Being the story

Kavita Devi (right) interacts with the audience at an on-ground event

We do not have to look far to find women doing great work, with valuable contributions to the economy and society as homemakers or in fields like education, medicine, science, research, media, art and others. There's much we can learn from their journeys, which is why Carnegie India's Anahita Speaker Series invites women professionals from diverse backgrounds, who have excelled in their areas of expertise, to share their stories and experiences.

Kanika Monga, adviser, strategy and communications, Carnegie India, who is part of the team that curates the series, tells us, "The aim is to create a space in which young women, who are at the start of their professional career, can interact and learn from women professionals who are pioneers in their field."

Shrayana Bhattacharya; Dr Jahnavi Phalkey; Kanika Monga

With a focus on building a platform that allows engagement, discussion and debate, the series highlights important stories that deserve public attention - which neatly falls into Carnegie India's overall scope as a think-tank dedicated to independent research, based in Delhi. Monga adds that the conversation is fuelled by insightful interaction between the audience and
the speakers.

The series began in 2019 with on-ground talks. It later shifted to a virtual medium with live webinars, and now the series is made up of short video content, each built around a speaker and their story. Currently in its second edition, the series hosts women professionals who bring in new and different perspectives from their respective fields. Explore the series' archive to listen to Kavita Devi, co-founder and editor-in-chief at Khabar Lahariya, speaking about her experiences as a woman journalist. And sharing insight into her study on women in the workforce is Shrayana Bhattacharya, economist and author. What stands out about the talks is that they go beyond dissecting a subject matter or area of work to shed light on stories of courage and resilience of women. "Each episode has a strong tale to tell, of encouragement, achievement and hardships; both on personal and professional fronts," Monga adds.

Noting one of the many highlights, Monga shares, "The speakers are always appreciative of the series as it provides them with a platform to share their professional and personal journeys, and to introspect. Dr Jahnavi Phalkey, the founding director of Science Gallery Bengaluru, shares that the questions raised after her episode, encouraged her to think about the women she looks up to, and why."
Giving us a glimpse of the upcoming episode set to release later this month, the curators share that the next speaker is a human rights advocate who also runs a non-profit organisation in India which aims to shift social attitudes. Till then, catch the previous editions on
Carnegie India.

Log on to carnegieindia.org/specialprojects/anahitaspeakerseries or Carnegie India on YouTube