IIM Tiruchirappalli celebrated Women’s Day on 8th March 2021
Tiruchirappalli: IIM Tiruchirappalli celebrated Women’s Day on 8th March 2021 with a session themed ‘Women’s Leadership: Achieving an Equal Future in a Covid-19 World’. The event was held on campus and online with the guest speakers present virtually.
The celebration began with the lighting of the lamp and prayer song. Prof. Saravanan P, the chairperson of the Students Affairs Committee, delivered the welcome address. Dr. Pawan Kumar Singh, the Director of IIM Tiruchirappalli, then addressed the gathering. He began his address by commending all the women that have inspired him over the years and emphasized the need for everyone to come together for the welfare of women everywhere in this Covid-19 world. He expressed his admiration for mothers everywhere, how they are the ultimate source of strength, and how she’s Aadishakti; all-powerful. He dwelled on the importance of respecting women, embracing the empathy within each of us to nurture the world around us. He concluded his address with, “Women represent a centripetal force that holds the society and the world together”, and then welcomed the speakers.
The first guest speaker for the session was a 16-year-old entrepreneur and student of Vasant Valley School New Delhi, Ms. Prarthna Batra. She impressed upon the need for freedom of choice in every woman’s life. She emphasized the need for transforming society by eradicating patriarchal practices. She shared the issues women face every day and stressed the need to consciously correct society’s misogynistic attitude. She envisions a world where women have the freedom to choose their own paths and where women’s voices aren’t stifled. She concluded her address by urging everyone to treat women with respect and make a collective effort to ensure the world is a safer place for women.
This was followed by an address by the next guest speaker Ms. Anoushka Adya, Director and Founder of Lajja Diaries (Lajja Foundation). Through her address, Ms. Adya sensitized the students of the atrocities women face in domestic and public spaces even today. She shared how her experiences in the society and the corporate world, inspired her to create Lajja Diaries, a platform that advocates women’s rights. She spoke of the many initiatives and campaigns they’ve undertaken to empower women across India. She emphasized the need for women to be financially independent, to speak up against injustice we witness and to fight for equality by realizing the power we wield as women of privilege.
The final guest to address the gathering was Padma Shri Dr. Janak Palta McGilligan, Founder and Director of the Jimmy McGilligan Foundation. Through her address, she shared her concern on the gender imparity in the country and the repressive social practices that plague Indian society due to this gender divide. Having devoted her life towards the development of rural women, she spoke of the many challenges women in India face even today, the rights they’re deprived of and the capabilities they never explore. She spoke of campaigns like ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ proving unsuccessful, and instead pressed the need to educate men by bringing them up in a manner that they respect women. She stressed as she said, “Just as a bird needs both its wings to fly, so do humans – need both men and women – to soar high.” She encouraged women to come together, love, respect, and uplift each other.
Dr. Vijaya V, Associate Professor at IIM Tiruchirappalli, concluded the event with a vote of thanks. She thanked the guests for gracing the institute’s Women’s Day celebrations and inspiring the women of IIM Tiruchirappalli to strive for greater heights personally and professionally.