The Winner Takes It All

THE CII FOUNDATION WOMAN EXEMPLAR AWARDS 2014 HONOURED THREE INSPIRATIONAL WOMEN WHO FOUGHT AGAINST THE ODDS AND WON.

Three extraordinary women from ordinary

backgrounds all armed with the common purpose of changing society for the better were honoured at the CII Foundation Woman Exemplar Award 2014. Initiated in 2005 by the Confederation of Indian Industry ( CII), the award recognises women from across the country who

have worked at the grass root level and contributed towards the development

process in India in the three key areas of education and literacy, health and micro-enterprise. This year the awards were conferred upon Kalpana Gagdekar, 33, for education and literacy, Lata Mane, 38, for health and Devti Biaga, 60, for micro-enterprise. Kalpana Gagdekar is a well-known theatre and TV artist in

Gujarat. She educates and spreads awareness about the plight of the Denotified

and Nomadic Tribes ( DNT) using the medium of theatre. A mother of two,

Gagdekar initially had to overcome several obstacles before she found the courage

to follow her passion and work in the theatre. “Society expected me to remain indoors and do household chores. But I was never one to back down,” she says. Lata Mane, who earlier worked as a female sex worker after being sold to a brothel owner by her own husband has transformed her life after joining the NGO,

Vijay Krida Mandal. She now devotes her life to providing health education to

female sex workers in the slums of Ghatkopar in Mumbai. Mane has also formed

Self Help Groups involved in income generating activities such as making imita

tion jewellery and perfume. Additionally, Mane also works with the NGO, Clean Mumbai Project where she supervises garbage collection, cleaning of gutters, toi

lets and providing awareness about the importance of sanitation. Devti Baiga belongs to the Baiga tribal community of the Bandhavgarh National

Park, Madhya Pradesh. Having long struggled as a farmer because of the scarcity

of water in the region, Baiga, with her natural entrepreneurial skills was quick to

adopt new farming techniques implemented by the Indian Grameen Services.

Today, she helps tribal communities access alternative means of livelihoods and is considered a natural leader as her own life is the best

example of what is possible.