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.
