A programme entitled Women of Power was conducted on 26th September 2022 at the Madras Management Association by The News Minute, an independent digital news platform reporting and writing on issues in India, with a specific focus on the five southern states. Three members of JIH Chennai Metro and two members of GIO Chennai attended the programme. The chief guests of the day were two dynamic members of the Lok Sabha, Ms. Mahua Moitra (TMC) and Ms. Thamizhachi Thangapandian (DMK).
The discussion was moderated by Ms. Dhanya Rajendran, Editor-in-Chief of The News Minute. The programme started off with a brief introduction by both the ladies and what inspired them to get into the field of politics. They then went on to discuss what it means to be a woman in politics, the difficulties they face and how the field of politics still very much lacks women representation. There was some more discussion on what their stand is on various different issues currently going on around the country.
The mic was then handed over to the audience for a question-and-answer session where the esteemed guests gave some very insightful answers to the questions asked. Some of the questions asked were about lack of female representation in the corporate world, disunity between different religious sects, being labelled as anti-democratic due to differences in opinion, how to deal with these problems and much more.
The women inspired the audience to stand up for their rights and face their problems head on, without fear. The session that lasted for two hours saw a very fruitful and healthy discussion and gave the audience a lot to think about as a takeaway message.
As one of the participants of this event, this writer really enjoyed and benefitted from the programme even though she is not particularly well-versed in the field of politics. Something that inspired her the most by listening to the three including the moderator, is that successful women in front of her was their resilience and courage to speak out and stand up for those around the country who do not have a voice. They were undoubtedly and unapologetically themselves and that is something we all should aspire to be.
[The writer is Secretary, Girls Islamic Organisation, Chennai.]