“I believe that we are all privileged and in a better position than most people in the world, so I think it is our duty to share the joy and spread the love. Dhan Uthsav that happens from October 2 to 8 every year is one thing that I look forward to because that is an occasion where I see humanity come to life.
A lot of my friends believe that my interest in society began when I joined a Sociology degree, but it was the other way around. A passionate person who loves to paint, sing, meet new people, read, and spend time with her family is how I would define myself. I have been working for women issues for the past two decades and that’s something that I am passionate about.
Providing women with easily disposable income is one thing my team and I have been working towards, we do this by cooking around 4,000 meals a day, which the women can sell and make money as part of the social entrepreneurship program called Eco-Kitchen. Ensuring a regular flow of disposable income for women is important because this helps them deal with a lot of issues at home like domestic abuse, HIV, sexual health, etc. The Eco-Kitchen gives me an opportunity to meet people from all walks of life like the corporates, students, NGOs, etc., who come to know of the facility through word of mouth and would like to volunteer. We flush the money back into the system and try to help a few more women find a regular source of income.
Being in sociology and social work for over 20 years now, I have conducted a lot of counselling, epidemiology in public health, and I have done some ethnographic studies on community practises all of which have kept me close to the cause that I believe in and closer to the women in my community who need help. And I am happy that I am able to do my bit to ensure that women lead a dignified and a violence free life with better opportunities and avenues opening up for them.”

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