Jamshedpur, Oct 16: CII-IWN Jharkhand Chapter and Tata Steel Foundation organised the second session of Kaleidoscope focused on the latent courage within women of substance to celebrate the inspiring stories of women who when faced with the most exacting of challenges, broke barriers within and without to create a ‘new normal’ better and more beautiful than before.
The session was in conversation with, Varsha Rahase, from rural Maharashtra, who ended her abusive marriage despite social stigma and went on to become a self-defence trainer and an inspiration for young girls. Varsha is also an alumni member of the Tribal Leadership Programme of the Tata Steel Foundation.
Malti Singh, from Jharkhand, who having experienced the ill-effects of alcoholism closely, found collective strength in the women around her and campaigned to make her village free of illegal liquor shops.
Swarnlata Dalai, from Odisha, who in an exceptional feat scaled the Mount Everest under the mentorship of Bachendri Pal defying all odds.
These inspiring stories were beautifully woven together by Pragya Singh, the founder and secretary of �Atijeevan Foundation�, one of India�s foremost not-for-profit organizations engaged in creating dignified, equitable opportunities for acid attack survivors to earn their living with their own skills and talent, and also help them to become economically independent in their lives. Pragya, an acid attack survivor herself, has now dedicated herself to the cause, providing relief and rehabilitation to acid attack and burn survivors for the past 6 years.
Speaking about the panelists, Swastika Basu, Chairwoman, CII-IWN Jharkhand Chapter & Chief-Enterprise Risk Management, Tata Steel Limited welcomed the panelists and participants and stated, �That these women of substance had forayed paths not only for themselves but also portrayed success stories for their peers. Their stories were the stories of grit, determination and positivity and the courage that is inherent in a woman to face the challenges of life, the courage to break stereotypes and the courage of not limiting their ambitions�.
Sourav Roy, Convenor, CII Jharkhand CSR & Skill Development Panel and Chief-Corporate Social Responsibility, Tata Steel Limited expressed �We consider ourselves extremely fortunate to have met these extraordinary women in the course of our work and continue to be inspired each time we hear them recount how they turned their lives around. In the last seven months, we have heard more such stories of vigour and Pragya is a live example of it. The �new normal� in their lives is akin to the entire world finding its ground again as we step into a post-covid era, and there is much to learn. With two covered and three more conversations ahead of us as part of this series, we hope that Kaleidoscope is able to meet its purpose.�