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My Long Walk Across India for Women's Freedom | Srishti Bakshi | TED
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My Long Walk Across India for Women's Freedom | Srishti Bakshi | TED

The Journey to Empower Women Through Mobility

A Personal Experience of Violence and Its Impact

  • The speaker recounts a traumatic experience at the age of 14 when she was assaulted in a movie theater, marking a significant moment that shaped her perception of safety.
  • She highlights the pervasive violence against women in India, emphasizing that both public and private spaces are unsafe for women, leading to fear and restricted mobility.

Statistics on Violence Against Women

  • The speaker shares alarming statistics: 400,000 women face various forms of violence every year in India, equating to 45 women per hour.
  • A specific incident involving a mother and daughter being gang-raped near her home resonates deeply with her past trauma, illustrating the ongoing crisis.

Challenging Societal Norms

  • The speaker expresses frustration over societal acceptance of violence against women instead of questioning its morality. She advocates for safer spaces through increased mobility for women.

Walking Across India: A Symbolic Journey

  • To confront her fears, she undertakes a monumental journey walking 2,300 miles across India over 230 days as an act of defiance against her demons.
  • During this journey, she aims to understand why India is considered one of the most dangerous countries for women by engaging with them about their experiences.

Insights Gained from Conversations with Women

  • Throughout her travels across 170 cities and villages, she meets over 85,000 women. These discussions reveal how lack of mobility restricts women's freedom and independence.
  • Workshops focus on empowering women physically and mentally through activities designed to help them find their voice and strength.

Media Attention and Cultural Observations

  • The media's coverage amplifies the call for safer environments for women. The speaker notes cultural differences regarding marriage in India where it often signifies ownership rather than partnership.

Encounters with Resilient Women

  • Despite witnessing horrific acts against women during her journey, she also meets inspiring survivors who embody resilience and strength.

Empowering Women Through Mobility Initiatives

  • Meeting Jai Bharathi inspires the creation of initiatives focused on teaching women how to ride motorcycles as a means to reclaim control over their lives.

Building a Supportive Network for Women Drivers

  • Together with Jai Bharathi, they establish programs enabling women to become drivers or delivery agents—providing financial independence while fostering community support among female drivers.

Empowering Women Through Mobility

The Journey of Nagamani and Women's Mobility

  • Nagamani's Empowerment Moment: At 59 years old, Nagamani demonstrates her strength by putting her scooter on a center stand, symbolizing her independence and challenging societal norms.
  • Training Initiatives: The organization has successfully trained 1,800 women to be "road ready," highlighting the commitment to empowering women through mobility.
  • Vision for the Future: The decade-long mission aims to bring one million women into mobility, aspiring to create the largest network of connected women drivers.
  • Rethinking Mobility for Women: By focusing on safe transport options and enhancing safety outside the home, the initiative seeks to transform cultural perceptions regarding women's roles in society.
Channel: TED
Video description

There are 600 million women in India -- yet they are rarely seen outdoors after sunset because of safety concerns like harassment and catcalls. On a mission to create safer public spaces, women's rights advocate Srishti Bakshi talks about how she embarked on a 2,300-mile walk across the length of India (a distance equivalent to traveling from New York City to Los Angeles), conducting driving workshops to empower women's mobility across the country. "The more women see other women in public spaces, the more safe, independent and empowered each of us will be," Bakshi says. If you love watching TED Talks like this one, become a TED Member to support our mission of spreading ideas: http://ted.com/membership Follow TED! Twitter: http://twitter.com/TEDTalks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ted Facebook: http://facebook.com/TED LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ted-conferences TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tedtoks The TED Talks channel features talks, performances and original series from the world's leading thinkers and doers. Subscribe to our channel for videos on Technology, Entertainment and Design — plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. Visit http://TED.com to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more. Watch more: https://go.ted.com/srishtibakshi https://youtu.be/tJtCcm7PUvA TED's videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (https://www.ted.com/about/our-organization/our-policies-terms/ted-talks-usage-policy). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at https://media-requests.ted.com