Panipat (Haryana): Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan organized 10th Annual Santulan Awards Mega-Event in the state of Haryana, under the banner of its Gender Equality Program, Santulan, on March 10, 2019. Commemorating International Women’s Day, the organization honored Iconic Women who have proven to be embodiments of Women Empowerment. Sh. Krishan Lal Panwar, Cabinet Minister of Transport, Housing & Jail Minister at Haryana Government graced the event in the capacity of Chief Guest. Also present among the guests of honor were Sh Rohit Rewari (MLA, Panipat), Ms. Avneet Kaur (Mayor, Panipat), Sh Sunil Arora (Chief General Manager, NFL, Panipat), Sh Mahesh Joshi (Regional Director, Haryana Kala Parishad, Chandigarh).
Divya Jyoti Jagrati Santhan, through its Gender Equality Program – ‘Santulan’, is on its toes when it comes to women empowerment, which is evident by its grand celebration events every year in the form of campaign to commemorate International Women’s Day. This year, the aforesaid campaign called ‘Swabhiman’ is being carried out under the theme ‘Balance for Better’ (delineated by the UN for IWD 2019). Plethora of awareness raising workshops, awareness walks, awareness drives and many more sensitizing initiatives are being organized and Santulan is on its way to the next section of campaign that comprises of patting the back of women achievers for their tremendous contribution in various social spheres. The praise is expressed with a token of appreciation called ‘Santulan Award’.
The term ‘womanhood’ merely means the state of being a woman, rather, it refers to a set of traits like serenity, sensitivity and sanctity, that only a woman possesses. However, the glory of this womanhood seems to have diminished as a consequence to her deteriorating status, that further leads to blurring of women triumph. Santulan envisages to reinstate this lost glory by acknowledging and acclaiming women’s accomplishments by honoring such exemplars with the Annual Santulan Award as an expression of admiration towards their superlative work in their respective spheres. After establishing this trend and following it for 9 consecutive years, the socio-spiritual organization, this year, conducted its 10th Annual Santulan Awards.
The first of this year’s series was organized at Haryana, being the hat-trick event for the state. Haryana, apart from being infamous for high rate of crime against women, is also a home to great women highflyers, Sushma Swaraj-External Affairs Minister, Sakshi Malik & Phogat sisters-renowned wrestling champions, Kalpana Chawla-first woman of Indian origin to go to space to name a few. Giving credence to the city for its social contribution in the form of these champions, the mega event was organized with great vigor. There were spellbinding sessions, cultural performances, mesmerizing bhajans and an interactive session on encouraging women to step outside from her shell, break shackles of prejudices and rise like she always has.
The grand event is also said to witness distinguished guests and eminent dignitaries from various areas to inaugurate the episode, share perspectives on ongoing gender based issues and eventually honor the shortlisted women icons of empowerment. The list of these iconic women includes – Ms. Gayatri Kaushal (Social Activist, Kurukshetra), Ms. Kamla Arya (Social Activist, Panipat), Ms. Kanchan Sagar (Social Activist, Panipat), Dr. Geeta Gupta (Gynaecologist), Ms. Amarjeet Kaur (1st female farmer, Babain), Ms. Babita Narwal (Social Activist, Sonipat), Ms. Naina (International Wrestler), Ms. Arti Shingla (President, Lioness Youth Club), Ms. Rekha Rani (Social Activist, Ambala), Ms. Veena Dhal (Social Activist, Ambala), Dr. Anjana Taluja (Social Activist, Yamunanagar) and Ms. Babli Rajput (2nd Auto-Rikshaw Driver, Panipat). Upon receiving the award, the awardees will also be sharing their success stories and challenges they overcame to reach current position.
Santulan is working across the Nation with a two-pronged approach (a) advocacy against all forms of discrimination and violence against women particularly female feticide and (b) holistic empowerment of women building their capacity through functional literacy, livelihood generation skills and ideological evolution, by rigorous conduct of workshops, seminars, conferences with experts and the peer group, counseling sessions, massive rallies, group discussions, street theatre and awareness desk in different parts of the country.
