13th March 2023, New Delhi: Vedica Foundation and Nori Narrative have joined hands to launch the ‘City of Women’ campaign, a collaborative effort to celebrate and enhance the freedom of urban women to travel anytime, anywhere. The non-profit organization, renowned for its flagship Vedica Scholars Programme for Women, has partnered with the young, women-led architecture and design firm to promote and empower women’s mobility.
In conjunction with International Women’s Day activities organized by DMRC, the City of Women team has curated a mural at Dwarka Sec-14 Metro Station on the theme ‘Delhi-NCR as a City of Women’. The mural, designed by the talented women-led team at Nori Narrative along with Swati Kharbanda, showcases women of all ages and backgrounds confidently claiming public spaces throughout the city. The mural was executed by a team of 12 talented muralists from across the country, all of whom were women.
The ‘City for Women’ campaign has a mission and vision to enable women to live a life of independence and dignity. By encouraging women to venture out freely and fearlessly and claim their space as equal members of the city, the campaign aims to change the negative narrative of Delhi-NCR being unsafe for women. This novel campaign by Vedica Foundation is closely associated with the Delhi Metro and recognizes the role of the expansive public transport system in empowering the women of Delhi by providing them with safe mobility, access, and freedom throughout the city.
‘City of Women’ campaign is inspired by Rebecca Solnit’s City of Women Project, an international initiative that has its footprints in New York, London, and Belgium.
“The ‘City of Women, Delhi’ campaign intends to change the narrative around women’s freedom and build a tribe of fearless and independent women who claim the city and inspire others to do so. The Dwarka sec-14 metro station is today a canvas of hope, resilience, and empowerment. “This project is a testament to the power of art and women’s collective action in creating a safer, more inclusive world for all.”, said, Anuradha Das Mathur, Founder & Dean, Vedica Foundation.
On March 6, Sh. Vikas Kumar, Managing Director of DMRC, along with Dr. Shalini Singh, DMRC’s first lady, inaugurated the mural in the presence of the team of muralists, as well as representatives from Vedica Foundation and Nori Narrative.
The ‘City of Women’ campaign, spearheaded by Nori Narrative, has also introduced a digital aspect to the initiative. The campaign’s mascot, Mast Mauli, is a young, vivacious woman who personifies the bold, fearless women of Delhi. With her bright red saree and white sneakers, Mast Mauli fearlessly navigates the city and transforms into different personas such as a food critic, a negotiator, a life of the party, and a heritage enthusiast.
The #WomenOfDelhiMetro social media campaign has been launched to showcase the inspiring stories of everyday women commuters of the Delhi Metro. Other social media campaigns such as #GoAnywhereAnytime, #MaiBhiMastMauli, and #Chalein are gaining popularity among women in Delhi-NCR as they express their will to fearlessly claim their space in the city with #AbMeriBhiDilli.
