Novelist, Poet Sahana Ahmed Talks About World Peace & Gender Equality

There is no denying that the world is at unrest with the Russia-Ukraine war, Taliban controlling Afghanistan, Iran protests and so much more. In the midst of all this, hopes of peace have taken a backseat, not to mention the atrocities that women and kids are being put through on a daily basis.

Every human on this planet has the right to live in peace but geo-political conditions, discrimination, and gender biases are most often the cause for curbing this universal right.

Novelist and poet Sahana Ahmed connected with us on Instagram to talk about her recent book Amity, an anthology of peace poems and gender equality and equity.

A noted journalist and columnist once described her, “If Manto can be called the Badshah of short stories, Sahana Ahmed is the Begum of flash fiction.”

Ahmed has authored Combat Skirts with Juggernaut Books and connected with about 47 poets around the world to publish the anthology, Amity, which is not only a take on the violence in the world but also a token of hope that peace will reign one day.

Rural Tourism, Responsible Tourism

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Ahmed headed a team of more than 200 people when she was a part of the Rural Tourism Council for Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WICCI). She started a project called Green Buddies where she and her team connected with schools to teach children everything about responsible tourism, which includes not littering around the destination or damaging any property among other things.

The novelist has a Master's in Tourism and completed her graduation in Hospitality and Tourism. As a way to contribute to her field of studies, Ahmed made it her mission to spread the word about rural tourism. In the simplest terms, it can entail simply visiting a local orchard or farm. The scope of work here helped Sahana Ahmed connect with more women and understand their plight.

Kickstarted Dialogue Around Peace

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Ahmed is India’s Chair for the World Peace Wing of the G100 club. She is currently working with other members of the group for the right to education of Afghan girls. The team wants to initiate a conversation around peace, and they have managed to kickstart it with Amity.

Ahmed is also working with Rising Beyond the Ceiling, an organisation working towards highlighting the contribution of Indian Muslim women. They have even compiled a list of 100 women in West Bengal who have achieved something great in their respective fields.

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‘Conditioning Around Gender Needs To Change’

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Speaking about the struggles of women in India, Ahmed said that women in the country are advancing at a much higher pace than men. Therefore, the conditioning around gender roles needs to change.

“Not only men, but women also need to change their mindsets,” added Ahmed. We need to be empowering other women, pushing them forward and making space for them rather than fighting with each other.

She also pointed out that the change will not happen in a flick of a second or in a short span of two years or a decade. It is a gradual progress, but Ahmed is sure that we will achieve gender equality.

“We all need to work towards the same goal, pull each other up,” added the novelist. We need to start changing the dynamics at home and be watchful of the way we speak and how we say it.

We need to teach every kid that any two people who are born on this planet, irrespective of their gender, race, class, caste and creed, have equal rights.

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‘Acknowledge Contributions Of Women’

While we all can sit and debate on the subject of pay parity, equity and equality, Ahmed said, “We need to first start acknowledging contributions of women at home, society, neighbourhood and in office.”

Sahana Ahmed is currently working with a UK-based organisation, She Inspires, on a project, She Leads, where they are highlighting the contributions of women in their fields.

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“When we go beyond the boundaries of who is famous and who is not but just appreciate someone's hard work, that can make all the difference. Let’s start with something as basic as recognising the efforts of women and acknowledging their contributions to achieve gender equality around the globe,” Ahmed concluded.

Sahana Ahmed is an inspiration to many. We applaud and cheer for her and the other women for their contributions to society.

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