Edito's Note: This video is entertaining and encouraging. It is also eye opening. What if Grannies in the Punjab or Sikh women in general also took to sports shooting? Historically Sikh men as well as Sikh women were trained in martial arts. SikhNet's recently released animation KAUR is the story of Mai Bhago the personification of female empowerment and equality in Sikhi. Interestingly the Kaur film was released on International Women's Day and the below video was made for the same purpose.
India Times reporter explains, "For our Women's Day cover story [we] traveled to a village called 'Johri', about 70 kilometers from Dehli. With three generations of shooters, they are shooting down stereotypes about gender, in a village that is fairly impoverished with about 5,500 people. When we traveled there we realized that the village is now popular as the 'daadiyo ka gow' thanks in part to Prakashi Tomar, she's 74 years old, and her sister-in-law Chandro who's 79. Both these grand mothers learned shooting after the age of 60..."
Then it is explained how though it is not normally done, the two grannies started going for shooting and eventually inspired the whole village.
"Now the village have given more than 13 international shooters to the Indian Olympic team over the years."
It wasn't always a path of fame and recognition when the grannies started they received jokes from the men of the village. But over time the gender dynamics of the village have changed.
"A few years ago not many of the 25 girls studying at the Johri Rifle Club today would have been able to step out of home. Girls who train at the range have got jobs at the army, the Air Force, and the border security force. This has reassured the men, they understand the finding employment for the children is easier because of the shooting, so they no longer insist that they should just stay at home. After this success story many women have taken to the Olympic sport and all their energies are being channelinzed into a positive pursuit which is bringing India fame in shooting at the international level."
Watch video below for more:
Published on Mar 14, 2015
Johri, a small inconspicuous village in western Uttar Pradesh, India, is amidst miles of sugarcane shoots, trucks emerging from brick kilns and the odd bullock cart. But in the last few years, politicians, sports scouts and journalists have been thronging the village to visit a shooting range made famous by a pair of grandma sharpshooters.