Public Diplomacy Forum kicked off the celebration of its 12th edition of International Women’s Day with their much anticipated calendar event in New Delhi at Le Meridian. The event was presented by OPTIEMUS in association with Aruna Abhey Oswal Trust with the theme of SAFTEY FOR WOMEN. Ratan Kaul and Shilpa Raina Wahal gathered a diverse set of panelists and speakers to discuss various topics relevant to the modern woman and her safety amongst different facets of life.
Some of the well known panellists included: Ajay Chaudhary (Joint Commissioner), Miss Asia Tanya Mitta , Shivani Malik (Director, Da Milano), Srishti Kaur ( Miss Teen Universe 2017) among others, who spoke about challenges, courage and measures to be taken for ensuring safety of women.
The event also saw the launch of new OPTISAFE device by Optiemus- leaders in Women safety . The device was launched by Dr. Shashi Tharoor .
On this occasion Ratan Kaul Founder President Public Diplomacy Forum commented, “Women's safety is not just matter to be pondered upon on single day but a continuous effort and it is important to bring to light these corporates and startups, which have created personal safety devices which by helping women find help they need quickly and discreetly create an environment where women feel safer and confident.”
Shilpa Raina Wahal, Director Projects Public Diplomacy Forum said, “We at International Women’s Day want to recognize, celebrate and felicitate the ‘Superwomen’ who are shattering all the stereotypes and conventional moulds and are managing everything single handedly, straddling many domains--the home, workplace etc . Celebrating and awarding proficient women through the platform of the International Women's Day Awards is just another opportunity to appreciate the remarkable contribution of women to our society.”
The Panel discussion was followed by Award Ceremony and the women achievers from different genres of life who have set an example for women across the globe by gaining expertise in their respective fields, while at the same time providing a solid platform for people willing to join a similar profession were awarded.
A small group of carefully selected women awardees included Dinaz Madhukar -Executive Vice President of DLF Luxury retail, Dr. Mallika Nadda -Vice Chairperson Special Olympics Bharat, Smita Prakash, Journalist , Milee Ashwarya, Publisher at Penguin Random House India ,Shalini Passi, Arts Patron, Philanthropist, Artist and Art Collector , Miss Asia, Tanya Mittal, Naina Aggarwal amongst others.
The evening was hosted with the customary finesse & elegance synonymous with soirees curated by the PDF team..
8th March every year is observed worldwide as International Women’s Day keeping in mind the political and human rights theme designated by the United Nations to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women. As the event closed, the common thread that was apparent throughout the talks was the importance of sisterhood and collaboration, and that gender equality can be achieved if women (and men) come together, support each other, and pave the way for the success of one another.
The guests of honour were: Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Dr. Malika Nadda, Shahnaz Husain, Tara Gandhi Bhattacharjee- Granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi, Rishma Kaur, Yuvrani of Patiala, Dr KK Aggarwal, Ajay Chaudhary- Joint Commissioner Police, Ambassador of Algeria, Ambassador of Argentina and Ambassador of Comros.