`Empowered' women of Kochpukur impress Lara

KOCHPUKUR, West Bengal: A star descended on this remote village some 25 kms south of Kolkata on Monday. Star-struck children missed school and elders forgot work, spending most of the day laughing and giggling in excitement as they talked and walked around with the most beautiful woman in the Universe. At the end of her five hour-long journey through paddy fields, dusty roads and small thatched roof huts however, reigning Miss Universe and Indian beauty queen Lara Dutta was sure the organisers had gone wrong somewhere."I know all of you think of me as a superstar. But to me you are the real stars - women like all of you who have fought against tremendous odds in a male dominated society to build up a strong women's movement. Listening to what you all have achieved makes me bow my head in reverence. I salute you," Lara told a gathering of more than 600 young women and children who had come from far flung villages of trouble-torn South 24 Parganas to catch a glimpse of the remarkably beautiful woman. Dressed in a sober pink chikan salwar kameez Lara was like the pole star among commoners, a queen bee attracting fellow beetles from all around. As her convoy drove down the serpentine dusty roads of Baruipur towards Kochpukur dozens gathered on both sides of the road waving their queen onto the 'Nistha village' - a name now associated with Kochpukur and surrounding areas thanks to the tremendous work done by this NGO to empower rural women and help them become self sufficient. As Lara finally got off the car hundreds of Kishori Bahini students dressed in bright orange showered flowers on her from both sides of the lane. For the next two hours the UN goodwill ambassador sat through a small song and dance show by children and women of the villages and listened to problems of local women who recounted how they had built up a powerful Mahila Mandal and Kishori Bahini in 7 villages, forcing men to grant them equality in all respects. Lara spoke to both boys and girls about the necessity to build up a good rapport and understanding between the two sexes and encouraged them to "fix a goal in life and work to achieve it with a single-minded determination". After hours on the road and speaking to hundreds of villagers, Lara seemed tired, but still found time to express her views while munching into a sandwich. "These boys and girls know so much. All of them are well aware of women's rights and some have even heard of the Cairo Convention. But the best part is these women under the dynamic leadership of Mina Das and 'Nishtha' had begun empowering women here much before the 1994 convention. I am honestly impressed. I have travelled throughout the world in the past few months and met so many villagers. But really, I have not been to any village where women themselves have formed such a strong Mahila Samity and empowered themselves on their own," she said.