The inauguration
was made by Dr. Najma Heptullah, the Deputy
chairperson of the Rajya Sabha. She was the
first ever woman president of the Inter Parliamentary
Union in 110 years. Being the first woman to
be elected to such a position makes her a powerful
role model to Indian women and she was an ideal
candidate to open such an empowering ceremony.
Dr. Heptullah also released the CSR decade report,
making the afternoon a double celebration.
Ms. Shailja
Chandra, Chief Secretary of the Delhi Government,
spoke about crime against women and the importance
of educating girls and boys from an early age
about gender and respect. This is something
that CSR fully supports and through its Gender
Training Institute we offer training advice
to teachers and schools on how they can address
gender issues in the classroom.
Other guests
included, Miss Kanwaljit Deol, Joint Commissioner
of Police, Vigilance; Ms. Nafisa Ali, social
activist and Dr. Anand Kumar, Professor from
JNU. Each of them had a valuable contribution
to the session.
The
dedicated team of CSR ensured that the symposium
ran smoothly and professionally. There was a
short documentary presentation by Bharti Birla
on the work of CSR and their achievements on
behalf of the women of India. CSR continues
to work for gender justice and appreciates the
continued contributions and support of its friends,
such as the guests and audience of 11th March
2004. Such women in power, give us hope in our
enduring quest for power to women.
CSR Network 
