Actress Prapti Redkar on Navratri: Real strength of women is standing up for oneself
Actress Prapti Redkar says women should know how to protect themselves, speak up against wrong and not let others make their life decisions.
Navratri is a festival that celebrates the awakening of women's power and honours the different forms of the Goddess. Along with worship, the courage, confidence and strength of the Goddess to fight injustice are especially remembered during this time. But actress Prapti Redkar believes that true women's power is not limited to worshipping the Goddess. It also lies in standing firm for one's rights and living with self-respect.
Prapti plays the character Savali in the Zee Marathi serial 'Savalyachi Janu Savali'. On the occasion of Navratri, she spoke about the importance of self-protection and urged every woman to become the heroine of her own life.
According to Prapti, women's power means safeguarding one's self-respect and making the right decisions for oneself. It is essential, in her view, to raise one's voice against anything that feels wrong and to stand by one's decisions. She says every woman today should know how to protect herself. Every girl need not learn karate or martial arts, she says, but every woman should understand how to protect herself in times of trouble.
On Navratri, she has urged every woman and girl to take care of herself and never lose courage under any circumstances. According to her, if something wrong is happening to you, resist it and fight for yourself with courage. Every woman has the right to decide what to do in life, how to live and which decisions to take. So, she appealed, do not let others make decisions about your life; be the heroine of your own life and live with confidence.
Prapti has been learning martial arts since 2022. Her practice is currently on hold because she is busy shooting for the serial. Even so, she said she felt a big difference in herself before and after learning martial arts. Earlier, she would feel uneasy when someone deliberately misbehaved with her or tried to intimidate her, and she did not have the confidence to resist. After learning martial arts, her courage and confidence to stand up for herself grew, she says.
Prapti also recounted an incident that made her aware of the strength within her. She said a boy deliberately touched her inappropriately at Malad station. At first she did not realise who it was. But a little later he was seen coming towards her again with the same intent. Prapti then grabbed him by the collar and protested forcefully. He then began apologising and ran away from the spot.
The incident was significant for her because at that moment she became aware of her own strength and her ability to stand up against injustice. That is why she says every girl and woman must have at least enough knowledge to protect herself.
For Prapti, Navratri is not only a time for worshipping the Goddess but also an occasion to celebrate with joy and enthusiasm. A public Navratri festival is held near her maternal grandmother's house. It features children's games, separate competitions for women and men, garba, fancy dress garba and a cooking competition, among other events. Taking part in them with friends, she says, the days of Navratri pass without her noticing.
She also makes a point of visiting the Goddess on invitations from different Navratri mandals. She particularly enjoys the positive energy of the Goddess's darshan over the nine days and the enthusiasm of the festival.
