National seminar dissects role of women in sports
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, November 12 2022:
The Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) of Lilong Haoreibi College, Thoubal with the support of National Commission for Women (NCW) New Delhi, organised a one-day national seminar on 'Role of Women in Sports' on Saturday at the college's multipurpose hall.
Manipur State Commission for Women chairperson Salam Ulka Devi attended the inaugural session as chief guest, University & Higher Education additional director P Shantikumar Singh as guest of honour and College principal Dr Md Raheijuddin Sheikh as president.
The technical sessions of the seminar were opened with the key presentation by University & Higher Education, Manipur director Dr Rangitabali Waikhom on the topic 'Bleed with Pride' for which she was awarded the Prime Minister's Special Prize for Excellence Activities related with the women empowerment.
Dr Rangitabali emphasised the need for proper care of adolescent girls especially during their menstrual periods.
Interacting with girl students of the college, she highlighted the initiatives taken up by the higher education department for health hygiene, education and sports for college girls, especially the minority Muslim girls in Manipur.
In his address, Dr Md Raheijuddin said Manipur is considered as the 'power house' of sports yet the participation of Muslims, more particularly, women is very low.
Manipuri Muslim women known as 'Meitei-Pangal Women' are also equally smart or even smarter than women of other communities in sports but they cannot explore or expose their talents because of many factors.
However, during the last five years, some girls of the community have come up in various fields of sports even in the martial arts.
The seminar shall focus on the reasons why Muslim girls are responding very less in sports and suggest possible measures to be taken up in the near future for upliftment of women in sports before it is too late, he added.
Pointing out that Manipuri Muslim women have been actively participating in most of the economic activities just like male counterparts, a unique culture which is not seen in the rest of the world where women are confined within the four walls of the house under the purdah system, Dr Raheijuddin hoped that the seminar would throw light on this issue in particular and various other sub-themes in general within the broad theme "Role of Women in Sports" .
The first session of the seminar was chaired by former chairperson of Manipur State Minorities Commission Dr Burhanuddin and the second by former principal of Lilong Haoreibi College Dr K kunjani Devi.
Other topics of the technical sessions include 'Muslim Women in Sports: Past, Present & Future' by Dr Syed Ahmed, Asst Professor, Dhanamanjuri University; 'Empowering Women Through Sports' by Dr Ashalata Maisnam, Asst Professor, Lilong Haoreibi College; 'Sports in Manipuri Muslim Society' by SM Sheikh, an eminent writer and researcher; 'Educational Status of Manipuri Muslim Women and Participation in Sports' by Dr Feroja Syed, Asst Professor, Modern College; 'Manipuri Women in Sports: Challenges & Prospects' by N Bino Devi, Asst Professor, Lilong Haoreibi College; 'From Pomelo to the Football: A Case Study of Fatima Begum, a Pioneer in Manipuri Women Football' by Dr Kh Sapana, Asst.
Professor, Moreh College; and 'Scheduled Caste Women in Sports with special reference to Kakching District, Manipur' by Dr Ng Sapana Devi, Asst.
Professor, Lilong Haoreibi College.