On eve of Lohri, inspiring daughters honoured in Dhuri
SANGRUR The festival of Lohri celebrates achievement and brings warmth as people bond around a bonfire
SANGRUR The festival of Lohri celebrates achievement and brings warmth as people bond around a bonfire. To honour this spirit and to celebrate daughters of the state, 12 women, whose life has the power to inspire others were presented the ‘Dhee Punjab Di’ award by Malwa Friends Welfare Society, an NGO, at Dhuri on the eve of Lohri, on Tuesday. Dhuri SDM Latif Ahmed, DSP Paramjeet Singh and writer Om Parkash Gaso attended the function.
Krishna Devi, 45, of Bathinda is a mason, who worked as a labourer, before separating from her husband. “I am running my business of construction work independently. My son is in ITI,” said Devi.
Kusum, 15, fought two bike-borne men, who tried to snatch her phone in Jalandhar in September 2020, was also honoured. She suffered a wrist injury in the incident and the accused were later arrested.
Amandeep Kaur, 14, of Longowal village in Sangrur was in the van, which caught fire in Longowal and claimed four lives (a boy and three girls (of 3-6 years) who were burnt alive in February 2020. Amandeep smashed the windowpanes of the bus and rescued herself and four other children.
Manpreet Kaur, 27, of Theri Shahpur near Moonak was attacked by an auto-rickshaw driver with a screw driver, when she was pursuing a Masters degree in Patiala in 2013. The driver had tried to rob her and assaulted her when she resisted. She remained in hospital for a year, but survived. Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh also honoured her for her tenacity.
“We should not give up, fight for our dreams and conquer our fears. I am now working as a teacher in Mohali,” said Manpreet Kaur. Shinder Kaur, of Changali Wala village near Lehra of Sangrur, grows vegetables on 1.5 acre panchayat land with nine other women of the village in a cooperative model. The organically grown vegetables are sold to passersby.
Devi Dayal, a government school teacher and one of the organisers, said they have honoured 12 women from the state, including girls, for bravery, skills, culture and sporting achievement.