Women fearful since 26/11 fear learn to cope with trauma

The NGO had brought together 20 women facing post-26/11 trauma. They included wives of police constables who were on duty that night and the women who had witnessed the attacks.

“26/11 was a traumatic experience for these women and two years down the line they are yet to move on. Many who witnessed the attacks still fear visiting those places. They bear mental agony. Wives of constables who were on duty that night still experience fear pangs when their husbands leave for office. Through this workshop,we want to give these women a platform to express themselves and their worries. We want to give vent to their tensions so that they emerge strong,and confident,” said Archana Kapoor,the NGO’s Indian partner.

The workshop,facilitated by Kavita Karkare,wife of slain ATS chief Hemant Karkare,had two programmes,‘Swimming to the Future’ and ‘Our Stories,Our Futures’. It included swimming sessions for the women and their children.

“I was at CST with my family when terrorists struck. My husband,niece,nephew and I were shot at. Since then I have gone to CST only twice and my legs and hands had shaken with fear. At the workshop,they told us to free ourselves of the tension and fear. After a long time,I have laughed and played without fear,” said Sarita Harpulkar,who attended the workshop on Monday.

For Sarika Upadhyaya,who was with friends when terrorists struck at Leopold,the 26/11 has changed the tiniest aspects of her life. “I have 108 shrapnel wounds on my body and have to wear clothes that cover my body. However,the incident has made me stronger as a person. The workshop is fun because it focuses on women as strong individuals,” she said.

In the days to come,the participants will further be involved in the other programme,“Our Stories,Our Futures” wherein they will speak about most memorable events in their lives. “The aim is to empower the women and make them aware of their role in conflict resolution. They will be taught to look out for signals in their children that may eventually led to extremist behaviour and to correct the behaviour in the nascent stage itself,” said Anne Carr,a dialogue practitioner from Northern Ireland who is conducting the storytelling workshop.