HARSHINI KANHEKAR-INDIA’S FIRST EVER WOMAN FIREFIGHTER

Harshini Kanhekar Urankar, blessed girl of Nagpur city is the first fire woman of India. Inspired by the firefighter uniform she applied to the Fire engineering course. By the god grace she was the first woman who has been designated in National Fire Service College. She appended Mehsana fire station in Gujarat as a deputy manager, the second largest onshore production of the Oil and National Gas Corporation in 2006 presently designated as a deputy manager.

India which is still a male dominated society, where women are often seen as subordinate and inferior to men.Regardles of this Harshini Kanhekar achieved the title of first Firefighter women of India.

As the only women in her college the expectations from her were much higher; she could not afford to make mistakes since her performance would set the benchmark for other young women aspiring to join NFSC

People make snap judgments just on the basis of how you look. A woman with short hair is called a tomboy, one with long hair is considered more ‘homely’. She retorted everything which can lose her self confidence.

She drenched severe fires in Delhi and Kolkata. Her longest operation was in Delhi when a shoe factory caught fire and she as a team mate fought for six hours at a stretch and drenched fire. Even she rescued civilians during floods, building collapses, wildlife attacks, and river swelling.

The job was not easily manageable but she put all her endeavor to grip the fire hose and rescued.

She was named a runner-up for the NITI Aayog’s Women Transforming India award that recognised her courage to break the barriers of gender stereotyping.

She is also an avid biker, owns a Bajaj Avenger. She is married to her best friend Pranish Urankar who is also a biker. Both of them have toured India and are planning a bike trip to Thailand next.

People anticipate women as weak and delicate. But ensure that women carry a child in their womb for nine months and that is something a man cannot think of doing. It requires a lot of patience and courage to bear a child. It is untrue that women are weak because it is a woman, who sacrifices her whole life. This story is not about sacrifices of women. This is to inspire all the women out there, who give up their big dreams.