Modi hands over Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram accounts to 7 achievers
NEW DELHI: A 31-year-old who did not let physical disability caused by an explosion stop her, a Kashmiri who promotes traditional crafts from the region, and a water conservation crusader were among seven women who took over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s social media accounts and addressed millions of his followers on Sunday by detailing their achievements to inspire others on International Women’s Day.
Modi earlier said he was handing over his social media accounts for the day to the women to “salute the spirit and accomplishments of our nari shakti (women power)”. The messages posted by the women could be seen on PM’s Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram accounts.
“Greetings on International Women’s Day! We salute the spirit and accomplishments of our Nari Shakti. As I’d said a few days ago, I’m signing off. Through the day, seven women achievers will share their life journeys and perhaps interact with you through my social media accounts,” the PM tweeted on Sunday. While a cryptic message by Modi last week about “thinking of giving up social media” triggered speculation last week, he shared the reason for the move a day later.
The seven women achievers used the web portals to detail their achievements and took questions from Modi’s followers. First off the blocks was Sneha Mohandoss, the founder of FoodBank India, who spoke about eradicating hunger.
WITH 53.3 MILLION FOLLOWERS ON TWITTER, PM MODI IS AMONG THE MOST FOLLOWED POLITICAL LEADERS ON PLATFORM
She urged people to feed at least one hungry person to contribute towards a hunger-free planet. “I work with volunteers, many of whom are outside India, to work towards eradicating hunger. We have over 20 chapters and have impacted several people with our work. We also initiated activities like mass cooking, cooking marathons, breast feeding awareness drives,” she tweeted.
Up next was Malvika Iyer, who lost both her hands and severely damaged her legs in a bomb blast when she was 13 years old. “Acceptance is the greatest reward we can give to ourselves. We can’t control our lives but we surely can control our attitude towards life. At the end of the day, it is how we survive our challenges that matters most. Know more about me and my work,” she posted from Modi’s Twitter account.
Iyer survived a bomb blast in Bikaner, Rajasthan, in 2002. She said with the help of a bone protruding from her right hand, she typed her PhD thesis to pursue her dreams.
An entrepreneur who chose to revive the traditional weaving form of carpets or Namdas, Arifa Jaan from Jammu & Kashmir spoke about her journey of reviving the craft and better conditions for artisans. “I always dreamt of reviving the traditional crafts of Kashmir because this is a means to empower local women. I saw the condition of women artisans and so I began working to revise Namda craft,” she said.
With 53.3 million followers on Twitter, PM Modi is among the most followed political leaders on the platform. He is also the most followed leader on Facebook, with 44 million following his page, and 35.2 million following him on Instagram, the photo and video sharing app. On YouTube, he has 4.5 million subscribers.
A woman committed to the conservation of water, Kalpana Ramesh spoke on the Prime Minister’s social media platforms about scarcity of water and its impact on the future. “Small efforts can make a big impact. Water is a valuable inheritance we got.
Let’s not deprive our next generations. Contribute by using water responsibly, harvesting rainwater, saving lakes, recycling used water and creating awareness,” she said.
While announcing that the women were being given access to his social media accounts, Modi said on Sunday that India has outstanding women achievers in all parts of the nation and they have done exemplary work. “Their struggles and aspirations motivate millions. Let us keep celebrating the achievements of such women and learning from them. #SheInspiresUs.”
A member of the Banjara community from rural Maharashtra, Vijaya Parmar was the fifth person on the list who was given the platform to share her experience of promoting Gormati art. “I have been working on this for the last 2 decades and have been assisted by a thousand more women…Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not only encouraged us but also helped us financially to promote Gormati art. It is a matter of pride for us. I am fully dedicated to the preservation of this art and feel proud on the occasion of Women’s Day,” she said.
Kalavati Devi from Kanpur, who builds toilets and goes door to door to check if families have functional toilets, also shared her life story. “Every place where I lived, there was dirt everywhere. But there was a strong belief that through cleanliness we can change this situation. Decided to convince people. To collect toilets, we collected a penny each time. Eventually, success was at stake,” she said.
Devi urged women never to look back and spoke about the necessity of hygiene for staying healthy. Recalling her own experience to cajole people to build toilets, she said: “…For this, it took some time to make people aware. But I knew that if people understood then the work would go ahead. My ambition was fulfilled, my attempt at cleanliness was successful. We have succeeded in building thousands of toilets.”
Veena Devi from Bihar’s Munger, who uses her hands-on experience to make up for the lack of classroom training for mushroom cultivation, came next.
“Where there is a will, everything can be achieved with it. My real identity began with cultivating one kilo of mushrooms under the bed. But this farming not only made me self-sufficient, but gave a new life by increasing my confidence.”