The annual International Women’s Day held at the Indian Consulate in New York on March 8th, five illustrious Indian American women were among those who had addressed the nearly 100 participants who had come to celebrate women for their success, contributions to the society and for leadership.
Miss India USA 2017 Shree Saini who spoke on the occasion, said, “empowerment begins with a child, whether it is a male or a female. We need to give our children the unconditional love and support to build their self-esteem as only then they will they feel empowered to conquer any obstacles in life.”
The event was organized by the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA), whose president Srujal Parikh said “I’ve always been surrounded by powerful women; my mom, my wife, my daughter and my friends,” before he recognized the group of women who have been the backbone of FIA who always “work so hard to make sure everything runs smoothly.”
In his opening remarks, Consul General Sandeep Chakravorty said, “Today when we are celebrating the International Women’s Day. I pay my tribute to women all over for their courage, hard work and daily toil in making the world a better place. While women constitute half of humanity they are responsible for bringing up the other half. (*). We are delighted and honoured by the presence of incredible panelists for today’s conference on Women Leadership. I will introduce them later. I also take this opportunity to thank FIA and its dynamic leadership of Ramesh Patel and Srujal Parikh for joining hands with us in celebrating this important day.
According to the Indian Ambassador, International Women’s Day is a day to celebrate womanhood, their social, political, cultural, political, economic achievements and their significant contributions to society, while laying importance on gender equality. People across athe world come together to commemorate women — not just well-known personalities, but also each woman who plays a pivotal part in the shaping of their lives. The day has come to be increasingly associated with feminism and equal rights for women. It asserts the equal freedoms and rights that women have access to just like men.
“International Women’s Day was initially celebrated as International Working Women’s Day and the earliest celebration is believed to be held at a socialist political event in New York City in 1909. In 1975, during International Women’s Year, the United Nations began celebrating International Women’s Day on 8th of March. This year, International Women’s Day comes on the heels of unprecedented global movement for women’s rights, equality and justice. Sexual harassment, violence and discrimination against women has captured headlines and public discourse, propelled by a rising determination for change.
“International Women’s Day 2018 is an opportunity to transform this momentum into action, to empower women in all settings, rural and urban, and celebrate the activists who are working relentlessly to claim women’s rights and realize their full potential. UN has introduced the theme for this year’s Women’s Day as ‘Time Is Now: Rural and Urban Activists Transforming Women’s Lives,” He said.
The Consul General also welcomed the five women who spoke on the occasion, including TV anchor Nisha Mathur, author Myra Godfrey, social worker Eshita Chakrabarti, musician and entrepreneur Chandrika Tandon and Professor Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak; as well as violinist Daisy Joplin, who gave a moving performance. Eight female pilots from Air India were felicitated as well.