Bengaluru, March 05, 2020: Orion Mall at Brigade Gateway is proud to announce the first ever edition of Wempower, being held on March 8th, celebrated as International Women’s Day. Since the beginning of the past decade, women’s rights have stoodat the forefront of almost all major political and sociological discussions,worldwide. However, when statistics from the National Crime Records Bureau India, report glaring incidents of sexual crimes against women escalating 6.4% during 2012, and, we are faced with the horrifying reality of a crime against a woman being committed every three minutes, we are left with no choice, but to introspect on where women stand in the global fight for equal rights. To ask, if empowerment must come at a lofty price?
With Women’s Day being reduced to mere tokenism amidst a bevy of discount vouchers and bumper sales, themajority of women’s rights summits too are propelled by commercial and corporate agendas,that sadly dilute their impact and integrity. Wempower – the women’s day festival was conceptualised not just as a direct response to this growing consumeristic trend, but also to reflect on the progress made, the battles that still lie ahead, while celebrating acts of grit and courage by real life trailblazers from diverse domains who have dared to challenge and change the script and transform feminism into a more gender neutral and inclusively sustainabledialogue.
Acclaimed journalist, columnist on gender and sexuality and best-selling, feminist author Sreemoyee PiuKunduis the curator of this festival.’The game changer in this festival is the seething real life crusaders who walk their talk and not just so-called, Page three celebrities who are on magazine covers. The thrust of Wempoweri s its strong speakers.Explosive themes. Inspiring performances. And our belief that the fight of feminism is a human rights struggle,’ added Kundu.
The festival will commence with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp ceremony accompanied by rousing key note speeches by Roopa D, the first lady Kannadiga IPS officer, currently serving as Inspector General of Police in Bengaluru, All India Mahila Congress, General-Secretary, celebrated journalist and transgender and child rights activist,Apsara Reddy and Sruthi Hariharan, leading Kannada film actress and producer, also the proud recipient of several accolades, including, the Karnataka State Film Award, three Filmfare Awards (South), a SIIMA award, and, a special mention at the 66th National film awards for her performance in Nathicharami.
Joining them will be Pavitra Shankar, Executive Director, Brigade Group. “From the very onset, we had a concrete vision of what we wanted this festival to be. The focus was placed on breaking the mould and scripting a different narrative. Conversations included all genders to bring about quantitative as well as qualitative changes and thought leadership. Using our influence as a leading brand that supports and values our female employees, we aspire that this festival becomes a platform and a convergence point for those who believe in equality, fairness and kindness for all,” added Shankar.
This will be followed by an evocative dance performance by STEM (Space Time Energy Movement) Dance Kampni, the performing wing of Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography, helmed by Indian classical, contemporary dancer and choreographer, Madhu Nataraj.
The event will feature three, riveting panel discussions based on the collective themes of women empowerment, gender diversity and equality. The first of which explores burning topics, such as, women’s safety, sexual abuse, moral policing, gender politics and patriarchy.
The panel comprises former civil servant, well-known advocate and social activist, Abha Singh, political satirist and leading stand-up comedian, Sanjay Rajoura, Sandhya Menon, the country’s top journalists, who was one of the first and most forceful voices of the #MeToo campaign, whose Twitter handle @TheRestlessQuil is still the go-to place for everything related to the #MeToo movement in India and Pragya Prasun Singh, acid attack survivor turned activist and social worker who’s has been fighting for providing relief and rehabilitation to her fellow acid attack and burn survivors from past 6 years now. Pragya is also the founder and Secretary of ‘Atijeevan Foundation,’ an NGO that apart from facilitating free of cost surgeries, also provides avenues for income generation to several acid Attack and burn survivors by training them to create handicraft products.
The session shall be moderated by Shreya Krishnan.
Focussing on the inspiring lives of four dynamic mothers who defy gender norms and stereotypes associated with motherhood, the second session, features celebrated disability activist, Jeeja Ghosh Nag, single mother, writer, marketing maverick and solopreneur,Supriya Jain, general physician and adopted parent, Dr.Aloma Lobo and Aditya Tiwari, India’s youngest single father to raise a boy with Down’s Syndrome.
The session shall be moderated by DipikaTrehan.
There will be a twenty minute stand up comedy act by writer and disability rights activist, Pune-based, Sweta Mantrii who took to stand-up to have a conversation about her disability and the issues that come with it. Born with spinal bifida, Mantrii now finds people calling her “inspirational”.
The final panel will be centred on why women are traditionally stereotyped according to the roles they are cast into, thanks to their limited gender identity, what it takes toshatter convention and why the tightrope of being a woman means taking on and tackling patriarchy, head on. Featuring internationally acclaimed, director-producer-scriptwriter and editor, Leena Yadav, whose first international feature film, Parched, premiered at Toronto International Film Festival in 2015, Anita Ratnam, Indian classical, contemporary dancer, choreographer & arts entrepreneur, Vandana Suri, investment banker turned founder, Taxshe, and Reeth Abraham, celebrated athlete from Bengaluru, India and former Asian medalist in long jump and 100 meters hurdles and a former national champion in heptathlon. Reeth won the Arjuna Award in 1997 and the Rajyotsava Award in 1983.
The session shall be moderated by Jacintha Jayachandran.
Setting an example in the space of Women’s Day celebrations,Wempoweraspires to lay the ground for gender equality, built on the foundations of empathy, compassion and an all-round awareness, which brings in its wake, the dream of a more egalitarian and just social and moral order.
Corporate Comm India(CCI NewsWire)
