Karnataka - Bangalore   

Six women get Swami Gnanananda Awards

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, MARCH 20. Six women from different fields were presented the V. Swami Gnanananda Awards on Saturday for their contribution to society. The awards were instituted by the Manava Seva Dharma Samvardhani Trust in 2000.

Among the awardees are Diana Tholoor, founder of the city-based Chrysallis Theatre and Snehalaya Welfare Society which works with the mentally and physically challenged persons; Uma Narayanan, managing trustee of SOS Children's Village, Chennai; Leena Joseph, programme officer of Naandi Foundation, Hyderabad, which coordinates with the Government for the midday meal programme; K. Ajitha, secretary of Anweshi, Kozhikode, which deals with issues of violence against women; R. Thara, director of SCARF, Chennai, which works for the rehabilitation of the mentally ill; and Azmath Nayeem, founder of WOMEN, Hyderabad, which works for the overall development of poor women.

Speaking on the occasion, H. Sudarshan, Right Livelihood Award winner, said gender discrimination was a problem that started even before a child's birth.

He noted that whether Manusmrithi was read or not, the "gender discrimination" in it had become a part of society. "Let us, for instance, give back the right to recite the Gayatri Mantra to women, which has been taken away," he said. "Atman has no gender, caste, or creed."

The awards are meant to inspire and trigger collective social consciousness to strengthen the movement for positively reforming the society.

The awards carry a purse of Rs. 50,000, a citation, a silver plaque with the embossed picture of Swami Gnanananda, and a shawl from the Shankaracharya of Kanchi.

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