Now Reading: From 5 girls in 2016, MukkaMaar now trains 14,000 across Mumbai and Delhi
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From 5 girls in 2016, MukkaMaar now trains 14,000 across Mumbai and Delhi
Actor Ishita Sharma started teaching self-defence to five girls on Versova beach in 2016, after a documentary on a child rape case left her stunned. Her initiative, MukkaMaar, now works with over…
The Story in Brief
Actor Ishita Sharma started teaching self-defence to five girls on Versova beach in 2016, after a documentary on a child rape case left her stunned. Her initiative, MukkaMaar, now works with over 100 government schools in Mumbai and Delhi, reaching about 14,000 girls in Classes 6-8. The three-year programme combines martial arts, verbal skills, and lessons on gender stereotypes. Freepressjournal.in reports that the organisation is also in talks with state governments to reform how self-defence is taught in schools. Founder Sharma says 17 million adolescent girls study in Indian schools, underscoring the need for such programmes.
The Indian Opinion
Activists often say empowerment is about changing mindsets, not just throwing punches. MukkaMaar deserves credit for doing both, training girls to physically defend themselves while challenging the biases that make them targets. Yet the real test is scale: will states adopt this curriculum, and how will its impact be measured beyond anecdotal success? India’s track record on school-based anti-violence programmes is patchy. The question is not whether MukkaMaar works for a few thousand girls, but whether the government can deliver similar quality to the 17 million who need it.
Source: freepressjournal.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
