We have distributed over 10,000 copies of this brochure throughout Minnesota and beyond.”
The JKYog International Women’s Day Awards Conclave 2021 is a must-attend event for everyone. It will be broadcast live from the Radha Krishna Temple in Dallas, USA, on radhakrishnatemple.net/IWDA on Mar 27, 2021, from 8 PM to 10 PM IST.
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 25 (ANI/NewsVoir): On Mar 27, 2021, the JKYog Global International Women’s Day Awards Conclave will be held to recognize and feature inspiring talks by trailblazing women in STEM, Social Work, Business and Environmental Causes. Notable honorees include Sindhutai Sapkal “Mother of Orphans”, and Dr Swati Mohan, Guidance Control and Operations Lead for the NASA Mars 2020 Mission – Perseverance Rover. Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi who supported the Chicago Women’s March will also be speaking at the event, which will be broadcast via the JKYog Worldwide headquarters, Radha Krishna Temple of Dallas virtually at radhakrishnatemple.net/IWDA.
Swami Mukundananda, JKYog Founder, global spiritual icon and bestselling author will deliver a keynote. A special panel discussion on gender equality with interactive QnA featuring Swami Mukundananda, Dr Swati Mohan, Ayurveda authority and global Ayushakti group Founder Dr Smita Naram (Long term Achievement in Business Leadership Awardee), Dr Medha Tadpatrikar (Long-term Achievement in Environmental Leadership) is one of the highlights of the event.
Objective of the Event
The theme for International Women’s Day 2021 is #ChooseToChallenge which states, “A challenging world is an alert world and from challenge comes change.” People are being urged to confront gender inequality in all its forms such as pay inequality, inflexible parental leave policies, unconscious bias, harmful stereotypes etc. Gender equality is also one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals put forth by the United Nations to be achieved by 2030.
Stressing the importance of gender equality, Swami Mukundananda said, “If we wish to create a better world for all of us, we must ensure that women get the respect, the freedom, the rights that they truly deserve.”
JKYog is organizing this free family event to raise awareness of this need, to celebrate the accomplishments of women in male-dominated fields and thereby help in fostering a more gender-equal, inclusive world by recognizing their accomplishments. Previously an International Women’s Day event had been organized on the 8th of March 2021 featuring prominent speakers providing women with tools to advance in their careers, take control of their finances and fulfil their unique potential.
“The backgrounds of the global awardees this year are quite inspiring and highlight the unique qualities women possess that can transform communities. JKYog is committed to encouraging and supporting women to reach for the stars in service to the community – there is nothing a woman cannot do if she sets her mind to it,” said JKYog President Shreya Bhat.
A shining case in point is Dr Medha Tadpatrikar.
Power of Compassion – Dr Medha Tadpatrikar
She has diverse qualifications – a PhD in Branding, an MBA from Nottingham University, LLB from Pune University and various diplomas in subjects ranging from psychology to forensic science, journalism and IPR. But Medha Tadpatrikar’s true calling lay in saving the planet.
A visit to a wildlife sanctuary where she saw a deer die from plastic consumption ignited Medha’s compassionate desire to save the world from the perils of plastic waste.
In a TED talk, she states, “In the last 40 years we have used more than 8000 Billion Metric tons of plastic which have become waste. Out of that 80% is in our landfills or our seas. Plastic releases harmful chemicals that can cause cancer, miscarriages, and respiratory problems. All of us must look at plastic differently, we have to look at waste differently…The question is how? Thermocatalytic depolymerization reverses the plastic making process.” Her innovative machine captures both gas and fuel outputs that can be used for other purposes such as laying roads, thus adding the fourth R of Recovery to the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” paradigm. Along with business partner Shirish Phadtare, she is the Founder Innovator of Rudra Environmental Solutions that runs plants in Maharashtra transforming waste plastic into useable fuel that is eco friendly and cheaper to use than regular fuel. Villagers use it in tractors, to cook food and to power generators!
Through her efforts with Keshav Sita Memorial Trust, she raised awareness of waste plastic segregation at the source. More than 200 metric tons of waste plastic have been collected from 30000 homes through her endeavours. Notably, she won the Economics Times 2017 Award for waste Management.
“If we can segregate waste at source, it becomes easy for people like me to do some processing on it. Plastic is not the problem; the problem is us. We can still save the planet if we change our habits.”
Fostering Sustainable Practices – Dr Subhashrer GR
Dr Subashree G. R. (Environmental Leadership Award 2021) has two patents to her name and has been committed to spreading awareness about sustainability practices and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in her role as the Volunteer Head of the Institution of Green Engineers (IGEN) and the IGEN Nobel Laureate Lecture Series. Her efforts have helped promote the SDG goals in over 15 countries worldwide and she was specially recognized by the International Forum for Sustainability for her contributions.
Healing Touch – Dr Smita Naram
Belonging to a family of Ayurvedic doctors, Dr Smita Naram (Long-Term Achievement Award in Business Leadership) passionately believes in the power of Ayurveda and never took any allopathic medicines. As a child, she suffered from stomachache and was recommended to go through immediate surgery. However, a relative’s simple Ayurvedic concoction cured her completely. This inspired her to help people live fulfilling lives through the ancient science of Ayurveda and she has established herself as a successful entrepreneur internationally. Today her organization Ayushakti has been offering transformative Ayurvedic services globally for 33 years. Over 1.5 Million people globally have found relief from chronic health conditions through Ayushakti treatments.
She has also been instrumental in establishing scientific proof of the success of Ayurvedic methods and has published over 20+ research papers in peer-reviewed international journals on the treatment of chronic health conditions like joints, arthritis, psoriasis, depression, stress anxiety, asthma, allergies, immune disorders, and genetic problems.
Turning Negatives into Positives – Reona Berry
Reona Berry, another awardee, (Long-Term Achievement for Social Leadership), is a two-time breast cancer survivor and the founder of the African American Breast Cancer Alliance (AABCA). Berry used her own personal struggles with the disease to spread hope, information, awareness and reduce the negative effects breast cancer has on African American/Black women, families, and communities. She is one of the strongest advocates in Minnesota in the fight against breast cancer and her organization provides support and hope to both men and women.
In an interview with the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder (MSR), Reona shared her story, where she stated that what she thought was initially a rash, progressed to a painful lump and turned out to be cancer.
“We wanted to educate the African American community about breast cancer and provide support to women and families. Through collaborations with YWCA and the American Cancer Society, I learned more about breast cancer. I joined the National Black Leadership Initiative on Cancer and made presentations whenever asked. AABCA created our first brochure, Being There! and it was a critical success. We have distributed over 10,000 copies of this brochure throughout Minnesota and beyond.”
The JKYog International Women’s Day Awards Conclave 2021 is a must-attend event for everyone. It will be broadcast live from the Radha Krishna Temple in Dallas, USA, on radhakrishnatemple.net/IWDA on Mar 27, 2021, from 8 PM to 10 PM IST.