Aamir, Gul Panag lend support One Billion Rising campaign

The One Billion Rising campaign (OBR), which will see over a billion people rising to protest against violence against women, started here Thursday with Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan and former Miss India Gul Panag lending their support to the campaign.
In the capital, the OBR campaign will focus on the issue of justice for all survivors of gender violence and the apparent impunity with which the perpetrators get away all over the world.
The main protest will take place Feb 14.
Aamir and Gul sent video messages to show their support and they were played at the press conference organised here.
Aamir, who has touched upon the issue of women's emanicipation in his show "Satyamev Jayate", says its high time men should learn to be sensitive towards women.
"I believe that to combat violence against women we men will have to change. Hitting a woman does not exhibit a man's bravery. Instead, it shows how cowardly he really is. If we truly want to be real men, I believe, we will have to learn how to be sensitive," said Aamir in the video message.
Gul said: "When patriarchy is tied together with capitalism, imperialism and various social, economic and racial forces, violence against women is intensified. It gives men, who are the perpetrators of the violence, a sense of impunity to go ahead and inflict this violence."
OBR focuses on "love" and "justice" for women and girls, says Kamla Bhasin, South Asia coordinator of the One Billion Rising campaign.
"It is the love of power that leads to violence and domination. Over a billion women and girls are victims of various forms of violence in the world. It has in fact been described as the biggest war ever against any community; one that goes on within our homes and communities," she said and added that the campaign looks forward to "peaceful homes".
The campaign has drawn support from people from all walks of life.
Samarthyam, an NGO that works with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), will be highlighting the need to make public spaces and the transit infrastructure, including the Delhi Metro, more accessible and safe for girls and women through audio announcements at all metro stations.
Delhi NGO Manas will organise training sessions for one lakh auto drivers to teach them the importance of the safety of women. Organisations working on section 377 are also participating in the campaign, which will also be raising its voice against homophobia, racism and discrimination against people from the northeast or Africa. Similar programmes are being held in all the states in the country and in neighbouring countries in South Asia.

Gul Panag talks about her incredible expedition!

The adventurous actor recently hit the roads in a customized car. Read on to know more about her amazing trip

Gul Panag‘s love for adventure and passion for travelling makes her plan each of her trips differently. The former beauty queen has recently returned from a challenging expedition, and she says it was “incredible”. She was accompanied on the trip by her husband Rishi Attari and some other friends. “We recently undertook a road trip to Lahaul valley (Himachal Pradesh). We camped for five nights in the middle of nowhere. There were six of us in three vehicles. It was incredible,” Gul told IANS in an email interaction. The actor found that no car was suitable enough for her kind of adventure expeditions. A few months back, she decided to customise her Mahindra Scorpio and turned it into the perfect adventure getaway. “Being a serial adventurer and having undertaken many expeditions and road trips, I found that no vehicle met all my requirements. So I decided to build and customise one,” she said. Gul, who loves her pets, renamed this all new car Super Milo, in memory of a dog she lost on a road trip last year. The actor said that she added everything she wanted to the SUV. This ranged from a roof top tent, an electric winch, a high lift jack, additional lighting, dual battery management system to raising the suspension and more! This of course was not easy and it cost her and her husband a substantial amount of money as well as time. “Given that we had to import most of the parts, the entire customisation process took about six months. As for the cost, the customisation was roughly half the cost of the car,” she said. Apart from being a fitness enthusiast, Gul has been a part of many social programmes. She is associated with Pinkathon, which is a run for breast cancer awareness, and she also backs anti-tobacco campaigns

Bangaloreans take running seriously: Gul Panag

Gul Panag doesn't conform to norms, especially when it comes to fitness and staying active. The actress has time and again proved that gender roles are not defined by one's activities. Excerpts from an interview with Gul... Bangalore runs I come to Bangalore whenever I have an event here and I've noticed that the city runs. There are clubs that have mainstream running events. I've been coming here regularly for the 10k marathon and though there is a good running culture here, I've noticed that women representation is low. Bangalore also has the best weather in the country for running.

Gul Panag launches Olacabs mini in Bangalore

Gul Panag wrote on Twitter: “Is all set for the Olacabs mini launch!! Bangalore.” She posted after returning to Mumbai: “Yes, 15 hours after I left home for Bangalore , I am back home. Tired but thrilled.” The official Twitter handle of Olacabs also wrote: “Olamini is officially the cheapest & the best way to travel in Bangalore.” Catch all the pics of Gul Panag launching Olacabs mini in Bangalore on the pages that follow.

Gul Panag shows Bangalore how to get that perfect selfie

At an event in a plush city hotel on Tuesday evening, actress Gul Panag was seen taking a selfie, but not before checking if her make-up and hair were in place. Hope she liked what she saw.