GUWAHATI, March 9 - Women for Women�s, an NGO working for the empowerment of downtrodden women of society, organised a rally on the occasion of International Women�s Day at Khanapara on Tuesday morning and followed it up with an interactive session for its members at Hatigaon in the afternoon.
About 100 women from the neighbourhood attended the events.
�Women for Women�s has been working in the field of empowerment of women through implementation of various schemes of the government. The NGO�s notable activities were lauded by Najma Heptullah, Union Minister for Minority Affairs, during her recent visit to Assam.
Delivering the welcome address at the interactive session on Tuesday, Sahiba Ahmed, founder director of the NGO exhorted the audience to stand as one against all evil practices and superstitions prevailing in society.
She urged the ladies to fight vehemently against the system of dowry during weddings and against the practice of preferential treatment given to boys in comparison to the girl child in many Indian families.
In his address as the chief guest, Nurul Laskar, chief adviser to the Public Relations Society of India (PRSI) Guwahati Chapter, cleared many misconceptions about the position of women in the Muslim society.
�The first person to embrace Islam from the Prophet was a woman and not a man. She was Khadijah, who was the Prophet�s wife. Similarly, Allah has appointed a woman, Fatima as the custodian of the heaven and not any man,� he said, adding that it is through learning and attaining economic independence that a woman can find a place of honour in the family and society.
Samina Adil, senior coordinator of the NGO and Mahbubul Hoque, Chancellor, USTM, also addressed the gathering. The Hengrabari Housing Colony Mahila Samaj also organised a discussion on equal status for women in keeping with the United Nation�s theme �Planet 50:50 by 2030.
Delivering the keynote address, scientist and writer Dr Jayanti Chutia highlighted how women�s position in society had undergone a sea change due to various economic factors, especially following industrialisation, which had diminished women�s contribution in the traditional modes of income generation.
Dr Chutia also called upon the women not just to be aware of their rights but also to assert those.
Social worker Pranati Dutta also spoke, while Khanita Goswami moderated the discussion.
The Indian Council of Social Welfare, Assam State Branch, also observed the occasion with a public meeting near the Silpukhuri Anganwadi Centre. Chapala Baruah, working president, presided over the session.
The Strength of Unity and North East Cancer Hospital also observed the day with an awareness camp on breast cancer at the University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya (USTM) auditorium.
City-based NGO Society and Health, in collaboration with sSTEP, also organised Women�s Day with underprivileged women at Chandmari yesterday. Dr Deep Sharma, president of Society and Health, gave the welcome speech on the occasion.
Around 70 women, including street dwellers, slum dwellers, daily wage earners and domestic helps participated in the celebration.
Other members of Society and Health and sSTEP also spoke on the occasion.
The International Human Rights Council (Assam Chapter) celebrated Women�s Day at Don Bosco School Provincial on Tuesday.
Pranabjyoti Goswami, DCP Traffic, senior journalist Manjit Mahanta, Utpal Sharma, NE region head of Cultural Resources and Training, and Amandeep Paul, founder and managing director of NEEDS Group, were the special guests.
Writer Dr Srutimala Duara who was the chief guest, was felicitated on the occasion with the �woman of the year� achievement award.
Geetashree Konwar, State women�s president of IHRC, also spoke on the occasion.
Meanwhile, SBI, North Eastern Circle observed International Women�s Day on March 8 with a difference throughout the region. The day opened with special medical awareness and health check-up camps at 12 locations � Lakhiminagar Montessori School, Guwahati, Rabindra Bhawan, Guwahati, Administrative Office, Shillong, Jorhat Branch, Diphu Branch, Golaghat Branch, RBO, Nagaon, Sibsagar Branch, Balijan village, Tinsukia, Darrang College, Tezpur, RBO, Dibrugarh and Mangaldai College attended by doctors of the bank, government hospitals and private medical units like Appollo Dignostic, Nemcare Hospital, etc. The camps were specially meant for the underprivileged women of the areas and were participated by them in large numbers. Besides required medicine, the women were also provided with multivitamin, iron and calcium.
In the evening, a felicitation programme was organized at the bank�s Local Head Office at Dispur where seven eminent women personalities of Assam were felicitated. They are noted film director Manju Borah, Satriya dancer Indira PP Borah, litterateur Maini Mahanta, IAS officers Julie Sonowal, Dr Roshan Ara Begum, Krishna Gohain, among others.
Women studies cell of RG Baruah College, Guwahati, celebrated the International Women�s day on March 8. On the occasion, the college celebrated the day organising a talk and building human chain with slogans to convey message to all, and also inagurated the second edition of wall magazine �APORA�.
The students of the college participated in the making of chain with placards in their hands. The slogans were like �Beti Bachao Beti Padao�, �Educate women, educate generation� etc.
