April 10, 2015

At FICCI FLO’s 31st Annual Session in Delhi

April 10, 2015: I arrived from Delhi last evening. I had gone to Delhi on April 7 evening and the next day I attended the FICCI FLO’s 31st FLO Annual Session at Federation House as the Guest of Honour.

With Neeta Boochra and Poonam Mahajan, MP, felicitating Baroness Verma

I felicitated five Women Achievers, Baroness Sandip Verma, Minister of Energy & Climate Change, Government of UK, Priyanka Gill, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, POPxo.Com, Anu Duggal, Founding Partner of F Cubed, Janvi Gaur, Karmic Healer, Arunima Kumar, Founder & Artistic Director, Arunima Kumar Dance Company along with Ms Poonam Mahajan, MP.

There were women representatives from all over India from FICCI FLO branches across the country. There were also the officials of FICCI i.e., presidents, incoming-presidents and vice-chairpersons etc. All were there. It was my first visit to FICCI’s Federation House, which is in Mandi House area in Delhi.

While addressing a packed house, I said in my speech that FICCI FLO’s role had been laudable but the road ahead was full of challenges due to lack of gender parity in India. Though progressive steps like induction of one women director into the Board of Directors of specified companies has been made mandatory by the government, it remain a challenge for corporate India to find suitable women candidates. I said this calls for much work to be done from the grassroots level of ensuring that more and more girl child attend schooling.

The lack of education and its spread among women has been one of the areas in which India has been lagging as per the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG). From next year the MDG would would be strealined into UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and there is a compelling need to address this area.

With women achievers Janvi Gaur, Priyanka Gill, Neeta Boochra, Poonam Mahajan, Pinky Reddy and other members of FICCI FLO

I have never been to the Federation House before, as I normally do not attend events of business organizations. I am quite familiar with the area which is surrounded by the Sahitya Academy, National School of Drama and many such institutions.

I must thank Neeta Boochra for inviting me and I wish to congratulate her on her successful tenure as the FICCI FLO Chairperson and of course the first lady National President of FICCI FLO from Rajasthan to hold this post.

On April 7 evening, after the FLO function, I went to Taj Mansingh for the book release event of Suhel Seth. Quite a few known faces were there. I am thinking of inviting Suhel for my next series of Author’s Afternoon in Kolkata.

Yesterday, before boarding the flight for Kolkata, I had a meeting over lunch with IFUNA officials and Mr Ali Kiyaei, WFUNA ExCo Member and Secretary General of UNA South Africa who is in India. We discussed possible international collaboration to strengthen relationship between UNA of South Africa and IFUNA. Mr Ali Kiyaei was very happy to learn about the formation of WFUNA Foundation in India.

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