Run for the Motherland’s Martyrs
To inculcate the spirit of giving back to your country and respecting those who died for the motherland, the Border Security Force’s (BSF) Western Command will be organising Run For Martyrs on October 22 at Sukhna Lake. Since the BSF’s inception on December 1, 1965, as many as 1,852 of its personnel have died in the line of duty. The run will be a tribute to these brave souls.
Dampened Diwali
More than 500 vehicles were delivered on Dhanteras as it is an auspicious day to buy a car or two-wheeler. People bought gold and utensils between 7.30 to 9.30 pm, and the prices of crockery shot up by around 150 per cent as their sales went up. But shopkeepers were unhappy as business was not as good as last year, thanks to GST and demonetisation, which made people spend less. Hotel and restaurant owners said sales were down by 25 per cent.
Crackerless Celebrations
Diwali celebrations in the city on October 19 are expected to be dull with few firecrackers being burst. Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed that crackers can be burst for three hours only. The Chandigarh administration has issued only 96 licences to sell firecrackers. Crackers can be bought and sold at only nine sites in the city only from October 17 to 19.
Thousands unite on social media to declare #MeToo
The ‘Me too’ campaign started by American actress Alyssa Milano against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, accused of sexually harassing top women in the glamour world, has become a rage in India also. Many women have taken to social media platforms to lift the lid over what they had long suppressed: of harassment at their homes, workplaces and the streets. While some women simply wrote the two words, others used it as an opportunity to share stories about their abuse. A 22-year-old graphic designer from New Delhi wrote, “Me too. I was 5 and it was my best friend’s uncle. He thought it was okay to play around inside my skirt with me sitting on his lap while my friend wasn’t around”. A 39-year-old clinical psychologist from Odisha wrote, ” #MeToo. By both the sexes. Known and unknown. Far too many instances to keep a count.”
While many men joined the women to express solidarity with the campaign, some narrated how they, too, had been victim of sexual harassment.
Milano started the ‘#MeToo’ campaign after Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Meryl Steep went public and revealed that they had sexually abused by Weinstein.
“Suggested by a friend: If all the women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote ‘Me too’ as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem,” Milano tweeted. The hashtag has since been reportedly retweeted 20 million times already. Ashmeet Kaur
The author is the correspondent of The New Indian Express in Chandigarh. Email:hsbajwa73@gmail.com