Honouring Diversity and Resilience: IIW & Policy Ghar She Inspires Awards Ceremony Details Announced

There are many different platforms for celebrating women. But what makes the different from the rest of the award ceremonies are the people they award. Most awards are given to people who have made a significant contribution to vital fields of knowledge or entertainment. 

People are already aware of the women politicians, singers, actors, scientists, and academicians who have shaped their own space in society. Their struggles and resilience are well-known to many people. 

However, a significant number of women who act in different roles- that of a mother, wife, sister, caregiver, friend, etc.- sacrifice their own dreams and aspirations for the betterment of others around them. 

IIW SHE Inspire award ceremony honoured such women who do not have any privilege bestowed upon them. 

IIW SHE Inspire Award

The event, centred around the idea of ‘Naari Shakthi,' was conducted in the House of Parliament, U.K. The programme was sponsored by Mamit Agarwal and Umang Kalra, co-founders of Policy Ghar. Their contribution and support were significant in finding out the most deserving women. The main host was the honourable M.P. Bob Blackman. 

The event was hosted in two parts:

• THE IIW DHARMA DUBEY SPECIAL AWARDS—This part lasted one hour. A total of 35 women received the award, including women who made remarkable journeys throughout their lives without fear of judgement. The committee directly select these women. 
• THE IIW SHE INSPIRES SPECIAL AWARDS—The second part of the event was also one hour long. Thirty judges selected the awardees. Initially, 160 nominees were selected, but the number was reduced to 100. Another committee consisting of 15 judges selected the final list of 45 awardees. 

Guest of Honours

The guests list include:

• Lord Brennan – Former Chairman of the Bar Council of England and Wales, President of the British-Spanish Parliamentary Group, and President of Canning House. 
• Mr Ajay Kumar Thakur – Attache (Coordination), High Commission of India.
• Honorable MP Joy Morrissey – Conservative MP for Beaconsfield.
• Honorable MP Theresa Villiers – Conservative MP for Chipping Barnet
• Honourable MP Elliot Colburn from Sutton.
• Honorable MP Jonathan Lord from Woking.
• Cllr Sunil Chopra – Former Mayor Southwark.
• Prof Parag Singhal (Consultant Endocrinologist, Chief Executive BTA, Member Clinical Senate)
• Cllr D Sunger – Since 2017, he has served as a district councilor for Chigwell Village. Presently Chairman of Epping Forest and a very successful Busines man.
• Krishna Pujara- CEO, Saheli; Chair, Domestic Abuse Forum; President, UK-India Business Council WICCI; Chair, ALL UK PRO; NCGO Sec; Sardar Patel UK

Why IIW SHE Inspire Award?

The necessity of Inspiring Indian Women’s and Policy Ghar’s initiative in conducting this event cannot be overstated. A few reasons why the event was relevant could be:

• Diversity- The selection process of the award itself deserves applause. Policy Ghar and IIW has wholly ignored the conventional pattern followed by many other award committees. Usually, the awarding process follows the most famous women. Inspiring Indian Women in close association with Policy Ghar, in a welcome change, awards women from the most underprivileged category of Indian society. By doing this, IIW rewards Indian women for their domestic contribution. This is a very different and diverse approach to awarding. They also have a separate award for women from the LGBTQ+ community, which is rare. 
• Respecting Resilience—The central idea of the event, 'Naari Shakthi, ' signifies resilience, a fundamental aspect of women. IIW, SHE Inspire under the sponsorship of Policy Ghar awards to find the most deserving women who enact silent roles and contribute to the welfare of the people around them. These silent warriors battle several adversities in terms of caste, class, and gender. Their fight is a battle against all odds. These women are selected from a group of one hundred nominations.