Haldwani

The leader of this Yoga group is a Park in Haldwani, Nainital district of Uttrakhand is a twelfth grader, Makrani. Last year, when the first wave of coronavirus led to a lockdown across India, Makrani’s school was also closed. She made most of her stay home situation by turning this adverse condition into an opportunity.

Makrani is an aspiring boxer trained in boxing at the Sport Authority of India’s facility in Patoragarh, Uttrakhand.

It was Makrani’s need to maintain her physical fitness during the lockdown that she decided to visit the park close to her home in Nainital to do her physical exercise.

Burqa-clad women practising yoga

She noticed that many burqa-wearing women, apparently Muslims, also visit the park. She made friends with some of them and decided to introduce the yoga exercises to them.

Makrani's mother runs an Anganwadi centre. She shared her teenage daughter's ideas with her staff.

With her mother’s help and motivation, Makrani decided to teach yoga to Muslim women. The focus was on helping them improve their health.

Although the decision was full of challenges, Makrani did not give up and continued to work with perseverance. Gradually many women realized that Yoga was a holistic regimen of physical and mental exercises and not a religious practice.

Soon Makrani started teaching Yoga to a group of burqa-clad women in the park.

She created a WhatsApp group on the public relations site and started sending positive messages to other women and her Yoga sessions saw more women joining.

"I have seen many women in my area who want to work for the welfare of the society, but they do not get support from their families and the Muslim community, so they do not move forward," said Makrani.

She said it was only because of the support from her family that she was able to first become a boxer, learn yoga and now was teaching the Yoga practices to others.

Makrani supports the women doing Yoga since it not only improves their health but keeps their minds happy and eventually they discharge their responsibilities as homemakers joyfully.

Burqa-clad women doing yoga

She says initially only a few women agreed to learn yoga from her and now it’s a very large group of all burqa-clad women doing Yoga in the park that she leads.

“Now more than three dozen women come to the park daily for yoga. Those doing Yoga every day have reported many changes in their bodies and minds,: she says.

Her Yoga class is scheduled from 5:30 to 7:30 in the morning. And it's a strange coincidence that most women who do yoga are seen wearing a burqa.

Makrani, in support of burqa-clad women, says that wearing a burqa is a matter of choice for any woman, and must not be commented on or even discussed.

Makrani had also faced opposition from conservative sections of her society when she first began to teach yoga to women inside the park. They even tried to disrupt her classes.

She says a woman should stand up against injustice and nothing should stop her from speaking the truth.

Makrani leading her Yoga class

Her mother Shabnam says that her daughter should become a world champion in boxing and get a gold medal for the country.

"My daughter is a role model for other Muslim women. I believe that women are the backbone of any society, so they should get their rights," she added.

Another amazing thing here is that Makrani’s father Muhammad Qadeer is an auto driver. He always respects his daughter's efforts and courage and supports her.

His dream is for his daughter is that one day she will become a national and international champion in boxing’ he also wants her to become an IPS officer.

Makrani is receiving praises from people of her town and outside.