Sadhviji speaks at inaugural session of Women Economic Forum in Delhi

December 28, 2022
Sadhviji was a featured speaker and honoured guest at the inaugural ceremony of the four-day Women Economic Forum – WEF at the JW Marriott Hotel in Delhi – a gathering that featured renowned female leaders from around the world, all of whom came together to devise strategies to enable women’s networking and connection opportunities and to empower women entrepreneurship and leadership in all walks of life.

She shared, “We pray ‘Twamev Mata Cha Pita Twamev’ which means we address the mother first. Whenever we take the name of God, the name of Shakti comes first like Sita Ram, Radheshyam, Lakshminarayan etc. India’s is a divine culture, and it is matriarchal. In our temples, in the scriptures and in the method of worship, women have been called mothers, they are worshipped. But the sad thing is that in our communities, companies, offices, homes, and other places women are not given the respect they should get.

“I have had the opportunity to go and speak on big platforms, and there I saw that women are a part of the event, even running the event, but their number as speakers is equal to those not on the platform. And, it’s the same in our communities and in the office. Gender equality and women empowerment cannot be possible until women are included in decision-making committees and round table conferences.”

Sadhviji took the opportunity to discuss another part of the inequality that women and girls face, discussing the difference between black and fair skin color. She said, “People believe that fair skin is beautiful, and that’s why today’s young generation often uses fairness creams. We have to train our daughters that their beauty is not in fairness cream but in their education.”

Sadhviji also shared about menstruation, which is also used to prevent a girl’s full participation in society. “Many girls have no idea about their first menstruation (menarche) and they think it is a problem, but menstruation is not a problem, it is a gift from God.”

Finally, Sadhviji addressed other elements of the Gender Inequality that our Shakti face, speaking openly about child marriage and genital mutilation and sharing that if mothers feel they have experienced any of these issues, they should not repeat the same process with their daughters.

The Women Economic Forum boasts a membership of over 250,000 women and supporters worldwide and operates guided by the inspiration of the divine mantra of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam to ‘Love all, Serve all.’ The organization imbibes the formula and is committed to establishing gender equality without gender division.

Sadhviji joined former CM of Jharkand and current Minister of Tribal Affairs, Shri Arjun Mundaji; renowned global leader for sustainability, purpose driven leadership, global health and gender equality, Katja Iversen; Former Deputy Prime Minister of Slovenia and EU Commissioner for Transport, H.E. Violeta Bulc; Managing Director of Deutsche Bank, Anjali Singh; and many more women engaged in amplifying the voices of the women of the world.