A group of 250 girls from underprivileged backgrounds in Indore had a wonderful treat in store when the district collector P Narahari, organised a special screening of the hit film Dangal for them. The idea, says the collector, came from wanting to inspire young girls from across the country that they too could achieve anything they set their minds on.
“This isn’t the first time I have done such an initiative. I was working as the Collector at Gwalior before this and even there I worked hard on the upliftment of girls,” says Narahari.
One of the reasons why he is so attached to helping those who come from underprivileged backgrounds is because he himself comes from a “humble background”.
Photo source: Facebook
For Narahari, the story of the Phogat sisters has long been inspirational. “I am a motivational speaker and I used to tell the story of the Phogat sisters quite often while talking to the disenfranchised. Hence, when I heard that a movie was being made on them, I knew I had to screen it for the girls who will benefit most from it,” he adds.
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Narahari then quickly went about ensuring that there was a movie hall big enough to accommodate the girls (who were all mostly from government run orphanages).
“The owner of the movie hall immediately booked it for us. For many girls, this was the first time they were even seeing a movie in a theatre or even entering a mall. They were very excited. We also organised for snacks for them. We want these girls to aspire to greatness and movies like these can help”
Photo source: Facebook
True to the Dangal story, Narahari cites his own father’s influence in pushing him towards working for the betterment of women. “We are five brothers and one sister in our family. My father so badly wanted to have a daughter! He was a tailor in the village but he knew that there should be no discrimination between the male and female gender. In fact, my sister is more educated than any of us brothers,” he notes.
Narahari also says that those in public service, like himself, also have to take it upon themselves to be role models for the society. “We need to set examples for the public and show them that you care about the society. If I feel like there is something I could do in order to ensure the dignity and betterment of people, I will do it.”
The goal is to keep going for gold.
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