Ladies Wing in Celebrating International Women's Day

Shyam Benegal/ Rani Mukherjee/ Ashutosh Gowarikar Join IMC

Film actress Rani Mukherjee, Member of Parliament and film director Shyam Benegal, and film producer Ashutosh Gowariker joined the multitude of IMC Ladies Wing's members in paying tributes to 'Shakti', the embodiment woman's empowerment, in celebration of International Women's Day on March 8.

The Ladies Wing also honoured the pioneering spirit of a score of women taxi drivers belonging to the city's Priyadarshini Taxi Service established by Ms Susiie Shah of Stree Shakti, as well as a large number of women striving to earn their living with help from Swadhar FinAccess, a micro-finance organization dedicated to women economically self-reliant, set up by Ms Veena Manker.

The Ladies Wing also organized screening of three films - all showing how some women in the past pioneered and led the way to empowerment, fighting against all adversities.

The film, Lijjat Sisterhood, described the outstanding example of the highest quality of entrepreneurship and administrative competence displayed by housewives in the urban lower middle class families.

Another film, Shalini, described the never-say-die attitude displayed a woman supervisor of creches located near the Red Fort in Delhi, when she was arrested and imprisoned in Tihar Jail for over five years with no specific charge levelled against her. This heroic woman successfully braved all odds heaped against her by a conspiracy of circumstances which are common in the tradition-bound feudal Indian society, and set an example of extraordinary grit and verve for other women. The third film about the life and story three brave women of Afghanistan, who were subjected to humiliation and depravity by the fundamentalist and autocratic forces in their own homeland and were forced to live as refugees in Pakistan for decades, even while carrying on their battle against injustice and oppression.

The superb organization skills of the Ladies Wing President, Ms Minal Bajaj, and her able team consisting of Ms Surbhi Tanna, Ms Anuradha Pittie, Ms Perveez Aggarwal, Ms Bharti Gandhi, Ms Reena Rupani, Ms Vandana Kanoria and others in meticulously organizing these grand events - held at Tata Theatre, NCPA on March 7 and at INOX on March 8 - were themselves a successful proof of empowerment by nurturing entrepreneurial spirit among the members IMC's Ladies Wing.