MUMBAI: Mumbai, July 23 2024: The COVID-19 pandemic unleashed unprecedented challenges across the globe, drastically affecting businesses, jobs, education, lifestyles, health, and countless lives. Amongst these, a pressing concern that persists in the post-pandemic world is the alarming dropout rate of adolescent girls from schools. In a bid to shed light on this burning issue, Michelin Star Chef, restaurateur, author, filmmaker, and humanitarian Vikas Khanna, who is renowned for backing socially causes, joined hands Ek Desh, the social impact vertical of House of Omkar, to craft a 3 min thought-provoking short film, titled Pinky Ka Basta.
According to multiple surveys and studies, more than 50% of the girls are unsure about returning to school post-pandemic, while a staggering 64 per cent have been pulled into care and domestic work. 57% of girls drop out upon reaching the 11th grade.
“Pinky Ka Basta” is the story of countless number of girls who stopped going to school and have either got married young or have been pulled into domestic work. Pinky Ka Basta aims to highlight the devastating impact of the pandemic on education for adolescent girls, bringing forth their ongoing struggles in accessing educational opportunities. Educating a girl helps empower the next generation. Therefore, besides the societal impact with reduced child marriages, poverty alleviation and increased women’s participation in the society also leads to significant economic impact.
With Pinky Ka Basta, EkDesh is starting a movement to bring #BagsToSchool. They have partnered with Chef Vikas Khanna to lead the narrative and bring NGOs, organisations, individuals together and create an ecosystem that can enable and empower young girls. With the awareness campaign and activating crowd funding, Ek Desh has partnered with Annamrita Foundation to help provide nutrition for girls, while Pedal On will help create skill and job opportunities. The short film has been conceptualised by Maximus Collabs and is directed by Ashish Panda.
Reflecting on the short film, Chef Vikas Khanna expressed, “In a fast-growing world where technology has reached Space, it is distressing that lakhs of adolescent girls even today, do not have access to basic privileges like education and sanitation, while also facing the increased burden of domestic work. According to the World Bank, one year of secondary education can make a 25% difference in wages for women. Therefore, unlocking the potential of women and girls can have a huge impact on economic and societal growth. “Pinky Ka Basta” is a call to action, urging an average Indian to recognize the gravity of this situation and work collectively towards a brighter future for the young girls".
Further sharing her thoughts, Poonam Kaul, Founder at EkDesh and House of Omkar added, “Education is not just a step into the window of opportunity for girls but also a leap forward for a better future. “Pinky Ka Basta” is small step that we believe that can act as a catalyst to bring them back into the academic or skilling ecosystem so that they can be self reliant and independent.We hope Pinky Ka Basta inspires many more people to join us and supports girls in returning to school, pursuing their dreams, and reaching their full potential."
Anurag Bhatnagar, Chief Marketing Officer, Annamrita Foundation"We are very delighted to partner with EkDesh and Chef Vikas Khanna. Our ethos, ideas, efforts, purpose and intent align and ‘Pinky Ka Basta’ is a result of this collaboration. Together, we aspire to make a difference, build awareness, and we believe every single person’s contribution counts in ensuring girls' access to education and a brighter future."
Saumya Sharma ,Key Solutions Resource - Maximus Collabs "Pinky Ka Basta, a 3 mins short film is a testament to the power of storytelling and its ability to drive social change. We are honored to support this significant film and the alarming issue of girls’ education, and we hope it inspires audiences to take action."
The statistics and data further show that 46% of schools do not have basic facilities like Toilets and Drinking Water; 35% of schools lack a Boundary Wall; 16.6% of secondary schools in India do not have female teachers.
Pinky Ka Basta is the first step towards building an ecosystem to enable and empower young girls and ignite change in the nation. Empowering girls, empowers the next generation.
Watch Pinky Ka Basta now on YouTube and join the movement to support girls' education!
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