The closing of the term 2022-23 at FICCI FLO’s Calcutta chapter was celebrated with an award show as its grand finale event at Taj Bengal on March 23. The Power Flo Awards 2022-2023 was all about celebrating women, womanhood and the impact they create through their passion and profession in the society. Shradha Saraf, chairperson of FICCI FLO Kolkata for the term 2022-2023, had begun her journey with the motto of empowering women from various levels in society and various walks of life. After hosting several events throughout the year pertaining to women’s success, empowerment, fitness and health and financial awareness, the grand finale was all about honouring FLO women from across the country who made a difference through their work. Apart from recognising 10 women under various categories, the Power Flo Awards 2022-2023 had a special segment called ‘Women of Impact’, where seven influential women from different walks of life were honoured for their extraordinary achievements and for creating opportunities for other women to succeed. The event was graced by Jayanti Dalmia, national president of FLO 2022-2023, as the guest of honour. The Telegraph took notes.
Gouri Basu, consultant to the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, received the award under the category ‘Women of Impact’.
“The past year has been a very enriching year for me. It all started with a vision to ‘fly together’ to build a community within our organisation, ensuring widespread participation among our members. I didn’t realise the experience would be so surreal of my vision taking shape and each one spreading its wings to give the other flight. From watching the ladies of Jodhpur fade away into the distant sandy horizon and feeling humbled when we donated a hundred gharas to witnessing the faces of hundreds of students explode into a smile when we gifted a century of benches to an almost ancient government school and made history by enabling it to be certified by the Board.... FLO Kolkata had pledged to support and promote #Nari Shiksha by donating five lakh rupees towards the refurbishment of a 138-year-old heritage school called Nari Shiksha Mandir in North Calcutta. We worked to empower artisans from across the country at our textile events and also provided digital literacy for them to use technology to their advantage. In our 38 events this year, we’ve covered the various facets that come with being a woman, with noteworthy speakers talking about financial literacy, giving us tips to be a great host, slipping in some style tricks and even learning about the law and our rights. The true beauty of a community is unleashed when we come together and learn from one another. We take some and give some. But most importantly, it comes in supporting one another and that is when we reach new heights. That is exactly what we set out to do this year. And now that we are near the end of it, I can say with pride that we really did ‘fly together.’ Powerful we are when we empower one another,” said Shradha Saraf, chairperson, FLO Kolkata.
Rupande Shah, partner at Rupande Shah & Associates, a boutique design firm, received the award under the category ‘Women of Impact’.
Richa Singh Debgupta, chief of strategy and operations at Fortis Healthcare, received the award under ‘Women of Impact’ from theatre practitioner Ramanjit Kaur. “I am humbled and honoured to be recognised as Women of Impact by FLO and I am amazed by the wonderful work being done by FLO Kolkata chapter. More power to you,” said Debgupta.
Wing commander (Retd.) Namrita Chandi was felicitated and honoured under the category ‘Women of Impact’, by Shrreya Pande. “I am truly humbled and thankful to Shradha for giving me this wonderful opportunity of sharing the stage with some eminent and accomplished trailblazers. She is the epitome of beauty, grace and vision. Hats off to her and more power to what she does to make a difference and touch lives,” said Chandi.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Kantha revivalist and founder of SHE, Shamlu Dudeja, who received the Lifetime Achievement award at the event, with her daughter Malika and granddaughters Mahima and Saumya. “Empowerment of women has been a focal point in my life since I was a child watching my mother help other women stand on their own feet. So it was a moment of honour and prideolkatake FLO Kolkata members through the introduction of all the trailblazers of Calcutta, people who the city is proud of. I congratulate Shradha and her team on the fabulous programme,” said Malika, a member of the FLO team, who introduced the awardees.
WOMEN OF IMPACT: Dona Ganguly was felicitated and honoured under the category ‘Women of Impact’. “I am overwhelmed and feel deeply honoured to receive this recognition from FICCI FLO Kolkata. Calcutta is my home and being honoured as a woman of impact here means a lot to me. It was a beautifully organised event honouring women who have made a difference in society and I was happy to be among so many trailblazers,” said Dona.
Sudha Kaul, founder, trustee and vice-chairperson of the Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy (IICP), Calcutta, received the award under the category ‘Women of Impact’. “The Power FLO Awards was, for me, an acknowledgement of the work that we at IICP have done for over five decades. It was wonderful to be with a group of inspirational young women who are doing such wonderful work. I look forward to the beginning of an ongoing relationship between FICCI FLO and IICP,” said Kaul.
LEADER: (L-R) Rupali Basu, managing director and CEO of Woodlands Multispeciality Hospital; Rinku Choudhary, founder of Pink Pasture and Rivvaz Silver and Swati Gupta of Bodycraft Salon received the Power Flo Award for being leaders in their respective fields. “I am humbled and happy to receive the Power Flo Award 2022-’23 in the ‘Leader’ category. In a professional career spanning 30 years, I have always embraced collaborative decision-making, innovation and technical advancement, standardisation and strict protocols. I have tried to optimise efficiency and encourage engagement of all staff in the hospitals where I have worked and to continually improve the patient experience. To get recognition as a leader from a forum as prestigious as FICCI FLO is an absolute honour for me, especially in the presence of other women with tall achievements. Such appreciation gives one the impetus to continue to do more meaningful work,” said Basu (in green).
RISING STAR: Singer and songwriter Meeta Shah (left) and Tiya Pradhyum, head of sales and marketing for Latha Puttanna, a weaver-to-wearer design house known for luxury Indian apparel, received the award under the category ‘Rising Star’. “I feel the ‘Rising Star’ award has given me and my entire team a pat on the back that was much needed after the Covid pandemic. Being an entrepreneur means we have to be self-motivated on a day-in and day-out basis but when you get recognition for it, it sweetens the journey a whole lot more,” said Pradhyum.
CATALYST OF CHANGE: Nita Diwan (left), founder of Unmish and Kavita Agarwal, founder of Career After Family, received their award under the category ‘Catalyst of Change’. “My work revolves around empowering those women who wish to make a mark for themselves after having devoted the best of their time for family responsibilities. I have learnt that women and resilience ‘fly together’ just like the theme for the year! It is an honour to receive the Power Flo award in Shradha’s year as she was the wind beneath every team member’s aspirations this year and together they have put up a great year covering every aspect for women empowerment including learning, creating, giving and growing,” said Agarwal.
EVERYDAY HERO: Designer Naina Jain (left) and Swati Sarawagi, resident director of Swarnim International School, received the award under the ‘Everyday Hero’ category. “It’s a huge honour to receive this prestigious title from FLO. Being recognised amongst stalwarts from across diverse fields is extremely humbling and I am most grateful to FLO for this. FLO’s motto is Power to Empower and that is exactly what this award has done for me – given me more Power to Empower! I pledge to continue to serve in the education sector to the best of my ability,” said Sarawagi.
A dance performance by Calcutta Foundation. Flo Kolkata presented the foundation with a cheque of one lakh rupees to support their digital literacy initiatives.
(L-R) FICCI FLO chairperson Shradha Saraf, actress Ekavali Khanna, Wing Commander (Retd.) Namrita Chandi and Renuka Shah, past president FLO, at ‘A Fireside Chat’. Chandi spoke about her journey as the first IAF lady pilot.
The 138-year-old North Calcutta school Nari Shiksha Mandir received a donation of five lakh rupees for their refurbishment.
The evening started with singer Meeta Saha’s soulful performance