Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers welfare Shobha Karandlaje wrote an open letter to congratulate woman players who represented India at Olympics. In her letter She said, "At the outset, I want to congratulate all the participants representing India on the Olympic stage and making us proud. These talented and motivated participants are setting records and reaching goals that we didn’t think possible. I especially want to congratulate all the strong female athlete role models dominating the Indian Olympics stage. These women are not only breaking sports barriers in India, but also creating substantial social impact being the powerful role models that they are. In the name of millions of women in our nation, I am grateful to each one of you."

The Minister mentioned "India never had a dearth of women role models. Great rishis like Gargi and Mithreyi, valiant warriors like Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi, Onake Obavva, Kittur Chennamma, sports icons like Saina Nehwal, P. V Sindhu, Sania Mirza, Mary Kom and several others and astronauts like Kalpana Chawla. Women represent the fulcrums of our Indian society. We are the proud custodians of one of the few cultures that worships women and womanhood. Today's Indian women are more powerful than ever before with diverse roles yet capable of holding the family unit intact. Women who are homemakers are one of the biggest champions and unsung heroes of our Indian society."

Ms. Shobha Karandlaje also added,  "I want to address the sentiment that is being instilled in girls and women these days that they are victims of the society, subjugated, tortured and devoid of basic rights. While this may be true in some extreme cases, the Indian society that worships the powerful goddess Durga has the strength and resilience to rise above them. Women subjugation was non-existent in ancient Indian societies. We have several matriarchal societies today as a reminiscent of the past."

The Minister stated, "on a personal level, as a woman myself, I understand and relate to the hardships and challenges a woman has to face. I want to exhort to parents of female children that they must be supportive of whatever paths they want to chose, just like they would for a boy. But this does not have to be at loggerhead with our cultural values or by the blind imitation of the West breaking apart family units. Our women are capable of so many wonderful things because their freedom and aspirations are supported by their mothers, fathers, and husbands. We live in a strong society with an unwavering foundation that produces many women role models for us to look up to. These heroes serve to inspire women all over the nation to break their mental shackles do better each day."

Minister also assured, "like a mother or sister, I will always have your back, supporting you in every way possible."

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APS/JK