Rape, physical abuse, female foeticide, lack of education among women, etc. are sadly still prevalent in countries like India. These are serious issues that almost every woman faces but is mostly mum about it.
Women who have been facing these problems but are unable to stand up for themselves finally find a ray of hope. Srishti Bakshi, a 30-year old woman has decided to stand up for women’s rights and safety and do what she can to make a difference with her initiative named “CrossBow Miles”.
What led Srishti to start this initiative was an incident of a mother-daughter gang rape in India’s Bulandshahar district. Back then, Srishti has been residing in Central Hong-Kong when she read about this painful incident. It moved her so much that she decided to quit her job and start the movement to support women.
Through CrossBow Miles, Srishti aims to interact with people about women’s safety and empowerment as she walks from south to north of India. The walk stretches from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and covers a journey of 3800 kilometres. This active movement undertaken by Srishti Bakshi has brought a sense of achievement among individuals standing for women’s cause with her every step.
As she stops by at designated places in the course of her walk, she shares incidents and success stories of women who have gone through similar problems and have fought back. Her objective is to make every women technology savvy and use it to their advantage.
Considering the greatness of this initiative taken by one determined woman, Hamstech Institute of Creative Education wholeheartedly supported the movement.
Hamstech Institute has over 25 years of experience in creative education. The institute conducts creative courses such as fashion, interior, jewellery designing and photography. At Hamstech, there’s equal representation for women and men who are treated equally and served with the opportunity to build prestigious creative careers.
Upon Srishti’s arrival at Hyderabad, Hamstech, in association with CrossBow Miles, organized a night walk on 2nd December 2017. The walk started from People’s Plaza, Hyderabad. Before the walk started, Srishti Bakshi gave a brief introduction about herself and the CrossBow movement, which got everyone interested.
The 3-kilometre walk that began at 9:30 pm had the participation from Hamstech students and staff. The agenda of the walk was ‘Women’s Safety & Empowerment’. Women from all walks of life joined the walk with placards displaying slogans such as ‘Educate a Woman, Educate a House’, ‘Digital Literacy for Women’ and ‘Stop Violence Against Women’.
The CrossBow team members interacted with the crowd bringing various issues to light. The team urged people to use the app called “CrossBow Miles app”. With this app, an individual can show his support by taking as many steps and unlocking projects benefitting the underprivileged girl child.
Hamstech’s night walk with Srishti Bakshi that concluded with a positive vibe was a wonderful experience for every participant. This initiative has brought a gush of confidence and has encouraged women to come up and fight for their rights and dignity.