To bring contemporary issues of societal concern on a public platform for comprehensive discussion, News Intervention is organising a ‘Conversation Series’. The first talk in the series, “Inside the Mind of an Indian woman” will be organised on January 15th at India International Centre (IIC), Annexe in New Delhi.
Key speakers in the talk are Ms. Prabha Rao (Retd. IPS and Intelligence Officer), Dr. Bijayalaxmi Nanda (Acting Principal, Miranda House), Padma Shri Deepa Malik (Khel Ratna Awardee), Mrs. Asha Devi (Social activist and mother of ‘Nirbhaya’). Their brief profiles are given below:
Ms. Prabha Rao, Retd. IPS officer and Intelligence Officer
Ms. Rao started her career as a journalist with Indian Express and later joined the IPS in 1982, Karnataka cadre. She served in various intelligence and law and order postings in the state. She also went on a deputation to cabinet secretariat and served in several locations abroad. She has also worked as a Distinguished Scholar in IDSA and has started a Foundation for skilling victims of trafficking and LWE called ‘Encourage Foundation’.
Dr. Bijayalaxmi Nanda, Acting Principal, Miranda House
Dr. Nanda joined Miranda House in 1993 and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science. She is currently the acting Principal of the college. She received her Ph.D from the Centre for Political Studies, JNU. She is currently working on the issues around declining child sex ratio, sex selection, gender, policy and governance. She is a recipient of the ICSSR Doctoral fellowship and the Delhi University Vice Chancellor’s Teacher’s Excellence Award in 2017. She is actively associated with a number of government and non-government organisations as advisor on gender, policy and advocacy programmes for the youth. She has also assisted various state governments in drafting policy related to women and girl child.
Padma Shri Deepa Malik, Khel Ratna Awardee
Braving chest-below paralysis and spinal tumour treatment for almost 20 years; Deepa is on a mission – Ability Beyond Disability. She is an international sportsperson par excellence and recipient of Five Prestigious President of India Awards & honours – Padma Shri, Arjuna Award, President’s National Role Model Award, Women Transforming India Award and ‘First Ladies Award’ as well as 5 state governments’ honours. With a count of 23 international medals and 68 national & state level medals in swimming, javelin, shotput & discus events, she has been listed as one of the 10 most inspirational women para-athletes of the world by International Paralympic Committee. She is the first Indian to receive the International Women’s Day Recognition from the International Paralympic Committee (awarded each year to one woman from all over the world), for her contribution to advancing disability sports for women in India.
Mrs. Asha Devi, Social activist and mother of ‘Nirbhaya’
Since 2012, Asha Devi has been a relentless crusader for women rights in the country. Her 23-year-old daughter, a paramedic student, referred to as Nirbhaya, was gangraped and brutally assaulted on the intervening night of December 16-17, 2012 inside a moving bus in south Delhi by six persons before being thrown out on the road. This gruesome incident shook the conscience of the country. It was due to Asha Devi’s sustained efforts for seven long years that the four rapists could reach to the gallows. She is now synonymous with sheer grit and determination and is the symbol of every woman’s fight against discrimination, injustice and the humiliation.
News Intervention TALK on “Inside the Mind of an Indian Woman” will be organised on January 15th, 2020, 2pm – 5pm at India International Centre (Annexe), New Delhi. Entry is Free.