All women Iftar Party in Bhopal

This Ramadan, Bhopal witness an unique Iftar Party and that is an all-woman Iftar Party organized by a group of woman. Around 100 women and girls participated in the Iftar party, which was organized in the poorest part of the Aishbagh community popularly known as the Janta Quarters.

For most visiting women it was the first iftari they had attended and they said it was a memorable occasion of their lives. Women activists associated with the event said that this is a small yet powerful way of combating communalism and firmly stating our united stand as a secular community. 

Seema Kurup who is associated with Eka, a Bhopal based nonprofit trust which played an important role in organizing the event, speaking to News Sense said, “As a feminist group, we collectively felt that women’s participation in public and political spheres must increase, their leaderships needs to be built. We thought it was a great way of breaking the cultural norm, engaging with basti women, giving the youth an opportunity to mobilize their own community and as women highlight the ganga–jamuna tehzeeb of bhopal which is much more powerful than the communal politics in play“.

The all women Iftar party will continue in coming Ramzan months too. Youth groups plan to continue this every year, in larger numbers across the community, and engaging more women and girls. 

Eka is a non-profit trust based in Bhopal. The organisation work with women, children and adolescent girls from the poorest urban communities of old city in Bhopal. It also runs a community-based counseling and legal aid cell for adolescents and women; a skills training and production unit run by women survivors of violence, basti centres for working children and drop-outs and actively campaign for social change.