KMC Hospital hosts ‘Woman of Wonders’ -a Panel Discussion to Mark Intl Women’s Day
- KMC Hospital hosts ‘Woman of Wonders’ -a Panel Discussion to Mark International Women’s Day (IWD), which was held at Hotel Ocean Pearl, Mangaluru, on Saturday, 7 March 2020 a day earlier than the IWD which is held every year on 8 March, with this year IWD theme “#IamGenderEquality”, to bring awareness on Gender Equality.
Mangaluru: “She takes care of herself, She is ahead of her time” is a line taken from one of my favorite songs “She’s Always a Woman” by American singer Billy Joel, who wrote the song for his wife. Yes, that’s how a woman is and should be. Woman, without her, a man is nothing. In fact, without her, the world would not be worth living in. A daughter, sister, friend, wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother….are the different roles a woman gets to portray and she carries them all simultaneously. There is nobody quite like her. She has always been an integral part of the society. Hers is the hand that rocks the cradle; the hand that rules the world.
She has moved from the back seat into the board room. She is no longer ‘just a typist’ but walks shoulder to shoulder with men in all fields. Women are in space, in air-crafts, on ships and yet with all that they manage a home with the same efficiency. She is the inspirer, the motivator, a consultant, a guide and with her single-minded dedication she makes sure that whatever she touches turns to gold. To quote Martina Navratilova, “The key is for women not to set any limits.”.
Yet, in many strata of life, she is the oppressed, the exploited and the condemned. Her value is not recognized. Her humility, docility and submissiveness are mistaken for weakness. Women do not have the physical strength of Arnold Schwarzenegger and are called the weaker sex. However, it cannot be denied that women are survivors. As Ritu Sharma of the Women’s Edge Coalition, an advocacy group, says “Teach a man to fish, he eats. Teach a woman to fish, everybody eats.”. And while IWD is celebrated globally on 8 March every year, but locally here in Mangaluru, Kasturba Medical College Hospital observed IWD a day earlier, on Saturday 7 March 2020 with a panel discussion named “Woman of Wonders” at Hotel Ocean Pearl, Mangaluru.
Speaking about International Women’s Day, it is a day to honour the silent sacrifices a woman makes in her lifetime. A tribute to those gentle yet strong shoulders. Ever since 1900 when IWD came into existence, the path has run through a slow but strong course of upliftment from the negative existence of women to one of recognition. Women’s day is an excellent opportunity for women all over the world to come together and celebrate being women. Women have reached great heights in all fields ranging from teaching, law, administration and medicine to construction, astronomy and defense and she has just begun her journey. I feel that there is no end to what a woman can achieve if she puts her mind to it. As Napoleon once said, “What the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve”. There is still a long way to go, but it looks like the women are on the right path, the path to success.
L-R in photo: Ms Radhika, Ms Divya D’Souza, Ms Harsha Bhat, Ms Nayana Shetty, Ms Shilpa, and Dr Vidyashri Kamath
Though today’s woman’s role is changing from that of a housewife to career woman, deep down she is still the homemaker and foundation to the family with the right values. She juggles and implies time management with multitasks. Managing a competitive career and a warm welcoming home, giving the best at the professional and personal level. The respect for women from peers is ever-changing and so are the expectations. She is on the constant move for improvement and soul-searching questions. Who am I? Where do I fit in this world? What am I doing, what do I want to do? Am I living up to my full potential?
Today a Women’s World is becoming more prominent than ever. Even Women’s world organization for rights, literature and developments has been formed because nowhere on the earth are women’s voices given the same respect as men’s. Gender-based censorship is a human rights abuse, which must be fought. The world cannot afford to use less than half its wisdom! It is proven all over the world, that women’s participation in Information and Technology in several multinational companies being chaired by women. In India too Women’s role is gaining momentum in the information and Technology Field. Even in the political arena, the Government of India is contemplating a minimum quota system for women by legislating the rule.
A woman conquers various obstacles in every stage of her life, right for existence in her mother’s womb, to being a girl child, a daughter, sister, friend, wife, mother and a grandmother. Volumes can be written about this but today it is indeed heartening to know the heights women have scaled. Whatever capacity, be it an astronaut or a housewife, the multitasking a woman is capable of handling deserves accolades. Today women walk shoulder to shoulder with men. There is no field where women have not left their mark. Blessed with patience, will power and the capability, women make the best homemakers and they can very well manage their work. She may be an entrepreneur but at the same time, she plays the role of a daughter, sister, wife, a mother with equal ease. When women are capable of handling both household chores as well as the responsibilities of business, why should they be subdued?
Even today men are given more value than women in some parts of the world. Why should there be discrimination between men and women? Women are equally important. In reality, Women are true homemakers. They can work and satisfy the financial need of the family and at the same time care for, comfort and love all her family members equally and satisfy their emotional needs. On IWD women all over the world, irrespective of colour, ethnicity and social status come together to celebrate their Day, a tradition that represents more than nine decades of struggle for equality, justice, peace and development. If every woman in this world is given the self-respect and education that is rightfully hers, don’t you agree that this world will be a perfect place to live in?
And in order to find out how they succeeded in life, after dealing with problems, discrimination, hardships etc and reaching greater heights through hard work and determination, KMC Hospital Mangaluru organized this programme “Woman of Wonders”, a panel discussion where Successful Five Women narrated their inspiring and motivating stories, as to how reached greater heights from Hardship to Success. The panel discussion which was on -Work-Life Balance; Multi-tasking Good or Bad; and Role of Health care in Women Wellness, was moderated by journalist and Editor Ms Harsha Bhat. The Women members who participated in the Panel Discussion were- Ms Shilpa- A Homemaker turned Entrepreneur; Ms Nayana Shetty- the “Ms Asia Pacific and Mrs India Fit Mom 2019 Winner and Fitness Consultant; Ms Divya D’Souza- an NLP Therapist and Transformation Specialist/Entrepreneur; Dr Vidyashri Kamath- Gynaecologist & Obstetrician Consultant, KMC Hospital, Mangaluru; and Ms Radhika-Proprietor, Cauvery Ambulance Service. These Women discussed their struggles and explained how they braved themselves to gain success.
NLP Therapist and Entrepreneur Ms Divya D’Souza said, Ï n my experiences working with women, whether they were young or old, all of these women just needed love and acceptance as a daughter or as a wife or as a mother. Women overextend themselves worrying about every other person in the house but rarely think about themselves. They focus on being wives, daughters-in-law, mothers, friends, sisters and they don’t even give themselves a little time. It’s very important for a woman to take care of herself in every way so that she can, in turn, take care of her family. Even the air hostess who explains safety on the aeroplane about the oxygen mask that drops down in the event of an emergency specifies that the mother fastens the oxygen mask on her face before her child. This applies in life as well”.
Ms D’Souza further said, “Through the experience of life, we pick up limiting beliefs just by holding on to some hurtful comments by our parents, teachers, and people around us who may not have even intentionally meant to hurt us and these experiences become a part of us, our beliefs and personalities stopping us in many ways. Some develop stage fear, some just take a step backward, some others allow people to take them from granted. Being an NLP Therapist, I have been able to help women to erase all of these memories that were a part of their distant past, some getting over their phobias of driving or swimming or even insects only to see them being liberated and taking that important step forward towards their dreams and desires”.
“Many diseases are manifestations of emotional struggles that have been spent up for many years leading to acidity, hypertension, diabetes and mostly obesity. All women love to look and feel beautiful. Even a 75-year-old woman will adjust her bindi and hair before going out. So just be comfortable about who you. Can you even imagine your house without you even a single day? Absolute chaos right….so take your right hand and pat yourself on the back and say good job girl….cause you do not need validation from anyone other than yourself ” concluded Ms Divya with her very motivating and inspiring message.
Ms Radhika explained how she after her husband’s death, started driving the ambulance, even though she was scared and not interested in learning driving in the beginning even though her husband was willing to teach her, and in the process, lived his dream of serving people. This is indeed a success story, to learn that Ms Radhika presently owns 15 ambulances. Homemaker turned entrepreneur Shilpa, who runs the popular ‘Halli Mane Rotties’ near Mannagudda, Mangaluru shared her story as how she introduced North Karnataka delicacies like Akki Roti/Ragi Mudde/Jowar Rotis to Mangalureans said, “I was put into depression and my life was shattered when my husband who owned a fleet of 40 trucks and employed over 150 people, disappeared suddenly. I was helpless, had no money to even buy milk for my child, and I was about to commit suicide”
“Due to disability in my fingers, it was hard for me to get a decent job. I took a bold step to be independent and started my own business. My cooking inspired me to open a street food vending place, serving North Karnataka delicacies, and there has been no looking back. My street food business has now helped me build an own house which will have a house warming ceremony soon, and even Mahendra Company partner had donated me a Mahindra van to do my business, appreciating my efforts. I tell you all, If we are independent then we can surely survive in any worst situation, and with hard work and determination, anyone can achieve success.” added Ms Shilpa.
Ms Nayana Shetty explaining on the importance of setting short-term goals and achieving the same said, “Being a fitness enthusiast, I feel that eating the right food and sticking to a healthy diet, will surely keep you fit and healthy.. It was after pregnancy/delivery and due to hectic work and other activities, I developed pain in my back, which made to join the gym, and it worked to get rid of my pain. Since then I have become a motivator, thereby inspiring many women who lack motivation. My aim is to help such women in transforming them into a better person. My message is do something sustainable, think of a smaller goal to achieve something, and you’ll succeed”.
Dr Vidyashri Kamath said “Wellness is women’s right. Even though my profession as a Gynecologist is stressful with sleepless nights though it affects one’s personal life, but I enjoy what I am doing to my patients, and I don’t repent of all the stress etc. In every profession, there are hurdles, ups and downs, but it is our duty to cope up with such hardships, and try to overcome them and achieve success. As women let our motto be Yes We Can, and make a difference in the society as women”.
Ms Harsha Bhat did an excellent job as the moderator, with her witty punchlines and also motivational and inspiring words, which the audience did enjoy the whole panel discussion session. A bevvy of women from the audience also shared their personal experiences, which also served as motivation and inspiration to other women in the audience. Following the Panel Discussion was a fun-filled session called Self Care through Dance Movement which was handled by Ms Sachitha Nandagopal- the Founder of ‘Anveshanam’-a Centre for Mindfulness & Emotional Well-Being, and also the director of Centre for Integrated Learning. Ms Sachitha explaining about her life, she transformed the audience into a different kind of atmosphere on self-care through her dance Movement technique.
Prior to the panel session, the programme began with a prayer song invoking God’s blessing by Ms Deepthi from KMC; the welcome address was delivered by Dr Sindhu Prasad, Convenor of the event from KMC; vote of thanks was proposed by Ms Aruna Mallya- a dietitian at KMC. And one lady who kept the all-women audience, (except for 6-7 men, including Yours Truly), was the Compere of the evening, Ms Swetha Santhosh-a Mrs Karnataka 2019 Winner, through her meticulous and professional compering.
