FOR A WORLD OF HER OWN

THE WEEK’s ‘Indian Women Pathbreakers— Shaping a New Dream’ celebrated womanhood and honoured women Covid warriors

- POOJA BIRAIA JAISWAL

#BREAKTHEBIAS was the theme for this year’s International Women’s Day. And it found resonance in THE WEEK’s ‘Indian Women Pathbreakers—Shaping a New Dream’ event in Mumbai on March 8. That hashtag holds multiple meanings—for some, it could mean breaking the rules, to a few others it could mean following one’s heart and not letting society dictate one’s path and for some others it could mean not letting anything come in the way of being who one is or realising one’s dreams.

And, the five illustrious panellists who were part of the discussion at the Women’s Day event stand for all that and more. From singer and businesswoman Ananya Birla and actor Swara Bhasker to ICMR-National Institute of Virology’s senior scientist Dr Pragya Yadav, noted gynaecologist Dr Kiran Coelho and Navy Commander (retd) Prasanna E., each of these women preached what they practised in their lives during the panel discussion. As they shared their stories of courage, passion and ambition, one thread that ran through them was hope for a better tomorrow, where the Indian woman finds her voice, the courage to believe in her dreams and to make them come true.

Prasanna, who hails from a small town in Kerala, fought for the dreams of tomorrow’s women. She stood up against gender inequality in the Indian Navy. She joined the Navy as an air traffic controller at a time when women were refused permanent jobs in the Armed Forces.