Hurratul Maleka Taj has a vision, “No matter where a girl goes, she has a trusted community of girls going with her.” She aims to connect all the women and girls of this country through her app, ChicsConnect, an app of girls, for girls, by a girl.
Women can sign up to ChicsConnect for free and always stay in touch with other women wherever they are. They can chat online or meet up for a coffee. This will not just make them feel secure but also create a network which could lead to friendships or professional liaisons. “I feel that girls can help girls in a very potent way and there is a different kind of comfort that they feel with each other,” the 24 year-old says.
Soon after moving away from home in Udaipur, Hurratul learnt about the unpleasant realities of life. The sickening male gaze followed her everywhere— at Kota while studying for IIT entrance exam, in Mumbai while pursuing her graduation tech and business, in the film and modelling industry with which she came in contact briefly, during her stint at Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares. “I left everything and returned home.”
It was then that she decided to go ahead with her dream of starting something of her own. Territory of Fashion, an e-commerce portal was born in 2014. However, encounters with misogyny did not cease. She was attending several business conferences. “There, I met a lot of men, investors with deep pockets, who turned out to be completely different from what they were pretending to be,” Hurratul recalls. Another observation she made was the scarcity of women at these events. “I went to one of the biggest Indian conferences in Bangalore where there were just five women among 2000 people.”
ChicsConnect is the result of these experiences. While the Android version is ready, Hurratul is raising money on the crowdfunding site, Ketto for to bring the app to the iOS platform. She will also use the money to conduct meet ups with women from across the country and create awareness about her endeavour. Paying her team what they deserve as opposed to what is being paid now is also on her mind. “Of course, not all men are the same. So many men are helping me right now and they have been incredible,” she concludes.
To help similar causes, log on to Ketto - a platform to raise funds for social, personal and creative causes.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Make-New-Friends-Wherever-You-Are")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}