Being A Laadli Award Winner Is Huge — And How I Tried To Walk The Talk

The 12th Laadli Media & Advertising Awards for Gender Sensitivity concluded on 2 November at the DDE Auditorium, MANUU, Hyderabad. But the crackling energy of the 100+ attendees, the hard hitting topics that won their creators awards, and their courage to do what they did have stayed with me.

I remember wishing to myself during the ceremony, that I could bottle this and take it home. God knows I was going to need it.

I crash landed into reality yesterday and immediately needed a whiff. A man stood too close to me in the check-in queue at the airport. Then the elderly gent sitting next to me on the plane poked his elbow into my sides and spread his legs, forcing me to huddle into a corner of my seat.

Everyday battles won, one word, one minute, one brave gesture at a time.

Throughout the event, I saw people who had cried their eyes out in the loo, cried in their seats and probably cried in their hearts, too. We all helped each other, even though we hadn’t met before. There was the woman who dropped her trophy and other gifts to the side to help the next winner, a disabled person, navigate the three narrow and steep stairs to the stage. My fellow author winner from Women’s Web Shalini gave me a shoulder to cry on when I broke down at dinner, and messaged me as soon as she woke up the next morning, “How are you?”

There are so many more out there, doing the right thing, being good and kind because that’s the best way to be, every minute of every day. They may not get awards, they may not write articles, record podcasts or film documentaries, but they are still heroes.

This is us. We are a small group but we are powerful. And I believe, more than anything I have  ever believed before, that this is a wave that will only grow stronger with time.

Never miss real stories from India's women.

Register Now

When the day comes,
when The Day comes
the wall that separates us
from outdated thinking and gender biases
falls with a mighty crash
when the world as we know
it will change forever
Where do you want to be?

The Laadli Trophy

A red ribbon engraved with the words, ‘Celebrate Her Life.’ In the organisers’ words, ‘the trophy captures movement, free spirit and reaches out to the sky, denoting unlimited potential.’

The Citation

Each winner received a framed certificate describing what the jury appreciated about the entry.

Congratulations to all of us!

Comments