Women on top

Ashweetha Shetty (left) and Ankita Shah

An empowering discussion today features speakers who are proof that when women support other women, they can together bring about a change and talk about education, equal opportunities and overcoming societal constraints and bias. The Breaking Barriers-themed talk at this year's edition of TEDxGatewaySalon celebrates these unstoppable women, including Ankita Shah, who will show how poetry can be used as a tool to fill in the gaps in everyday prose, especially when it comes to social issues. "I will be reciting a poem I've written about my mother, who has helped me become an independent person, able to make her own choices. And there's another one that talks about traditions that are passed down by women themselves, which reinforce the boundaries of what it is to be a woman," Shah explains.

Human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize recipient (1997) Jody Williams will address the fundamental importance of having an educated population so that people can make sound decisions. "[When it comes to what safety and security mean to her] an Indian woman would say clean drinking water, a safe house, healthcare and education, not atomic bombs," says Williams. "If you want the nation to go forward, you want to involve everyone. If we aren't using the intellect and resources of women, we are shooting ourselves in the foot. Most companies are run by men. Women are now trying to [foray into it], but it is difficult," she adds.

Aditi Prasad, who works towards educating kids, will be talking about how the syllabus and techniques of teaching need to be at par with the tech revolution, instead of archaic memorisation-based teaching. "We need to tell our girls that brains matter and not their clothes," says Prasad. And social rural worker Ashweetha Shetty will also refer to the conditioning of women to be weak or submissive. "If women can be conscious about these narratives, we can start changing those stories about our gender," says Shetty.

On: Tonight, 6 pm to 9m
At: Experimental Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point.
Call: 66223742
Log on to: www.tedxgateway.com/register/
Cost: Rs 600 onwards

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