24 Jul 13 The Hindu ‘21st century is going to be the century of women’ Staff Reporter, New Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit during a function organised by the Assocham Ladies League to present the ‘Delhi Women of the Decade Achievers Award 2013’ in the Capital on Tuesday. Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit during a function organised by the Assocham Ladies League to present the ‘Delhi Women of the Decade Achievers Award 2013’ in the Capital on Tuesday. The Assocham Ladies League (ALL) felicitated six leading women achievers, including Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, HSBC India head Naina Lal Kidwai and noted film actress Sharmila Tagore, with the ‘Delhi Women of the Decade Achievers Award 2013’ here on Tuesday. The award was also conferred on Planning Commission Member Dr. Syeda S. Hameed, fashion designer Ritu Kumar and Shobhana Bhartia, the Editorial Director of the Hindustan Times Group. Ms. Dikshit, who was conferred the award for outstanding public service, said she was proud that women are being recognised. “I am proud to be a woman. There are millions of women who work without being recognised and they do this with great love and affection. I am receiving this award on behalf of all those women,” she said. Stating that the 21st century is going to be the century of the women of the world, Ms. Dikshit said that women epitomise compassion, love and understanding. In her brief address, Ms. Bhartia, who was conferred the award for excellence in nation building through media and leadership, said the role of the media has never before been as “poignant and critical” as it is today. “There is a need for the media to resort to unbiased, transparent and value-based reportage. At the end of the day, it is the trust reposed in us that actually leads to our success and failure,” she said, adding media should try to keep the trust without resorting to “swings on the way”. Receiving the award for excellence in fashion, Ms. Kumar attributed her success to the large repertoire of Indian textiles. “I am glad to see Indian designers drawing inspiration from indigenous designs instead of copying the Eurocentric approach,” she said. Ms. Kidwai, who was honoured with the award for excellence in banking, stressed on the role of women as teachers, who, she said, can “inspire us to achieve, to find ourselves and to excel”. “We can give back by being the teacher to all the girl children out there,” she said. Stating that she was happy to note that working in films is a coveted thing today, Ms. Tagore, who received the award for excellence in cinema, said she was glad to see the industry has come a long way. “When we started in the early ‘60s, merely going out of the house was frowned upon let along acting in films,” she said. Dr. Hameed, who received the award for excellence in governance, said while preparing policies she always considered the marginalised and downtrodden.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Jul 2013 07:36:05 +0000