Some students of Anjuman Islam Girls High School have completed a commendable film project that will screen a fresh lesson in endurance for their schoolmates this Women’s Day.
Twenty-five class IX girls have made the short film that pictures three common Mumbai women, who have had to overcome severe hindrances and hardship to succeed in life. The film, aptly titled Ek Koshish, will be screened at a school programme for all the students and the parents on Friday. “What we truly value is originality and this is an original idea,” said Saba Patel, the school principal. “Moreover, it was a great experience for our students, filming this video.”
The Urdu medium institution located in Bandra is held in high esteem in the Muslim community for the quality of instruction that it imparts to the girls. Many of its students are from economically backward families.
One of the three women featured in the film is Phulmati Pandey. Phulmati was married off when she was only 13. She joined her husband at his home at 15. Sadly, he died that year. She was already pregnant. She struggled to bring up her child and today earns a decent livelihood by selling milk. “This video film will pass on the message about the importance of being independent today,” the principal said.
Another of the women in Ek Koshish is a beautician at a popular salon on Waroda Road in Bandra. A Punjabi who is divorced, she trained in London, and did not allow the hurt of marital separation hamper her progress. She preferred not to give her identity.
Fransisca Kitt, a primary teacher at Apostolic Carmel School also in Bandra, is the third successful woman interviewed for the video story. “It was a good opportunity for them to go out and interact with these women who have achieved so much in their lives, despite the difficulties that riddled their paths,” Patel said.
The students were helped by their teacher Shaikh Farheen to edit the film. “I operated the software for the first time. I took up the challenge as we wanted the video to be our product entirely,” Farheen said. ‘Ek Koshish’ is a fine example by the students and their teacher to overcome the odds to put their message into practice.
@amritanayak3
