Gursharan Kaur releases book on women empowerment

On the eve of International Women's day, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's wife Gursharan Kaur today released a book on women empowerment.
The book titled 'Bapu Hamare Saath', written by Padma Shree awardee Reema Nanavaty of Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA), is on Mahatma Gandhi's philosophies and how his ideologies helped in empowering rural marginalised women.
"I feel happy to release this book on the eve of International Women's day. SEWA is one organisation which has not only kept Mahatma Gandhi's philosophies alive but has also given a new direction towards women empowerment," said Kaur.
Kaur was the Chief guest at the book release function that took place at the National Gandhi Museum here.

"Gandhiji used to believe in women power and 'Bapu hamare saath' proves how women working with SEWA are upholding Gandhian values by trying to come out of poverty and empowering themselves," she said.
Speaking about the role SEWA has played in making women self-dependent, Kaur said the organisation has always maintained Gandhi's ideas and values on truth, non-violence and religion.

"SEWA believes poverty is a 'violence' and making women self-employed is a way to end that violence. With this idea in mind, SEWA has worked with women in Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka where it brought a ray of hope in them," she said.

Nanavaty said her book tells people how Gandhian philosophies helped in empowering the rural women and made them "fearless".
"The book is about how these rural women came out of their households, joined SEWA and became self-dependent. These women set a glorious example to rest of the country," she said.