Chhayanat (Kolkata) organized an evening to honor women in all their splendor and colors, beauty and vulnerability, strength and tenacity, ahead of International Women’s Day.

The program was planned and designed by Somerita Mallik, President of Chhayanat (Kolkata).

Similar to the previous nine years, three notable women were honored by one of the city’s top cultural organizations for shattering stereotypes and making important contributions to various cultural domains.

This year’s recipients were solo harmonium player and accompanist Rupashree Bhattacharya (Kolkata), author, researcher, and pedagogue Prof. Rachel Fell McDermott (Columbia University, New York), and activist, ethnographic researcher, and traditional-song collector Monoara Khatun (Burdwan).

They were felicitated by Mr. Suvojit Pakrashi and Dr. Sk Makbul Islam.

Dr. McDermott gave a talk about Nazrul’s views on women’s equality and empowerment in their fullest form. Her remarks gave the audience insight into the great poet’s progressive and caring views on gender and social issues.

The members of Chhayanat (Kolkata) also presented a cultural program in conjunction with the felicitation ceremony. Sukanya Roy, Debjani Biswas, Indrani Lahiri, and others performed poetry that expressed the suffering, hardship, aspirations, and hopes of women.

A grand event to celebrate the works of women.

Priyanka Dutta