The Aalekh Foundation hosted the second edition of the Women Achievers Awards here recently to honour and facilitate the
accomplishment of women from different walks of life.
Honoring ‘Naari Shakti’ and women empowerment, Rennie Joyy, founder of the Aalekh Foundation expressed gratitude to the jury, volunteers, special guests, and media for helping to make the event a success.
“Empowering women is not just a moral imperative but a strategic necessity for the advancement of women,” she said.
The Aalekh Foundation is a non-profit organization devoted to achieving the G20 objectives, with a focus on women’s and children’s empowerment and welfare.
The ceremony was marked by the presence of special guest of honour Attorney General of India R Venkatramani, and Justice Anil Dave; former Judge Supreme Court of India; special guest oddisi exponent Sharon Lowen; ex-CBIC member Balesh Kumar; TV anchor and journalist Manish Awasthi; former NBCC chairman Anoop Mittal; former secretary and MEA; and DG ICCR, Amandra Khatua.
The event kicked off with a stunning rendition of ‘Ganesh Vandana’ by Carnatic musician Sudha Raghuraman. Following that, designer Rosy Ahluwalia produced a Sustainable Fashion, Khadi- Fashion show, including models dressed in exquisite Khadi sarees.
The recipients of last year’s Women Achievers Award included Shovana Narayana-Kathak dancer, Geeta Chandran-Bharatnatyam dancer, Shibani Kashyap-singer, Bhakti Sharma-young politician, Pooja Kashyap-visual arts.
“I am happy to be called an award-giving attorney rather than an award-taking attorney,” Venkataramani said.
The event featured two categories of awardees: women lifetime achievers and women achievers this time. Notable recipients under Women’s Lifetime Achievements included Padmashri Bharati Shivaji, an Indian classical dancer and Jill Carr Harris, founder of Ekta Mahila Manch.
Jill Carr Harris was born in Canada, and has spent 40 years working with marginalized women on leadership and community development. She was also a member of the International Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence and Peace at the Center for Socio-Cultural Interaction’s campus in Madurai, Tamil Nadu.