launched to empower young girls across India through self-defense classes. 93,000 girls were trained, not just with physical self-defense skills, but also with the psychological training to take their safety into their own hands. But this was just a step towards ensuring women safety. The larger onus lies on each of us individually to empower women around us. When more people will step up to Pre-Act, we will be able to build a safer society. One such Pre-Activist we spoke to is Anand Koti, a professional martial-arts expert who is empowering girls through the Mission 1000 initiative by his organization, the Colorss Foundation (established on 15th Sep, 2008).

This is his story as a Pre-Activist.

What is Mission 1000?

With daily news about rising gender discrimination and crimes against women, I felt that there is a need for people and the society to change things at everyday levels. I am a martial artist, and one thing I knew I could do was use Karate as an agent of social change. So, we launched Mission 1000.

Mission 1000 is a project that is spread across either 6 or 10 days. In one financial year we aim to train 1000 girls/women from underprivileged societies. In this project the girls are taught 5-9 self-defense techniques. Gradually the intensity of the workshop increases as it helps to improve their endurance and builds stamina.

We have created ‘Self-Confidence Booster’ Module which is an amalgamation of meditation and martial arts, to help boost the self-esteem of the girls/women. This module specifically addresses important issues which are psychological as well physiological in nature, and is tweaked for each individual.

How we are changing the situation through technology

Our main goal is to create an impact which stays for a longer period of time. The positive impact of the project was observed when the girls from our workshops trained their mothers and sisters. Also, technology is being used to achieve our aim. We have designed and developed Quick Self Defense application for android phones. This is a standalone application, which means that you only need to download it once. Internet connectivity is not required to run this application. This application teaches the user 9 self-defense techniques and is available in more than 18 languages.

How can each of us be a Pre-Activist?

We should practice ‘one step at a time’. Parenting needs to be redefined. The boys must be educated to respect girls. Citizens having an expertise on gender sensitization should conduct workshops for parents and families. The Gender Gap is not only for the less privileged society. The women across the society are facing these issues at different intensity.

Surprisingly, we have come across a large number of citizens who are not interested in our workshops and they feel that it’s not important for them to learn self-defense. However, the entire idea is not about self-defense and protection. It’s about addressing your psychological and physiological needs directly. Better mental health is the solution and self-defense training is a must. You never know when it can be used. Self-defense is required not only to protect yourself from others but to protect yourself from your family and friends too.

Anand Koti believes that to address an issue, we need to first understand the root cause, and then Pre-Act to ensure we tackle the issue on time. Share your thoughts on what practices you think Indians must adopt on a daily basis to ensure women’s safety.

Write to us on our Facebook and Twitter pages, or email us at jaagorein@gmail.com.To know more about the Tata Tea Jaago Re Suraksha initiative, visit jaagore.com

Alarm Bajne Se Pehle #JaagoRe

Sources: MapsofIndia.com, NCRB

Earth Day Network: Pre-Act Today to Lead Our Planet to a Better Tomorrow

“Awareness, responsibility, action, outreach” – Earth Day Network

Did you know, only 9% of the earth’s plastic is getting recycled? Or that animals across 400 species have at some point ingested or gotten entangled in plastic waste? Or even that, by 2050, oceans will contain more plastic than fish, by weight?

Let’s soak this in for a second.

Why do we nonchalantly overlook disasters? Why do we attempt at making a difference only once disaster strikes? As a nation we are falling short of being good inhabitants of our planet because of our lack of knowledge and urge to pre-act. We casually reverberate the words, ‘it’s not too late’ and continue to watch disasters snowball before our eyes.

We fail to evaluate the extent to which our daily practices affect our environment.

For example, how many plastic bags do we use a day? How long do we keep the shower running every day? How often do we leave our phones to charge for long hours every night?

These seemingly innocent practices have a huge impact on the environment, but our ignorance of these impacts does not absolve us of the responsibility to address them.

In light of the 'Countdown to 2020' campaign, we reached out to Earth Day Network India to explore the steps an individual can take on a personal level to adopt environmentally sustainable practices for a healthier and greener future by 2020.

Below are a few excerpts from our conversation with them.

What are the changes we can make at a personal level?

Being aware of your routine in order to change it for the better is a great step towards reducing your carbon footprint. For example, did you know:

• The most power-efficient air-conditioner is 5 Star DC
• Plastic waste can be shredded & sold to cement plants as an alternative for coal
• Lowering the brightness on your computer screens saves energy
• Using plastic is not eco-friendly
• Carrying a cloth bag when buying things from the supermarket helps reduce your plastic footprint

The Ganga and Yamuna are ranked among the world’s 10 most polluted rivers. How affected is the marine life by this?

What we know is that India’s national aquatic animal, the Ganges River Dolphins are moving away from their natural habitats, as they can only live in clean waters.

To ensure their habitat is secured, students in Varanasi are coming up with innovative practices to prevent their lives from being endangered. We look forward to see whether their efforts to clean the Ganges will help bring back this threatened species.

How can we reduce our usage of disposables like plastics, foils, cling wraps and tissue papers? How will it help us reduce our carbon foot print in the future?

A wide outreach is needed to build awareness about this.

Our carbon footprint would be hugely reduced not only by reducing plastic usage, but also by managing plastic waste systematically. Plastic waste needs to be segregated, binned and either baled and sent to recyclers, or shredded and sold to cement plants as an alternative to coal (its calorific value is four times that of coal).

It can also be used as feeder stock for constructing Polymer-Blended Bitumen Roads (an innovation patented by a Padma Shri recipient, this year).

Do you feel the - one hour of no electricity - initiative is useful in the Indian context?

No. When the power is switched on, it comes back with a surge and actually draws more current. We need to inculcate behaviour towards ‘Low Carbon Footprints.’

For this, we have developed a special Snakes and Ladder game to help kids understand what contributes to carbon footprints, and what an environment-friendly habit really is.

How can we contextualise the ‘Countdown to 2020’ in our lives, at a personal level?

Awareness, responsibility, action, outreach.

How can we help in scaling this further?

If you talk about India, then scaling is very important to create awareness. Needless to say our population is huge and diverse. A cookie-cutter approach is not going to work. Time is of essence. Thus, it is important to reach out to people who have the potential and have the platform to inspire more people – such as local government leaders, religious leaders etc.

Let’s work towards involving more influential voices from sports, film and entertainment.

In order to continue our journey towards building an eco-friendly lifestyle, we need to internalise the need to pre-act today to lead our planet to a ‘tomorrow’,

It’s time we acknowledge that the earth does not belong to us, but we belong to it, so get involved and spread the word!

Add your voice to this movement today, to shape 21st century’s environmentalism.

Tell us how you think we can catalyse this initiative further. What additional environmentally sustainable practices can we adopt?

Share your thoughts, struggles or your chapters of success in adopting sustainable practices with us, on our Facebook and Twitter pages today!

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Alarm Bajne Se Pehle #JaagoRe

Sources: Earth Day Network, Plastic Pollution Coalition Organisation, The Economist

The changing scenario of the culture of sports in India: A conversation with Deepthi Bopaiah

Indian athletes had an incredible run at this year's Commonweath Games in Gold Coast, Australia. With a medal haul of 26 gold, 20 silver and 20 bronze medals, India surpassed its medal tally of the last edition at Glasgow in 2014.

It is noteworthy that the scenario of sports is changing in India. However, if we look at India's performance at the Rio Olympics or the Asian Games, we would realize that we have a long way to go!

One organization working towards professionalizing Indian sports and working to improve the scenario in the country is GoSports Foundation. The Foundation’s initiatives are premised on the belief that sporting champions are created when the right talent gets the right support at the right time.

In a conversation with Tata Tea Jaago Re, Deepthi Bopaiah, Executive Director at GoSports Foundation, discusses the need to build a culture of sports in the country and the way to pre-act in order to help our athletes in their quest of putting India on the global sports map.

Converting participation into winning! Looking back at India's performance in CWG ‘18 and the road that lies ahead.

First of all, I think we need to pat ourselves on the back! The performance of all the athletes in these Commonwealth Games have been incredible, not just from the perspective of the medal tally but also the kind of performances that were displayed by each player. After all, it is always the spirit and the determination that matters! Even as an organization, we focus primarily on supporting an athlete’s pursuit of sporting excellence rather than just their podium finishes.

When we compare Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and the Olympics, we must remember that the base is really in terms of the number of countries that participate in the tournament. For instance, 76 countries participated at this year's CWG and inspite of India’s minimal representation and participation in medal-heavy sports such as athletics and swimming, we finished third in the over-all medal tally and managed a clean sweep in shooting, weightlifting, table tennis and badminton. This I feel is commendable.

Winning a medal is definitely the goal of any athlete but it can only be achieved by putting the right process of planning and training in place. Therefore, we focus on the journey of the athlete and ensure that we give them everything that they need to excel - we not only provide them the necessary mentorship through our board of advisors but also aim to fulfill their requirements around sports science, travel, training stints, and equipment, among others.

Long gone are the days when our athletes' representation in these Games was limited to participation. There is a huge change in the mindset of Indian athletes due to many factors. One of the key factors is the increased success stories of role models and it's only going to get better as we approach Tokyo Olympics 2020 and the Asian Games. Are we going to win 15-20 medals at the Olympics like a lot of reports are saying? I personally believe that there is some way to go before that happens.

Another applaudable factor of this year's CWG was the kind of collaboration that happened between the Sports Ministry, the Federations and organizations like the GoSports Foundation, with the sole aim of providing aid to the athlete. I think that if such collaborations take place more often, we will be able to see more athletes excel and bring home the medal. This kind of support is essential for athletes as it gives them the assurance that they are not fighting their own battle and have a team that would back them.

Inspiration leads to Impact: The underlying role of media in the life of an athlete!

I think media and sports outfits play a huge role in making sure that the voice of the athlete is heard. Why do you think that cricket gets this much attention? Because it's been written about, talked about, shown on television, it's everywhere! I think a lot of credit should be given to Sony Pictures Networks because they have taken some bold decisions of telecasting sports that don't get covered a lot of times. That is an important step towards creating awareness about the lesser known sports.

I think media and digital platforms have a huge responsibility when it comes to creating role models and sharing the stories of their journey. One of the pillars of our Foundation is Inspiration! We are constantly communicating these incredible athlete stories through different media channels as we believe that inspiration can strike through various sources. So inspiration is a large aspect for us from the standpoint of creating an impact. You can never document it, you can never show numbers on it but you can feel it!

Our role, as a society, to help build a sporting culture in India.

WATCH LOCAL SPORTING EVENTS! Go for state and national level tournaments, go and cheer your athletes. Enjoy, explore and expose your kids to different fields of sports and help them develop an interest in sports. It's only when we go to watch our local athletes perform, do we develop an interest in their sport and their journey. Moreover, this also helps the players to stay motivated and perform better. Cheers from the crowd always feed into the energy of the athletes and fuel their performances.

I also believe that films play an important role in this aspect. For example, the awareness about Mary Kom's or Milkha Singh's achievements increased significantly after the release of films that documented their journeys. As a society, we are extremely influenced by cinema. So my advice would be to take your kids to watch more sports-inspired films in order strengthen the sporting culture of our nation.

Message to the budding players of our nation.

You are extremely lucky because today you have people who are ready to back you in your sports journey. You have the opportunity, the exposure and the technology that athletes did not have, five years ago. Take all the opportunities and go live your dream!

What are your thoughts on the initiatives that we, as a society, can take to encourage participation in different fields of sports? Tell us how you would pre-act today to help shape the future of sports in our country?

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Alarm Bajne Se Pehle #JaagoRe

Duties Of The Traffic Police When An Accident Occurs

A traffic police officer, on witnessing an accident or on receiving information about an accident must immediately:

• Stop the vehicle involved in the accident (the police officer must not be below the rank of a Sub Inspector)

• Take the injured person to the nearest doctor or hospital or call for an ambulance

• Note down the name and address of the driver, his/her license and the name and contact details of the owner of the vehicle. The police must also get the name and details of the person/s affected by the accident

If a person refuses to stop when asked to or give information as required he/she can be punished with imprisonment of up to three months or with fine or both.

A police officer can also inspect any vehicle which is involved in an accident, if the inspection is done at a reasonable time and only if the police officer proves his authority to do so. If the vehicle is moved to another place for inspection, it must be returned to the owner within 24 hours after completing the formalities.