On September 14, Shrishti Bakshi set off on a 3,800 km journey from Kanyakumari all the way across India to Srinagar. By the end of the 260-day walk, Bakshi will have walked one billion steps for her cause – to empower and equip women to do all that they want.
Going by the banner CrossBow Miles, this “modern day Dandi March” (video above) is, according to the website, “an on-foot journey through the spine of India to mobilise communities to make the country safer for girls and women.” In case you’re wondering how one woman walking across the country is going to accomplish this, well, she’s not.
The people behind CrossBow Miles, which was founded by Bakshi, have planned to organise over 60 workshops for women during the duration of the march. The subjects covered include financial and digital literacy, women’s health and hygiene, gender sensitisation, and, of course, women empowerment.
They have also organised a project to draw inspirational art on 30 walls across India, and are accompanied by a documentary film crew to document the stories, like the charged video below from Bengaluru.
The movement is crowd-funded and is accompanied by an ingenious mobile app, which allows anyone from the country to join by contributing their “steps”. All one has to do is pick a cause on the mobile app, start a challenge, and just walk.
At the time of writing, the movement had clocked almost 38 million steps, according to the website. Bakshi, meanwhile, completed 100 days of the walk on December 25. Her experience, which was dubbed “action-packed, heart-wrenching, soul-satisfying”, is summed up in the video below.
And what inspired her movement? Watch these videos.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!