NEW DELHI: Goa Governor Mridula Sinha, while lauding women who have joined the police or the armed forces, said she was amazed to see the kind of training actresses had to undergo when emulating those who guard the borders.

The Governor was speaking at a function held to mark more than 80 episodes Doordarshan’s serial Ek Lakshay, which is the story of three women who decide, while still in college, to join the army. The three artistes had to undergo rigorous before being selected for the roles.

Sinha felt there was need for more programmes of this nature. At the same time, she said parents should give full support to daughters who wanted to take to the armed forces and not to shirk entering fields, which had been hitherto known as in the male domain.

She stressed that ancient mythology as well as folk tales showed that women had always shown their bravery in times of crisis. In her own case, she said her father had always backed her when she wanted to try out something new.

Ek Lakshay is aired from Monday to Friday from 2.30 pm and the entire week’s episodes are then repeated on Saturday morning on Doordarshan.

At the same time, she said it was necessary to create a social environment that looked upon the woman as a professional and not someone who could be treated lightly or subjected to inhuman behaviour. Women therefore also needed protection along with inspiration.

Deepika Chaudhary, a senior Naval officer, who had helped Prime Minister Narendra Modi unfurl the national Tricolour on the ramparts of Red Fort, said it was most important that parents allowed their daughters to study and not stay at home under the pretext that all they had to do was get married and look after the home and bear children.

Producer Karan Anand, who is a known actor for many films including the popular thriller Baby, said he had embarked upon this series because he wanted to make a programme to inspire women to take to newer fields.

Others present at the press meet included artistes Geetanjali Mishra, Priyanka Joshi, and Neha Thakur, who all related the rigorous training they had to undergo along with professionals in the armed forces for the series.