Exactly a year ago, when the pandemic had just started and was yet to take its aggressive nature, we had launched Urja. What is Urja? It is a word in the Marathi and Hindi language, which means energy. It's a platform that we have established together to celebrate women, celebrate womanhood, learn together, walk together, and be there for each other when the need arises.
Sarwari and I took significantly less time to think and decide that we would start Urja, bring forth different experts from different fields, and have exciting and educational sessions for all the people interested in learning and having some time off for themselves.
After the pandemic set in, we had no choice but to hold sessions online on Zoom. The summer session was especially exciting, with a variety of speakers ranging from meditation to storytelling. Gynaecology, positive psychology, health and wellness, postpartum depression, Kathak dance, Hindustani classical music were some of the other fields offered as online sessions at Urja. The response was positive, but we couldn't figure out why the participation was so low. The women who needed to attend these sessions were somehow missing. They were somehow lost in their daily chores, and we couldn't bring them out in the forefront.
Nevertheless, we decided to continue with what we were doing without thinking about whys and how's. We had taken this up. We were doing with all our hearts, and we didn't want to give up because the participation was low. Every big thing begins with small steps, and our motive was honest. We were not looking at any monetary benefits. We just wanted to reach out to more people and be available as people who would provide contacts in different fields for different issues.
The past one year has made Urja and us stronger. We have many participants who regularly attend the sessions. It motivates us and helps us keep doing what we are doing. It is essential in life to have a fulfilling passion, a thing that you look forward to, something that ignites that fire inside you and keeps you flowing and glowing. Urja is that to us that has given us something to look forward to, something to cherish and be proud of. And it has made our understanding and friendship only stronger.
Thank you to all participants and the speakers who graced the different online sessions.
Thank you to our husbands and kids, who let us do what we do and support us whenever we need it.
Thank you to our parents, friends, well-wishers, who stood behind us as rocks every time.
Thank you, God, for giving us the courage to start something like Urja.
This is the Facebook page for Urja in case you are interested to join.
