The Business Bytes
TBB BUREAU
BHUBANESWAR, MARCH 6, 2021
“It is high time that women get their due for their contribution to the society and treated at par with men, if we want to prosper as a country. Basic rights and opportunities should not have a gender demarcation. This learning should begin at home at the earliest age possible,” said Dr. Mona Lisa Bal, Chairperson, KiiT International School, while speaking at a panel discussion organised by the school here on Saturday.
“If equality prevails at our homes, the next generation will grow up knowing this as normal. Schooling and education also play an important role in this and schools must enrich the young impressionable minds about equality. It should not be a forced learning but something that should be naturally nurtured and inculcated as a way of living. Gender roles and gender biases need to make their way out of our society,” she added.
Speaking at the gala celebration, ‘Womaniya’, organised to celebrate the International Women’s Day, Dr Bal said that every day should be a celebration of women. It should be a celebration of ordinary women doing extraordinary work, a celebration of equality in all aspects.
‘Womaniya’ recognizes that the need of the hour is the collective advocacy for women’s rights and to bridge the gaps created by a male-dominated society. It aims to start a dialogue and to channel the narrative towards relevant issues faced by women in different spheres of life and career. It seeks to create a more egalitarian space that can give birth to a mutually beneficial ecosystem.
Honouring the spirit of womanhood and saluting their achievements, KiiT International School hosted a panel discussion which had a string of achievers that included renowned Odissi danseuse Guru Aruna Mohanty, Olympian sprinter Dutee Chand, Co-Founder and CEO of Nexus Power Nikita Baliarsingh, Youngest Corporator elected to Surat Municipal Corporation Payal Patel, noted Entrepreneur Vineeta Subudhi, and celebrated Chess player Indian Woman Grandmaster Kiran Manisha Mohanty.
These eminent achievers narrated their stories about how they shattered the norms to accomplish their dreams. Some topics that were touched upon during the discussion included “Navigating through an inherently male-dominated society”, “Gender disparity and how to overcome it” and other relevant female-centric themes. These women achievers were felicitated by KiiT International School.
