Nihara Jayatilleke spearheads RTC project to empower ‘horse-women’
Indian lady j ockey Rupa K. Singh competed in Nuwara Eliya years back, encouraging local women
President of Royal Turf Club (RTC) Nihara Jayatilleke revealed a comprehensive plan to get women involved into horse racing at Sri Lanka’s only available racecourse in Nuwara Eliya.
The first and only female to head a turf club in Asia, Nihara made the announcement coinciding with the International Women’s Day, as RTC look forward to initiate their latest venture in empowering women in Sri Lanka.
“The RTC is really keen to have the women involved with horseracing as workforce members. The ordinary stable positions are handled by men, and we are wondering why not women? Women are on par with men and yes, they can do challenging jobs as men in any trade,” she stated.
A rider herself, she once took the daunting task of riding on a horseback with a foreign colleague from Kilinochchi to Jaffna during the brief ceasefire in 2002 in the height of a three-decade long civil war that nearly destroyed the northern region of Sri Lanka.
Nihara Jayatilleke and Christine Anderson from Great Britain rode four days and nights on horseback provided by Sri Lanka Police, in the Tamil Tiger controlled region, to convey the message of peace and distribute books and amenities for school children of the region.
“It was a daunting task, at the same time it was heart-melting to see the smiles of those innocent faces of the children and women who were going through a challenging lifestyle during that era. The welcome, however, was overwhelming, and as women we did what would have been unthinkable. I’m proud of that as a woman and that’s the reason why I always thought that women should get equal and deserving space,” she explained.
Nihara Jayatilleke
Inspired by her expedition two decades ago, Nihara wants to see many women take up challenges in different trades and fields as one of the leading and famous faces in Sri Lanka.
In her current role as RTC President Nihara encouraged her fellow committee members, majority of them men, to think out of the box in taking the sport of horse racing forward and open the doors of Sri Lanka’s only racecourse to women.
On her initiative women from the neighbourhood of the racecourse in Nuwara Eliya, will get the opportunity to employ themselves as handlers, groomers or stable girls and even go further by taking up more challenging roles as jockeys, trainers or race officials in the future.
“Most of these women from the vicinity of the racecourse are well aware of the sport and on how the work related to horses and stables are being done. It’s just that they are not being given the opportunity. RTC is making the finishing touches to have these women on board and the message is already being delivered,” she explained.
The response to the project spearheaded by Nihara is being warmly welcomed by many, mostly the enthusiastic women who are keen to don the working gear worn by men all these days.