“I never dreamt about success, I worked for it,” said Radhika Sriram as she received the Women Excellence Award for Best Woman Entrepreneur, on April 26, in Dubai.
She was among 10 Telugu women from the South Indian states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh who were honoured for excellence in various fields. “I am extremely happy and honoured to receive this recognition. I feel that I could achieve this because of the unconditional support from my family, especially my husband, who instilled in me self-confidence to achieve my goals,” she said, adding: “Women empowerment is a process for women to redefine gender roles, [it is a process] that allows them to grow.”
Andhra Pradesh Women's Commission chairperson Nannapaneni Rajakumari and Telugu Desam Party leader, who gave away the awards, lauded the role of women in all walks of life, but expressed her concern over the treatment of women and young girls, especially in the light of the recent spate of rapes across India.
Deepika Baba, who was honoured for Community Welfare, recounted the plight of poor and underprivileged children in her village Duvvuru in Nellore district. With the help of her husband, Kishore Babu Duvvuru, Deepika, who in 1984 received the Scouts & Guides Award from the late President Giani Zail Singh, said she has been supporting a child Ashram where 165 orphans are taken care of. “And God willing, I would like to do more,” she said.
Prashanti Chopra, an accomplished singer and founder of ‘Music India’ in Dubai, received an award in the music category. “It is very encouraging to see my efforts getting recognised,” she said, adding, “I will strive to move to the next level with my own musical production in Dubai.”
Anuradha Vobbilishetty, a UAE-based advocate, who has earlier won many awards in India, got an award in the legal services category. “This recognition was for closely working with blue collar workers and the Telugu community. I could render legal help to needy due to support of Dubai Police, UAE government, Indian embassy and Indian Consulate in Dubai,” Anuradha said.
The award for the Cultural Category was given to Geetha Ramesh Ravella, the founder and managing director of Wave. A known figure in the Telugu community, Geetha said this award means a lot to her and that it only increases her responsibility to do more.
Other awardees, including two from Karnataka, are: Lakshmi Reddy (Social Welfare); Dr Sowjanya Muthyala (Medicine); Anuradha Koka (Architecture); Shalini Marianathan (Media); Suma S Nittala (Finance); Dr Hena Zaheer (Medical Science); and Viji Ratheesh (Fashion).
The winners received gilded statuettes in a thumbs-up sign blending with the face of a woman.
SVK Media, which organised the awards ceremony at Marriott Hotel, Al Jadaf, has in the past given similar awards to women achievers from the South Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
Nagarjuna Rao
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