It took the might of a woman — goddess Durga — to take down the demon king Mahishasura. In keeping with this spirit, a special self-defence course for women by Rashbehari Avenue-based Sunrise 66 Palli comes as a prelude to the festival.
Directed by martial art expert Gaurav Goswami, the self-defence course, launched on July 31, will empower around 5,000 women from different walks of life over the next six months.
“Women face sexual and verbal harassment every day in our society and often remain silent. We want to change that,” said Padyumna Mukherjee, a representative of the club.
Several schools and colleges in the city have already been approached by Sunrise 66 Pally. “All the students will be trained on the campus, while those who register separately will be trained at different venues in Kolkata,” said Mukherjee.
The training programme will teach women how to use common objects in self-defence against any kind of abuse. “Every woman carries a bag, an umbrella, or some books or a pen. Once trained properly, they would be able to defend themselves with those very objects,” said Gaurav Goswami, a kickboxing Coach at WAKO India and the chairman of its Bengal Coaching Committee.
Highlighting the importance of self-defence techniques, Goswami said, “We’ll be teaching basic body fitness, where to hit the opponent and how to hit. It would take a minimum of four classes to learn the basics. This will help women to retaliate against any improper behaviour on the streets.”
A special music video featuring actress Mumtaz Sorcar and singer Lopamudra Mitra is being made for the training programme.
Sunrise 66 Palli had grabbed the headlines last year for employing women priests for conducting their puja.