Posted: May 15, 2005 at 0000 hrs IST

What do you do when incidents of crime against women keep on spiralling and authorities fail to contain this menance? Take up self-defence courses so that you can keep the wolves at bay. Assisting women in this regard, are a few committed corporates.

According to the latest official figures, the number of cases of sexual harassment reported in Haryana jumped by more than three times between 2001 and 2003, up from 401 to 1,302. In Uttar Pradesh, 4,970 such cases were registered in 2003, nearly twice as many recorded in 2001 (2,575). However, there was a sharp decline in the number of rape cases in the state, according to the figures tabled in Parliament recently.

As more and more women enter the workforce, sexual harassment has seen a rise in workplaces and issues of safety confront women every time they step out of their homes.

Says Electrolux India CEO and managing director, Rajeev Karwal, who has spearheaded the company’s self-defence programmes for women, “The constant fear that women undergo to realise their dreams prompted us to initiate martial arts courses for women in Delhi and elsewhere.”

Electrolux has conducted several courses in karate across the National Capital Region in the last couple of years, training more than 300 women in karate. Its Femme Force initiative, as it is called, has tied up with other like-minded organisations like Confederation of Indian Industry and Ficci Ladies Organisation to train women free of cost in martial arts along with a workshop on mental preparedness conducted by a trained psychologist.

“I got a chance to use the training while returning from office one evening and I made complete use of the training. The man, an army captain, will never do anything like that again in his whole life, and I’m more confident now,” says Ekta, a Femme Force activist who undertook the course at Vasant Valley School, New Delhi.

Electrolux, which invests Rs 1 crore annually in this project, now hopes to take this programme to other cities. Next on the list are Jaipur, Chennai, Lucknow, Indore, Mumbai and Bhubaneswar, where it is hoping to tie up with schools and private organisations. “We are also in talks with ITC to conduct a similar programme for their employees,” says Karwal.

Several corporates have evinced in such programmes, with a few starting in-house programmes for their employees.

IT services company Accenture recently launched a programme to sensitise employees about gender differences. As part of its More Learning@Accenture programme, the company is initiating roadshows to educate employees on its policies on gender discrimination and harassment, setting up employee-led clubs to organise sports initiatives such as self-defence skills, says Rekha Menon, head, India Geographic Services, Accenture.

Another Femme Force veteran, Asmita, says, “I haven’t had an opportunity to use the training, but you feel a strange sense of security now when moving out alone, staying at home alone or taking an evening walk in a seemingly isolated park.”

According to Harsh Soin, vice-president, People Excellence, Bharti Tele-Ventures,

“In a service industry and especially in a sector like telecom, people are the main asset. It is only through its people that Bharti can achieve its vision. As such Bharti spends a significant proportion of its resources in training employees. Training programmes include skill enhancement and general management programmes, offsites and outdoors. The self-defence training programme, Krav Maga, is one such exercise. The programme imparts the basic skills to withstand temporary aggression and at the same time brings about a work-life balance in the employees’ schedule.

The programme also brings about an element of physical exercise to it.”

Says Vicky Kapoor, an instructor in Krav Maga, a self-defence programme developed by the Israeli army, “This course incorporating Israeli combat tactics, can help make women more self-confident when travelling at late hours. The course helps one defend oneself with whatever object is handy, be it a pen, a mobile phone, or an umbrella, or even with bare hands.” Kapor has trained employees from Oberoi Hotels and the Bharti Group in this art.

“We have conducted this course free of cost for 200 girls at Nari Niketan, a shelter for women in Delhi. We are also trying to tie up with a couple of companies to offer this courses as part of their human resource initiatives.”

Oberoi Hotels and Resorts conducted a course on self-defence for some of its women employees last year. Around four batches consisting of 20 women each have been trained in Krav Maga by Mr Kapor, says the company’s director (human resources) Nidhi Chauhan.

The Delhi Police’s Crime Against Women Cell has been giving self-defence training in colleges but now it has started training working women also. Delhi Police has tied up with All India Women’s Conference for a permanent programme to train residents of its working women’s hostel in the capital. The women, either in their 20s or 30s, have learnt the basics of judo, karate and taekwondo.

“We would like five to six batches to run concurrently. This requires more resources and we would encourage other corporates to join hands with us so that more women, whether they are employees, students or housewives, are able to handle such unpleasant situations,” says Karwal. According to him, a corporate house can succeed in such ventures only if it has a strong social commitment, instead of just pursuing it for corporate mileage.

Source: http://www.screenindia.com/news/biffem-back/135268/

Fitness training gives way to martial arts

Posted online: Sunday, December 05, 2004 at 0000 hours IST

Sometime back, 80 women employees at the Oberoi underwent training in Krav-Maga, an Israeli martial art form. Says Nidhi Chauhan, director, HR, The Oberoi,” This technique highlights the aspect of self-defence and also stresses on physical fitness and personality development.” Ms Chauhan also underwent the training. “After undergoing the course, I am able to cope with work pressure much better.”

Krav-Maga forms an important component of the armed forces training in Israel. Says Commander Avi Moyal, director and senior instructor, International Krav-Maga Federation, Israel, “This technique focuses more on confrontation rather than shooting. For example, women are faced with adverse situations every day. They get pushed around, jostled and eve-teased when they board a bus or train. Krav-Maga helps women get out of such situations. It helps them to remain calm and be self-confident.”Mr Moyal has protected Michael Jackson and Madonna. He has also developed a special pepper spray for situations where weapons can’t be used! Mr Moyal has also taught self-defence courses to the prime minister’s office staff in Israel.

Martial arts expert Vicky Kapoor recently opened one such fitness centre in Saket, New Delhi. Mr Kapoor is an official representative of the International Krav-Maga Federation in India. Over the last one year, Mr Kapoor has conducted several Krav-Maga training sessions for women from all walks of life.

“Delhi is becoming the crime capital of the country. It is necessary for women to know some form of self-defence techniques,” he remarks. Krav-Maga can also be a stress buster for harried corporate executives. “This form of exercise helps take out aggression and frustration that one experiences during work hours. Apart from physical well being, Krav-Maga also helps in building self confidence,” he adds.

The fitness centre in New Delhi will focus on workouts minus gym equipment. The studio will offer workouts and exercise programmes on Krav-Maga, kick boxing and karate among others. The charges for Krav-Maga are Rs 1,400 per month (12 classes).

Advocates claim martial arts as a therapeutic form of exercise. It lays emphasis on strength and performance. Music, dance and acrobat techniques combined with martial arts occupy an important place in Chinese theatre. Thanks to Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee, martial arts is finding a lot of takers across the world.

Martial arts can be useful in real fight situations as intense mental control is a key requirement. Tai chi or shadow boxing is very popular with the elderly in Hong Kong. Shadow boxing is also popular with tourists who find it an excellent means of relaxation. Tai chi is usually performed at dawn in parks or gardens. In Hong Kong, Victoria Park is a popular venue for Tai chi workouts.

Martial arts unveiled

The Oriental way of life revolves around balance and harmony. There are more than a 100 styles in martial arts. Traditional Chinese theories of natural science and religion along with symbols have been incorporated into Chinese martial arts, extending its scope beyond military and self-defence purposes.

• Self-defence/professional: This category is limited in focus. There is a use of force to resolve a violent situation and this includes styles like Krav-Maga. The training may range from a weekend combat course for the general public to a close quarter combat.

• Tournament/sports: Martial art styles like taekwondo are demanding and challenging and require great dedication and intensive practice.

Kick boxing on the other hand, combines elements of boxing, martial arts and aerobics which help in physical conditioning and toning. It is a safe and injury free workout and comes in very handy during emergencies.

• Spiritual/health: These are gentler forms of martial art forms that focus on developing inner peace and harmony. Tai chi, Ba-qua and Hsing-i are some of the more popular ones. Perfection is of utmost importance here. At times, it may take years to perfect this art form.

Tai chi is an ancient form of exercise in slow motion. Twenty minutes of Tai chi every morning will leave your refreshed. It helps balance the yin and the yang.

—Reported by Aparna Ramalingam

Source: Financial Express