These 5 Men Championed Gender Equality In 2021 Through Their Small Acts

inspiring men 2021: The year 2021 saw an umpteen number of men who made headlines for supporting or acknowledging the contribution that the women in their lives had in their success. From celebrating birth of daughters to giving credit to mothers for the sheer hard work involved in raising them, these men stood by women and became a strong example of what feminist men look like.

Here are some heart-warming stories of ordinary men of 2021 who championed gender equality in 2021 through their small acts.

1. IIM-A student takes single mom’s name

Het Shitalben Shukla made it to IIM-Ahmedabad. Notice his name Het Shitalben Shukla which includes his mother’s name in it as a token of gratitude acknowledging her efforts of raising him single-handedly. He is an ardent believer of the fact that his mother’s hard work and dedication helped him accomplish this feat. As per sources, his mother holds a degree in mechanical engineering and used to help him in his studies. She used to give tuitions to earn and manage the household expenses. Read more about this story. 

2. Son books helicopter ride for mom

Maharashtra based Pradeep Garad and his mom Rekha Garad were standing on the terrace one day when a helicopter flew over them. Fascinated by it, Rekha Garad asked Pradeep if they would ever be able to afford a helicopter ride. Pradeep Garad vowed to fulfil her wish one day. On her 50th birthday, he made e sure she sat in a helicopter and toured the entire city.  This was also his way of acknowledging his single mom's efforts of raising him and his two siblings single-handedly after losing her husband to a lung infection in 2002. Read more about this inspiring story here. 

3. Pani puri seller distributes free snack to celebrate birth of daughter

28-year-old Anchal Gupta is a pani puri seller who celebrated the birth of his daughter by distributing Rs.50,000 worth of the spicy snacks among people living there. The message soon went viral. He wanted to spread the message of gender equality and help people understand that daughters are as precious as sons. Read more about this heart-warming story. 

4. Domestic worker's son gets job at Ford, credits mom and sisters

Rajasthan-based Bhavesh Lohar is the son of a domestic worker who bagged a job at Ford through sheer hard work. He took to Linkedin to share his journey and credited his success to his mother and sisters who slogged day and night to support his dreams. In the post, he mentioned how he used to walk barefoot to his school as he didn’t own a part of shoes. It was during childhood that he promised himself that he would buy Ford Figo on growing up. Seeing his mom and elder sisters work hard to support his dreams, he had also resolved to earn enough money to ensure they don’t have to work at all. Here is his inspiring story. 

5. Husband supporting wife refusing to Kanyadaan

IAS Officer Tapasya Parihar got married in the Joba village of Narshinghpur of Madhya Pradesh to another office, Garvit Gangwar from Indian Foreign Service. What made her wedding unique is the fact that she refused to the Hindu ritual of Kanyadaan. She didn't want her father to give her away to someone. Her husband Gangwar stood for her and said that he was all for his his wife’s decision and agreed with her. He also questioned why a woman had to change everything about herself after getting married. He believes that such regressive rituals should be done away with. Read more about it here. 

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