Gargi Ahlawat rode to her pre-wedding event in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan
Highlights
- Gargi Ahlawat wanted to tell the world that women aren't inferior to men
- Act a way of helping her mother's campaign for 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao'
- Her mother Santosh said their district Jhunjhunu had a skewed sex ratio
The curious sight of a bride riding a horse-drawn carriage drew scores of residents to their rooftops and balconies at Chirawa in Rajasthan on Monday. It is traditionally the groom who arrives on horseback, but Gargi Ahlawat, the daughter of a BJP parliamentarian, rode to a wedding ritual with a big message.
An MBA from the UK, Gargi says she wants to tell the world that women are not inferior to men. It is also her way of contributing to her mother Santosh Ahlawat's campaign for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's flagship 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' mission.
Gargi, not her groom, arrived in a chariot to the "Bhandori", a ritual pre-wedding feast for the couple. "It is the groom who comes on a horse, but I changed it," Gargi said with pride.
Santosh Ahlawat told reporters, that her district Jhunjhunu had a skewed sex ratio. "I fought like a warrior and things have improved a lot over the last few years," she said, happy at her daughter's unusual way of driving the message home.
In a state that is known for its patriarchal ways, Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan has been praised by the centre for showing remarkable progress in implementing the 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' scheme. The district had the lowest sex ratio in the country in but over the last four years, it has achieved the highest rate, according to the government's census data. The state has also won the Nari Shakti award from the President in May 2017.