Page 11 - Mann Ki Baat - English

are getting the chance to go for
Haj. The blessing given by the
people who have returned from
Haj pilgrimage, especially our
mothers and sisters through
their letters, is very inspiring in
itself.

My dear countrymen,
whether it be the musical nights
in Jammu and Kashmir, bike
rallies at high altitudes, local
clubs in Chandigarh, and the
many sports groups in Punjab...,
it sounds like we are talking
about entertainment and
adventure. But it’s something
have also received a large different..., this event is also
number of such letters this time related to a 'common cause'.
in 'Mann ki Baat’ that give a And this common cause is the
lot of satisfaction to the mind. awareness campaign against
These letters have been written drugs. To save the youth of
by those Muslim women who Jammu and Kashmir from
have recently come from Haj drugs, many innovative efforts
pilgrimage. This journey of have been visible. Programmes
theirs is very special in many like musical night, bike rallies
ways. These are the women, are organised there. To spread
who have performed Haj this message in Chandigarh,
without any male companion local clubs have been linked with
or Mehram, and the number is
not fifty or hundred, but more
than four thousand - this is a
huge transformation. Earlier,
Muslim women were not allowed
to perform Haj without Mehram.
Through 'Mann ki Baat', I also
express my heartfelt gratitude to
the Government of Saudi Arabia.
Women coordinators were
specially appointed for women
going on Haj without Mehram.
Friends, the changes that
have been made in the Haj
Policy in the last few years are
being highly appreciated. Our
Muslim mothers and sisters
have written a lot to me about
this. Now, more and more people

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