Event to commemorate Daughter’s Day at Malerkotla

Valour, confidence and ambition are some of the traits parents should inculcate in their daughters, according to successful women of the region. These women also called for men of all age groups to be educated and make the world a safe place

for everyone.

A number of successful women spoke on International Daughters’ Day. They argued all citizens should play an active role in creating a safe and dignified space for all women, besides expressing love, gratitude and appreciation to their daughters.

At the event organised to commemorate the day, Dr Jyoti Hind was asked what parents could do to help their daughters succeed. She said, “Women are undoubtedly getting stronger by the day. However, now it is the time when men need to be educated about making the world a safe place.”

She said her family took pride in having confident and strong women.

“For my daughter, I set an example of a strong woman both at home and in the workplace so that my daughter can learn to face challenges with confidence,” she added.

Madhavi Kataria, an IAS officer and former director of Social Security and Child Development in Punjab, urged parents to try to dilute the patriarchal approach when dealing with their sons and daughters.

“Parents need to reorient themselves against patriarchy and nurture an attitude of equality and equity between their sons and daughters. It is the parents who need to create an environment without discrimination in their minds and hearts. This might just suffice for girls to flourish,” said Kataria.

Dr Shalina Mehta, a social anthropologist, said, “Let them be their own person, do not curb their inner voice.”

The Deputy Commissioner, Dr Pallavi, called upon parents to exhort their daughters to compete with their male counterparts at local and global levels.

“Instead of attempting to accomplish our own dreams through our daughters, we should identify their hidden talent and nurture it,” said Pallavi.

Inspector Gurpreet Kaur said it was due to persistent motivation by her parents that she had chosen a career rarely adopted by women. She said, “I used to work as a lecturer. However, I wanted to work for the protection of women and the elderly. After finding out about my ambition, my parents urged me to appear for the examination and they also rescheduled their daily chores so that as per my study schedule.”