“I don’t consider one day as Women’s Day. Every day should be an appreciation of them.”
Rightly quoted by one of the prominent speakers at the Conference, Babita Raj, this was yet again another reminder of the hypocrisy that persistently brewed in the society. The skewed ratio of men in the room was almost ironical, since the present day requires equal participation of men and women alike. Now, skipping past the serious talk, the International Women’s Day was celebrated with great fervour by DOC (Department of Commerce) in association with WGSHA at Fortune Valley View. The issue of the hour was based upon the bubbling arena of entrepreneurship in India, and how individuals, especially females had set up a fantastic example of proving that one of their multitasking talents was to run a business without any external help. One of the Chief Guests, Anusha Shetty, wittily pointed out the disbelief that still existed in the Indian society about start-ups—of how her family hindered her from giving up an elite job to go for a less glamorous and tedious one. The audience—primarily the students of WGSHA and DOC seemed to be extremely active and generous towards their speakers. Speakers discussed various issues of prime importance, one of them being self defense and domestic violence. Babita Raj, an imminent entrepreneur, shared her personal experience of undergoing the training, where she humorously explained the transformation from a softie to a woman of steel. The audience broke into constant series of laughter as certain things pointed out by her seemed ridiculous to the audience perspective.
Like every other event, technical glitches were observed throughout the event, and the uneasiness was etched on the faces of usually poised management students. After the spectacular round of speeches that left the students and faculties enthralled, the felicitation ceremony commenced. Women, from different walks of life, who had invested their hard work into turning their dreams into reality, breaking stereotypes—were felicitated. Some were awarded for their tireless work towards establishing a new firm altogether, ranging from an advertising company to a travel agent one. The felicitation ceremony was stretched and tedious, but at the same time, was a quirky reminder to the ladies in the audience—to perk up and build a future for themselves. Thereafter, the felicitation ended with an oath, which went appropriately as—
“On International Women’s Day 2016, I pledge to help women and girls achieve their ambitions, challenge conscious and unconscious bias, call for gender based leadership, value men and women’s contribution equally and create inclusive and flexible cultures.” With this note, woman’s day celebrated perfectly the facets of a woman, and the ways in which they hold the power to change the world.
–Gargi Pandey for MTTN
Photography by Vrinda Katore
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