Foundation of strong, fit & Atmanirbhar Bharat will happen at the household level: Ekta Vishnoi

Ekta Vishnoi, Mission Director, FIT India,SAI.

Khel Today Reporter

NEW DELHI: It is very clear that the foundation of strong, fit and AatmaNirbhar Bharat will happen at the household level. This view is expressed by Ekta Vishnoi, Mission Director, FIT INDIA, Sports Authority of India during the ‘Fit Women, Fit Families, Fit India’ conference, jointly organized by FICCI and FLO in association with the Fit India Mission, Govt of India. Ekta Vishnoi said that the women of India have a huge role to play in achieving the goal of an Atmanirbhar Bharat.

The conference was divided into two sessions namely, ‘Bharat Ki Naari: Swasthya Aur Sampannta Ki Kyari’, and ‘She Wins: Traditional Values, Modern Approach’. The conference was attended by some of India’s brilliant women achievers to promote importance of women in keeping our country fit and progressive. Addressing the sessions, speakers shared their incredible and inspiring growth story, how they openly challenged our society’s gender biased perspectives to prove themselves and come out winners.

Anju Bobby George, Former Olympian said, “As a women athlete I never expected and it was beyond my imagination to gain immense weight, which happened during my pregnancy. Missing a fit and maintained body was unacceptable to me since I was an athlete, so I had to work extremely hard to get back to my previous shape and position. It is my advice to the women of our country that you should spend quality time on fitness and well-being, since without a fit mind & body it’s impossible to support our families, surroundings and the country.”

Fitness Icon and SAI Member Sapna Vyas said, “We all need to accept that women are the role models for their families, hence we need to take it as a responsibilit­­y that someone is watching and learning from us. One has to choose a lifestyle which helps you have peaceful sleep, helps you deal with stress better, which helps you evolve and not limits your growth.”

Speaking at the session, Deepa Malik, President, Paralympic Committee of India said, “I am really lucky and fortunate that I had the culture of sports and fitness in my family, which was introduced to me within the four walls of my family. This helped me defeat the so-called taboos around disability and led me to create history, all because of sports and fitness in my life.”

Dr Subi Chaturvedi, FICCI Committee Member and Chief Corporate Affairs & Communications Officer, Zupee said, “When we look at mental health issues, when we look at physical development, it is very important that we also look at how much access do women have to safe spaces. What is it that we can do so that they may contribute their full potential to the growth of the country?”

Dr Chaturvedi further said that we cannot be left behind as a country in terms of women’s contribution to development, when other countries are fully utilizing their women’s potential and contribution. “The younger generation is pushing boundaries and is questioning status quo. The right legacy we want to leave behind and the right value system that we want them to inculcate, that’s the kind of Fit India we are looking for,” she said.

Priyanka Raina, Co-Founder, Gracia Raina Foundation said, “We focus on conditioning or counselling for women’s families and their partners; educating them about what the women in their family might be facing and the best way to support them. We encourage support to women through their families so that women lead a happy and healthy life.”­­­­

The sessions were moderated by Ms Neha Mathur Rastogi, FICCI Committee Member and Ms Taruka Srivastav, Sports consultant. Zupee was the Title Partner and Wordswork the Empowering Partner of the conference.