New Delhi: The Air Force Wives Welfare Association (AFWWA) on Saturday created a Guinness World Record by displaying 41,541 knitted woollen caps here, which would eventually be distributed to the needy ahead of winter. Nearly 3,000 AFWWA members from across the country knitted more than 40,000 woollen caps over a period of nearly three months starting July 15 as part of the association's 'Knittathon' drive.
The display was put up as part of an event organised at the Indian Air Force (IAF) Auditorium here to mark the 52nd anniversary of the association. The formal announcement of the new record being set was made on stage by Rishi Nath, an adjudicator at the Guinness World Records. Nath also handed over an official citation to AFWWA president Neeta Chaudhari, who had envisioned this drive to empower wives of air warriors through productive activities.
"The record is amazing and it is for the display of the highest number of knitted woolen caps or hats. This is a first-of-its kind category. Also, all caps were made uniformly as per specific guidelines, and very neatly displayed," Nath told PTI on the sidelines of the event. About "four tonnes of raw wool" was used in the making, as estimated, he said.
The colourful caps made of Vardhaman wool were put on display in the verdant lawns of the auditorium campus, some on the grass, others on rows of temporary wooden frames. Each cap bore a number tag that ended with the last cap that had the tag '41,541'. Some of the caps were arranged to form patterns like 'KNITTATHON 2022' and '41,541' on the ground.
The IAF on Saturday shared some of the photos showing aerial views of the display on Twitter. 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 members of the AFWWA, she said the association has thought out beyond production and made plans to distribute these over 40,000 caps to the needy too.
"I cannot make large number of caps, but in the spirit of IAF, I will knit one cap and offer to you (AFWWA)," Irani said, drawing applause. In her address, at the event, she also mentioned the contribution made then by a group of villagers, mostly women, in repairing an IAF airstrip in Bhuj that was damaged by Pakistani forces during the 1971 Indo-Pak War.
IAF decided to take the help of the BSF to repair the airstrip. But, villagers of Madhapur helped repair the airstrip in less than 72 hours, the minister said. Later, they were asked what gifts they wanted, and they replied it was for the country that they had offered their labour, she said. "So, women can repair an airstrip and knit warm caps," Irani said.
Earlier in the day, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari visited the auditorium campus and they both congratulated AFWWA and its members for the achievement. "These caps were hand-knitted by nearly 3,000 members of AFWWA as part of our special drive 'Knittathon' which started on July 15 and culminated on October 15.
The caps will be distributed to extremely needy people ahead of winter," AFWWA president Chaudhari said ahead of the event. "A total of 41,541 caps have been knitted by our members from across the country. This will boost their confidence and this achievement is a step forward to make them 'atmanirbhar'," she said.
The AFWWA president, in her address at the event, said the purpose was threefold -- to find hidden talents of members, revive the art of knitting and provide help to the needy through its work. Irani, on the occasion, also awarded the top achievers, who knitted a very large number of woollen caps as part of 'Knittathon'.
Archana Pande, president of the Army Wives Welfare Association, also attended the event and interacted with the members of the AFWWA. "This achievement only shows how it was done in a well-planned way, and with a sense of team spirit and camaraderie that also drive the armed forces," she told PTI. AFWWA members from air force stations in Delhi and various other cities in India attended the event. A cultural programme and a stand-up comedy performance were also held as part of the event. (PTI)
