When a small group of ‘Vayu Shakti Sanginis’ began making woollen caps in mid-July as part of a campaign, little did they know that the number of participants would grow to nearly 3,000 across India, who would together knit their way into global records book.
All participants were members of the Air Force Wives Welfare Association (AFWWA). As part of its ‘Knittathon 2022’ held over nearly three months, they knitted 41,541 caps of varying colours which would eventually be distributed to the needy ahead of winter.
On Saturday, AFWWA members, who call themselves ‘Vayu Shakti Sanginis’, created a Guinness World Record with an attractive display of all the 41,541 knitted woollen caps in the verdant lawns of the IAF auditorium campus here.
But their success story is not limited to registering a place in the record book alone. The three-month ‘Knittathon’ also boosted their confidence level, helped many members tide over mental health issues, gave a platform to showcase their knitting and other talents, besides connecting them with fellow ‘sanginis’ physically and online across the country.
As they shaped colourful balls of woollen yarns into attractive caps, for these nearly 3,000 women – who are wives of IAF air warriors – the exercise also gave many of them the opportunity to spread their inner wings of aspirations.
From Delhi to Chennai and Assam to Gujarat, the ‘sanginis’ together sang, made merry, at home, in parks and at heritage sites, while their hands vigorously worked a pair of knitting needles to produce caps after caps. Some participants even knitted over 300 caps individually.
On Saturday, many of them, drawn from different air force stations in the county, gathered at the IAF auditorium campus to celebrate their accomplishments as part of an event held to mark the anniversary of the AFWWA that was set up in 1970.
The bonding and bonhomie that these women achieved over the three-month period reflected in their smiles during the event as ‘Knittathon’ winners proudly displayed their badges worn over colourful sarees, while others took photographs and selfies for memories.
AFWWA with Rajnath Singh, Union Defence Minister on 15 October. ((Photo credit: @IAF_MCC/Twitter)
A video on the whole journey of the campaign, from conception to execution, was screened during the event, which featured voices of many ‘sanginis’ who took part in it and excelled.
AFWWA president Neeta Chaudhari, who had envisioned this drive to empower wives of air warriors through productive activities, said due to the transferable jobs of their husbands, it had become difficult for ‘sanginis’ to keep a permanent job. Thus, ‘Knittathon’ was planned to give them a “sense of achievement”.
“The purpose of this drive was threefold, to find hidden talents of our members, revive the vanishing art of knitting and provide help to the needy through our work,” she said.
This achievement will boost their confidence and is “a step forward to make them ‘atmanirbhar’,” Chaudhari said, adding a new venture has been planned that will allow them to sell their products as well.
Their accomplishment of knitting over 41,000 caps in just three months has drawn praise from Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well who on Saturday tweeted to describe it as a “commendable effort”.
Delhi-based Seema Vashishth, head of AFWWA (Local) Palam, told PTI that ‘Knittathon’ was an “eye-opener” and the exercise proved therapeutic to many of its members.
“Some of them had depression or similar health issues and they came out of it with the help of knitting, singing and enjoying with fellow ‘sanginis’. One member said, she had some issues in wrist movement and that got abated after taking part in it. And, overall, the bonding achieved was phenomenal,” she said.
Indian Air Force officers and other air warriors, their spouses and children, are known to form a closely-knit IAF family, and ‘Knittathon’ strengthened the bond among ‘sanginis’, the association feels.
As part of the exercise, women in groups gathered, among other places, on the premises of many historic sites as well such as Qutub Minar and India Gate lawns in Delhi, Rumi Darwaza in Lucknow, Gwalior Fort in Madhya Pradesh and Taj Mahal in Agra.
Many competitions were also held to encourage them and “a new energy and passion” was felt among the members, AFWWA officials said.
Some members recited poetries and sang songs and others presented their dancing skills on multiple occasions when women gathered at houses or outside for knitting in a group.
Archana Pande, president of the Army Wives Welfare Association, also attended the event on Saturday and interacted with the members of the AFWWA and took pictures.
“This achievement only shows how it was done in a well-planned way, and with a sense of team spirit and camaraderie that also drives the armed forces,” she told PTI.
Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani, the chief guest at the event, hailed the women for their achievement earned through “precision-based participation”.
Appreciating the work done by women members of AFWWA, she said, the association has thought out beyond production, and made plans to distribute these over 41,000 caps to the needy too.
Joined Air Force Wives Welfare Association (AFWWA) Day celebrations with Vayu Shakti ‘Sanginis’ – the force behind the formidable @IAF_MCC.
My compliments to the members of AFWWA for their fortitude, sacrifices and emphatic approach towards each other as well as society. pic.twitter.com/xnDxyV4iY0
— Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) October 15, 2022
