Delhi Chief Minister Atishi Singh, mountaineer Meenu Kaliraman, world champion boxer Sweety Boora, Paralympic medalist Simran Sharma, Bollywood stars Raveena Tandon, Taapsee Pannu, female armed forces’ officers and several others shared their journeys with the audience at the We Women Want Conclave 2024.
New Delhi: At the “We Women Want” flagship event 2024 organized by ITV Network on October 14 at Hotel Taj Ambassador here on Monday, prominent women achievers including from the fields of sports, journalsim, armed forces, cinema, politics and others marked their presence and shared their journey embedded with hardships, struggles and patriarchy.
Women achievers such as the Chief Minister of Delhi Atishi Singh, renowned mountaineer Meenu Kaliraman, world champion boxer Sweety Boora, Paralympic medalist Simran Sharma, celebrities such as Raveena Tandon, Esha Gupta, Taapsee Pannu, and Kritika Kamra, female armed forces officers and several others engaged in an open discussion and talked about their journeys.
Delhi Chief Minister Atishi Singh talked about the women participation in the political arena and highlighted that despite women being the 50% constituent of the society, their participation at the top decision making level is just 20%.
“Till the time we don’t have more women at the top decision making posts, how can we expect good policies for women,” she said.
The event was also marked by the presence of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, who in his speech underscored the need for sustainable development and gender inclusivity in the national policy.
Renowned mountaineer Meenu Kaliraman, who has hoisted the national flag on Worlds highest peak Mount Everest and on others, talked about her difficult journey and the pressure due to the patriarchal norms.
Recalling her hardships, she said that to achieve success, one has to leave the safe zone and especially for women, who wants to achieve success.
Highlighting the societal norms imposed on women with a blend of patriarchy, the top mountaineer highlighted “that many a times, due to pressure from relatives and neighbours parents pressurises their daughters to get married at an early age which ultimately destroys their future.”
She also talked about the lack of support from her family and said that “It’s difficult for a woman to follow her dreams in a state like Harayana because there is a lot of patriarchy that still dominates the mindset of people there.”
Padma Shri Awardee Raveena Tandon said that all women in India are blessed with an innate strength and mentioned that as artists, they have two families—one being their personal family and the other being the people, who surround them daily like their drivers, hairstylists, and beauticians.
She also shared an incident where she stood up for her driver, protecting him from a mob and those trying to exploit him for money while criticizing the society that how, in today’s era, people are more focused on recording incidents rather than stepping in to help.
Female defence officers- Colonel Arti Chopra, Major Aprajeeta Sharma, Captain Ojaswita Shree, and Captain Kanika Rane recounted their journeys, showcasing their dedication and resilience and called for more women to join the armed forces.
They also highlighted in their comments that “Uniform doesn’t see the gender.”
Similarly, another Bollywood celebrity Esha Gupta said that “she plans to teach her daughter to be self-reliant”, stressing that no woman should depend on a man—whether it be her father, brother, or spouse.
Simran Sharma who secured a bronze medal at the Paris Paralympics 2024 talked about the hardships a para-athlete has to face.
“People laugh at you, makes fun of you. Para-athletes face a lot of struggle because society does not let you move freely. But I’ve been lucky enough that my husband who is in the Army kept on supporting me. It’s ultimately your sacrifice, hardwork and discipline which makes you different from others”, she noted.
On women’s participation in the political field, Congress’s Shama Mohamed, who is often targeted by trolls said that she doesn’t engage with those who attack her personally and recalled people calling her Jihadi’ or ‘madrasa-bred bigot’ on the national TV.
It is worthy to note here that the achievements of these women athletes, celebs, politicians at both national and international stages have broken stereotypes about gender roles in a traditionally patriarchal society and has led to the opening of gates for the women in almost every field now.