PANAJI: Having consistently performed on the theme of saving the girl child in her past music events, young music prodigy and National Award winner Akshada Bandekar feels a lot more needs to be done in creating awareness on the issue of female foeticide and hence she has decided to dedicate her life to the cause of girl child.
“I was very young when I first read about the heinous act of female foeticide and infanticide. It had a huge impact on me. I could not believe that we human beings could be so cruel. That’s when I decided to use music as a tool to create awareness on the ills of female foeticide,” she said.
At the age of 14, she came up with a documentary on “Save Girl Child” titled “MUJHE BACHAO” and distributed free CDs to all the schools of Goa to create awareness amongst school children. Akshada has truly been an inspiration to many young girls struggling to make a contribution towards society.
In recognition for her contribution to society through her music the former President of India Pranab Mukherjee presented the young artistes with one of the highest civilian awards ‘Rashtriya Bal Ratna Puraskar’.
One of the election youth icons for ethical voting in Goa State, Akshada has now started a social campaign titled ‘Uni-herse’ which stands for United For Her Safety and Equality where she visits schools and colleges and presents the current scenario of women in the country through skits.
"I have pledged to spread awareness on protecting the girl child and the safety of women. But I can't do this alone. I need more people, and I am open to ideas and plans for this project," the young musician said.
The 21-year-old is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Telecommunications. She aspires to be an audio engineer and wants to blend her engineering knowledge with musical talent to bring a change in society. “My parents have always told me the only way to thank God for the talent you have is to use it for others. That’s one thing which has always stayed with me,” she said.
“I need more people, and I am open to ideas, and plans for my ‘Uni-herse’ project.” - Akshada Bandekar
Co-founder of Shri Mallikarjun & Shri Chetan Manju Desai of Science Colleges Chetan Desai presenting Jewel of Goa Award to Akshada Bandekar at TNS Jewellers in Panaji on Thursday in the presence of Jeffrey Manuel, Director Madame Rosa Distilleries Mac Vaz and proprietor of TNS Jewellers Nikunj Gupta. - Photo Atish Naik