The GCC’s “Kolam for Inclusivity’ contest, held as part of Women’s Day celebrations, under way in the city on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: R. RAGU

As part of Women’s Day celebrations organised by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), men from the city took part in a ‘Kolam for Inclusivity’ contest at the beach in Besant Nagar on Sunday.

The event was held as part of the Thappunu Therinja Pattunu Kelu campaign. Mayor R. Priya distributed prizes to winners.

“Even today, we have gender roles that dictate what men and women should do. This competition was held to break such norms. The larger campaign is about encouraging the public to intervene if they witness women in their neighbourhood being harassed in public places,” she said.

This is a first-of-its-kind contest organised by the GCC. Thirty men participated in it, and many of them were inspired by the theme of Women’s Day.

Vaishnavi C., a policy expert with Gender and Policy lab, GCC, said: “This initiative is being held as part of a campaign on women’s safety. It also aims at promoting collective action and responsibility against harassment on women.”

A. Saravana Kumar, an engineer who won the first prize, said he was proud to have participated in the contest.