BHUBANESWAR : When Sameera Khan lost her father in 2015, she ventured out to find a new meaning in life, which led her on a hilly path, literally. She began to ascend mountains but life had more plans for her. It brought her back to the ground, to make a difference in the lives of women of the country, who continue to be affected by gender inequalities, violence, discrimination and lack of opportunities.
After a personal loss, she left a well-paying job as a corporate event planner. Many advised her to get married and settle down, but she did not. She chose to travel. She wanted to understand people, more importantly, herself.
In the years that followed, Sameera turned to mountaineering. She climbed 11 peaks in the Himalayas and European countries. She also took to cycling. Since 2015, she has travelled across 37 countries on her bicycle.
These journeys changed her. She saw how women lived in different parts of the world and compared them with the state of affairs in India. This is when, she found her goal.
In March last year, she began a new journey. This time across India. She started cycling to different states on her gravel bike with the sole aim to create awareness among young girls in rural areas on social and religious constraints, patriarchy, misogyny, abuse, sexual and mental harassment and various diseases affecting women.
So far, Sameera has covered nine states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. She arrived in Odisha on March 3 and started her awareness journey from Baripada, followed by Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Keonjhar, Angul, Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Puri. On Wednesday, she reached Berhampur and plans to visit Bhawanipatna, Phulbani, Balangir, Sambalpur and Rourkela before moving into Chhattisgarh.
Sameera meets girl students at government and private schools where she speaks about self-reliance, questioning social norms and raising voice against abuse and discrimination. However, as schools are closed in Odisha due to the ongoing examinations, she is holding the awareness sessions in the offices of the district collectors with support from the Women and Child Development department.
“Girls are not just meant for marriage. They should be treated equally and encouraged to pursue their dreams,” Sameera said. She is also promoting the HPV vaccine to prevent cervical cancer.
She thanked chief secretary Anu Garg and Women and Child Development commissioner-cum-secretary Mrinalini Darswal for supporting her initiative to educate girls in rural areas.