‘Laado Swabhiman’: In a country, where women are still fighting for basic rights like the right to live with dignity and safety, it is heartwarming how this small village in Haryana is bringing a positive change – one nameplate at a time.
Under the initiative of ‘Laado Swabhiman’, each of the 250 houses in Kirori in Nuh (formerly Mewat) will be identified by their daughter’s name in the family. On Friday, the small village of 1,200 residents put up plaques at the entrance of homes with names of only the daughters living in.
Though the district Nuh may not be considered as one of the most developed or well-off districts, still it has a sex ratio of 908, which is better than most other districts in Haryana.
Manisha Niwas
Koral Niwas
Nargis Niwas
Sharing her happiness, a 17-year-old Muskaan mentioned:
“This is a big day. People will now know our houses and families by our names,”
Hapsha, 15, further shared how this small step can bring more awareness about gender equality. It will also give a new identity to girls in the village. All the girls were also given a book on their basic rights.
‘Laado Swabhiman’ a progressive step
This beautiful initiative was made possible by the former sarpanch of Bibipur village in Jind, Sunil Jaglan. If you remember, Sunil Jaglan was the one whose selfie with daughter initiative had received recognition from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Jaglan says he was inspired by the Swamitva Yojna launched by Modi to help villagers get full rights of their properties. He further added:
“Kirori has become the first village in the state and the country where each house has a nameplate with names of daughters. While similar initiatives have been carried out across the country earlier, this is the first time it has been done on this scale and with uniformity,”
The village sarpanch, Anjum Ara, told TOI that it was a proud day for her. She said:
“This will encourage the girls and give them a sense of pride,”
How this initiative would help address bigger issues such as education for girls
Ara mentioned how these initiatives impact the minds of villagers and make them believe that girls are as capable as boys, and so, must be educated and made independent.
As Jaglan is now working hard to take his Laado Swabhiman initiative to other villages in the district, we are in awe of his progressive thought process. We hope these small initiatives will lead to a bigger impact on our society!
Images: ToI
