The model employee in the front of the tableau is based on Namrata Khote from beat number 22 of GPO
Namrata Khote, GPO
As the nation celebrates its 73rd Republic Day today, India Post will showcase the department’s services to the nation at Rajpath in New Delhi in front of a 24,000-strong crowd. Women empowerment will be the central theme of the department’s R-Day tableau. The model postal employee standing in the front of the tableau is based on postwoman Namrata Khote, 26, of Mumbai GPO. Of the India Post payments bank and post office savings bank, nearly 50 per cent of account holders are women.
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Swati Pandey, the postmaster general of Mumbai region and who has been involved with the design of the tableau, said, “When the department nominated me to design the theme and make a projection, I thought that since Mumbai and overall Maharashtra has been the frontrunner in empowering women, the tableau should reflect that. A lot of young women had joined the department and this was a male bastion since delivering mails requires physical efforts.”
A model of India Post’s R-Day tableau
Pandey said not only are the women staffers excellent but also not facing issues in their job of walking the streets and delivering mail. “Nobody thinks of women as breaking or bending the gender stereotypes. I wanted to give a new image of India Post, India and the world are watching. I wanted to reflect gender bender and nothing is more empowering than a lady postman leading from the front. The girl in the image is a real postwoman Namrata Khote from beat number 22 of GPO,” she said.
Namrata, who joined the postal department only six months ago, is ecstatic. She said “It is a proud moment for me as even I am experiencing something of this magnitude for the first time. It is a small but important step towards women empowerment and the occasion makes it even more special.”
The young employee said she wants to inspire more women to join the postal department. “We are five females and about 75 males at the office. The women representation is increasing and that change was required. A lot of people get surprised when I tell them that in postal service also there are women. They too feel happy about this change. People in office support women, are helpful and don’t dominate us.”
In the front of the two parts tableau is a young postwoman with a digital device in one hand and a postman’s bag in the other.
“The idea was to show the length and breadth of India by reflecting India Post’s contribution in various places across India, using beautiful images of our country. We are well-prepared to present at the parade. Anyway there are very few opportunities for bureaucrats to get creative,” added Pandey.
A special anthem of India Post “Aaya aapka Daakiya” has been sung by a Mumbai-based rock singer and composed by Orchida Mukherjee, an India Post official.
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