“If India is to become a Viksit Bharat, its women must lead the way,” said Amitabh Kant, former CEO of NITI Aayog, as the Aalekh Foundation hosted the third edition of its Women Achievers Awards in New Delhi.
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“If India is to become a Viksit Bharat, its women must lead the way,” said Amitabh Kant, former CEO of NITI Aayog, as the Aalekh Foundation hosted the third edition of its Women Achievers Awards in New Delhi. The event honoured five women with Lifetime Achievement Awards and 20 others were recipients of Aalekh Women Achiever awards.
Instituted by the Aalekh Foundation, a socio-cultural impact organisation, the awards celebrate women creating lasting legacies across diverse fields such as arts,public service, law, media, medicine, sports, social impact and entrepreneurship.
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The Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to Sharon Lowen, renowned Odissi dancer; Arpana Caur, leading contemporary visual artist; Uma Nair, eminent art and cultural commentator; Anjali Gopalan, human rights activist and founder of the Naz Foundation; and Dr. Raj Dulhari Mehra, former HOD of Anatomy at AIIMS and Jamia Hamdard. Each was recognised for their lifelong commitment to service and impact.
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Justice S. K. Kaul, former Supreme Court judge and Chief Guest, called the awardees “trailblazers who have seized opportunities and turned challenges into stepping stones,” and stressed the need to amplify women’s voices and dismantle systemic inequalities.
Mr. Kant added, “Indian women today contribute just about 28% of India’s GDP whereas they are almost 50% of India’s population. And therefore, the growth story has to come from women.”
Actor Adil Hussain–known for his work in theatre and films like Life of Pi–and India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant served as the Guests of Honour.
“Whether through a loom or a lens, a courtroom or a classroom, women continue to shape India’s story in both visible and invisible ways,” said Dr. Rennie Joyy, founder of the Aalekh Foundation.
The Women Achievers Awards were presented to Karuna Badwal of Red Chillies Entertainment; Padma Shri awardee and former cricketer Anjum Chopra; National Award-winning actress Rituparna Sengupta; acclaimed filmmaker Shonali Bose; and social media influencer Neetu Bisht.
Other honourees included fashion designer from Nagaland, Bambi Kevichusa; Anshu Arora, youngest Indian designer to retail at Selfridges, London; Winnie Singh, founder of Maitri India; and Dr. Basavi Mukherji, music exponent and professor at Visva Bharati University.
The other recipients were Ramnath Goenka award-winning film critic Shubhra Gupta; Akashvani News DG Maushami Chakravarty; textile policy expert Chandrima Chatterjee; constitutional and family law expert Malvika Rajkotia; Red FM CEO Nisha Narayanan; model Sonalika Sahay; and textile expert Mira Gupta.
Yoga guru Acharya Pratishtha; former IFS and diplomat Sangeeta Bahadur; Alison Barrett, Country Director of British Council India ; and Khashi writer Bijoya Sawian were also among the recipients.
Previous awardees include Shovana Narayan, Kausar Munir, Princess Gauri Lakshmi Bayi, and Sonal Kalra.
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