Shakti 3.0, in association with The Telegraph, presented an engaging panel discussion on Financial Independence is Key to Women’s Empowerment on April 29 at The Park. The afternoon started with the keynote speech on the topic by Dr Shashi Panja, who shed light on crucial matters in rural Bengal and how the lack of mobile phones and bank accounts causes hindrances in the way of women’s empowerment. Four women were felicitated for their exemplary contributions to women’s economic growth and leadership — Susan Mantosh, Anjali Saraogi, Anisha Johri and Shoma A. Chatterjee. Jimmy Tangree took the stage to moderate the panel discussion and invited seven women from different walks of life to share their viewpoints on whether financial independence is key to women’s empowerment. The panellists bought forward a wide range of important and interesting points through their discussion.
Fashion designer Kiran Uttam Ghosh said: “Only if women achieve financial independence in their careers are they able to have a voice to create better prospects for their family. From the CEO of a Fortune 500 company to the maid who cooks and keeps our homes clean, I see women leaders everywhere...”
“Being financially independent has enabled me to take any decision by myself, be it quitting consulting or starting a business or moving to India,” said Devika Majumder, entrepreneur and founder of Global Influencers Hub.
Dr Shashi Panja gave the keynote speech in which she said: “Education is the most important ingredient in the journey of women’s empowerment. Proper education leads women to be more independent financially as well as socially, which breaks various barriers in their life and destroys social evils”. She continued talking about how women all over the world are breaking barriers and becoming more financially independent.
Dr Moon Chattaraj, prosthodontist and director of AM Medical Centre, said: “As an entrepreneur, you must know that every time you cannot be successful in one go and be stuck in that... It’s very difficult for men to acknowledge you or work under you. In my attempt to tackle this gender bias head-on, I decided to uplift and empower more and more talented female doctors.”