Come 8th of March, one thing is certain, it's a day when women across the globe come together and stand united. A feeling of pride, empowerment and courage takes over the world as we notice how far each and every woman has come in the 20th century. At the heart of International Women’s Day is the idea that individuals coming together can change the way the world works.
Empowerment is a strong term, and each individual may perceive it differently; what is empowerment to one may not always seem like empowerment to another. This women's day we're taking a moment to focus on how women interpret the term, and what empowerment really means to different women; we wanted to go beyond simply acknowledging our female leaders.
The universal word 'empowerment' has a different meaning for different individuals and we're all for it. In 2022, where the #PresentIsFemale, we caught up with some inspiring women of India to share their stories and throw light on the most empowering moment of their life.
Archana Jain,
Founder,
PR Pundit
"I feel empowered when I support people to grow and shine. The most empowering moment in my life has been to nurture PR Pundit which has an 85% female workforce and also the realisation that I may be a role model for someone."
Sumaya Dalmia,
Fitness Expert & Founder,
Sumaya
"Women empowerment to me means the ability to push through the day despite the curveballs, to shine through and be on top of your game.
I feel empowered when I have my day in control and it goes as planned. A productive day always makes me feel empowered and motivated. "
Sanya V Jain,
Founder,
Smokewear
"A girl should be two things: who and what she wants” just like Coco Chanel said!
I feel empowered when I see a woman who dominates in a man’s world. It takes a certain grace, strength, intelligence, fearlessness, and the nerve to never take no for an answer!"
Dr. Geetika Mittal Gupta,
Skin Expert and Founder,
Isaac Luxe
"The most empowering moment in my life is when I make choices from my heart and deal with whatever comes my way, enjoying the experience of the journey I have chosen to undertake and not giving up till I reach my end goal. Ability to walk away and reach my inner silence or wisdom whenever I want. Ability to cut the chaos and unwanted chatter in life. And yes, the moment I became a mother. "
Priyanka Verma
Partner,
Fiorella (Mumbai)
"To me, empowerment isn’t about one big event: it’s the culmination of a multitude of moments that have shaped up my life and personality. Helming from a background where independence has always been the norm, I was fortunate enough to step into a profession where I am at the forefront of making decisions. To me, empowerment is in leading a life of value, of making one’s own decisions, of having the confidence to take the course of one’s own journey. I hope to bring this into the lives of other women through my journey."
Snigdha Manchanda,
Founder,
Tea Trunk
" I feel empowered when I see women lifting up other women. It is a powerful feeling. Those of us who come with societal privilege need to extend that privilege to others as a responsibility. Another thing that makes me feel empowered is seeing women standing up for other women when all fall silent. There is unsaid solidarity between women. You can feel it while travelling in the city late, in our houses, in boardrooms - just about anywhere. They truly have your back when you need them to. "
Vrinda Sachdev,
Creative Director,
Qbik
"Women empowerment means self-confidence; means inspiring others to believe that passion is everything they need to take the first step forward means to feel the power to achieve something from within you. One’s success, happiness, confidence and empowerment is in one’s own hands."
Dimple Fouzdar
Founder,
Maison De Fouzdar
"According to me, Women empowerment means to let women decide by themselves the life they want to live, being true to themselves and being brave enough to make your own choices. Work for your self-esteem and it's truly empowering when you achieve something of your own."
Divya Aggarwal
Creative Director,
Kazo
"Self-confidence personally empowers me a lot. Just being myself and feeling good regardless of the outcome makes me feel confident about myself. But, the most empowering moment in my life was the day I realised that living without expectations would lead me to a better life ahead. Living with great excitement and knowing that I would be able to handle every hurdle that comes my way. Taking advantage of the endless opportunities that life offers has definitely been a cause for how empowered I feel today."
Aishwarya Gupta,
Founder,
House of Rugs
"I know that I’m in this male-dominated industry, and I receive the support and respect of my clients, co-workers and employees. I come from a family that has been in the business of manufacturing and exporting carpets. My father introduced me to the carpet business in my college days by taking me to carpet fairs abroad. This was both empowering and encouraging for me to start my own e-commerce business retailing carpets, thus making me one of the very few women working in this area. "
Samiksha Shetty,
Yoga Educator & Founder,
Moon Village
"Empowerment to me is more than feeling powerful or confident. It’s a state of being in which we recognize and celebrate our own wildest potential. It’s having the opportunities available to achieve all our dreams and our deepest desires. It’s being able to convert our intention into action without judgement, questions or blockage. It’s to finally feel free and liberated from the generational whispers. I feel empowered in my practice. Being able to move and express myself through movement, flow, dance and yoga. Having complete ownership over my own body, my thoughts and actions."
Aashima Rajpal and Chitvan Agarwal, Founders,
Logam
" Women empowerment to us means the freedom to make decisions and live by our own values and principles while maintaining a work-life balance. And we felt empowered when we are able to make both intellectual and financial decisions ourselves and take full responsibility for all our wins and losses. When we were able to pay back the initial monetary support we got from the family and establish a self-sustaining, successful business model, it was the most empowering moment of our life."
Sanjana Lunia,
Founder,
Eris Home
"Women empowerment to me means to be seen as an equal to a male counterpart. Not physiologically but by the power of the mind. The burden of domestic chores should not automatically fall upon the one wearing a skirt. Likewise, promotion should not be given to a man based on the assumption that he would work harder or excel further than his female counterpart.
We often see parents support and encourage their sons' professional endeavours. What is still rare are in-laws that recognise potential and support their daughters-in-law outside the confines of the house. I was blessed in that regard."
Tanvi Agarwal,
Founder,
House of Ekam
"I feel empowered when I am not bogged down by societal pressures, I am allowed to dream, to act, to be able to challenge myself and achieve it ."
Pooja Baheti
Founder,
Poppi
"The most empowering moment in my life was definitely the day I became a mother and gave birth to my son. I felt invincible and the experience truly made me think how every mom is a superwoman!"
Hina Oomer-Ahmed,
Stylist, Curator and Owner,
Luxebox
"I feel empowered when I can make an independent decision. Free from anything I've been told or taught or made to believe I should do. "
Rhea Bhattacharya,
Founder,
Drawn
"I feel empowered when I can empower someone else. I am very aware of my privileges and the most empowering feeling is when I can use that to empower or encourage someone else."
Shamika Haldipurkar,
Founder,
D’you
"I feel empowered when I accomplish a goal or excel at something I’ve been focused on for a long time. Seeing my efforts come to fruition is the most empowering feeling."
Ruhani Singh Mann,
Founder,
Brand Talk
"I feel that every woman should get the opportunity to harness her skills into what she wishes to pursue. The most empowering moment was when I saw women around me flourish due to Brand Talk - my first establishment that I was able to set up during lockdown. The ability to create an environment where all of us could learn, grow and uplift each other is what defines women empowerment for me."