Newsletter: January 2023
Haryana Council is delighted to present this year's first edition of our Newsletter. We hope you enjoy the edition, we have much to learn and share!
Hello everyone! This is the New Year Edition of our Newsletter. So much to share and know about as we embark on a new cycle of learning and growth, fully committed to our goals and mission. We are thankful for the support and encouragement we have received. We hope to streamline and make the future editions more interactive and engaging. Suggestions and ideas are always welcome. Please feel free to reach out for collaborations. We hope you enjoy this edition!
Komal Gupta - President, Haryana Council
COUNCIL MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
VANDANA BHASIN
Hi, I’m Vandana Bhasin, a writer and artist and member of the WICCI Haryana Arts Leadership Council. Verses & Hues: these two things truly define the essence of my life.
Writing is considered one of the most sacred and effective ways of expressing human emotions, and I have been pursuing my passion of writing for seven years…
Read the full feature here.
SONAL MAHESHWARI
‘Homemade, homebaked and handcrafted makes for a perfect gift.’
Sonal Maheshwari, food enthusiast, home chef, creator and the founder of 7SPOONN, has this to say about Lohri. … Lohri is a popular winter folk festival celebrated mainly in Punjab and Haryana. It is observed on the 13th day of January in the Lunar month of Magh, according to the Hindu calendar…
Read the full feature here.
ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE WOMEN ECONOMIC FORUM, NEW DELHI, DEC 2022
With five sister platforms, as five fingers of the hand, in support and solidarity, G100, ALL, WEF, SHEconomy and WICCI are under mutual auspices, particularly the primary platform of ALL. In order of their creation since 2011, All Ladies League (ALL) is a global sisterhood movement celebrating the She-for-She spirit and uniting women as ‘sisters beyond borders’. The Women Economic Forum (WEF) is a conference platform for women’s greater visibility, voice, recognition and networking for pursuing ‘business beyond borders’. WICCI is the industry and business chamber for advocating ‘policies beyond borders’. SHEconomy is an e-commerce platform and app that features goods and services by women entrepreneurs for strengthening ‘commerce beyond borders’. And G100 is a global platform for joint action empowering ‘gender equality beyond borders’.
Being a part of the Women Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Conference, held at JW Marriott Aerocity in New Delhi, was an incredible experience for members of the Haryana Council.
Komal Gupta, our president, moderated a fireside chat by WICCI Arts Leadership Council on Personal Branding in the plenary sessions, with council member Sriparna Das Chakraborty talking about her experience as an entrepreneur, alongside a parallel session on Art Therapy and Music therapy a day earlier. The Parallel sessions on days 2 and 3 saw participation by Komal Gupta, Sriparna Das Chakraborty, Neeti Parti and Priya Reganathan, who also received awards for their contributions in their respective fields.
The power to come together as a community is awe-inspiring. We move forward together, one small step at a time. We thank Dr Harbeen Arora Rai for this incredible platform and the opportunities for growth and empowerment it presents to all women entrepreneurs in all fields of commerce, arts, and industry.
Please watch the video to imbibe the energy and enthusiasm of the event as it unfolded!
For pictures of all Plenary and Parallel sessions of the Annual WEF Conference, please click here.
SelfSocially By Ruchika Verma
‘SelfSocially’, our monthly column on Digital Marketing and Social Media by council member Ruchika Verma, a seasoned digital marketing coach and Instagram specialist, is back! Privacy and Safety are two important factors that should govern our online interactions as writers, artists and entrepreneurs. Read what Ruchika has to say on these important aspects of digital interactions.
Social Media Security Tips To Keep Your Account Safe
With the increased use of social tools for business communications, social media security is more important than ever.
If you are on social (and who isn’t?), you need to protect yourself against common social media security threats. Unmonitored social accounts can be the target of hackers, who use such accounts to send out fraudulent messages under a genuine person’s name. This can damage your business and personal image.
Social media security tips
1. Create a social media policy: Get your team social media responsible. Be confidential about personal information. Avoid activities like Facebook quizzes that ask for personal information.
2. Create an effective password: Your password should be at least seven characters and a mix of alphanumeric and special characters.
3. Keep all software, apps and devices updated.
4. Identify the scams, attacks and security threats.
5. Never click on links sent by an unknown person and unreliable source.
6. Limit access to your account. Not everyone who is working on your social handle needs access to your account.
7. Watch out for imposter accounts, inappropriate mentions of your brand and negative conversations about your brand.
8. Activate two-factor notification.
9. Keep your password updated.
Last but not least, manage spam comments. You will want to know why spam comments a are security risk. This is because they are visible on your profile and may entice legitimate followers or employees to click through to scam sites. You will have to deal with the fallout, even though you did not directly share the spam.
Thank you for reading!
THE WORLD AROUND US
Let us look into the world of patriarchy, a burning issue all around the world, especially in India. We will be running a series of articles on ‘Creating A Better World for Women’ by Council Member Dolly Singh, the founder of Delhi Poetry Festival, as she articulates her thoughts and viewpoints on this pressing issue. Read on and let us know what you think in the comments.
Patriarchy: A Deep Rooted Malaise, By Dolly Singh
In a society when men exercise supremacy over women, be it the male head of the clan or husband in a married relation, it is said to be a patriarchal society.
Patriarchy does not affect only the less educated and less evolved women from rural parts or tier-two or tier-three cities. It equally affects the seemingly more confident, successful and enlightened urban women too. We all, in one way or other, experience it every day.
The reasons are different, of course.
While in villages and towns patriarchy keeps women tied to the norm and suppressed in the name of religion or tradition, the scenario is even worse in cities. A woman armed with a high educational degree and career and an independent mind of her own is a threat to a man who has not evolved at the same pace. So, the woman whom you see walking with her chin up in a confident stride is painstakingly battling the male dominance every day of her life. She has to prove to be a ‘good’ wife and mother.
The problem lies here. If she is financially independent and mentally evolved, then her dependence on men is reduced. The wonder of a woman is in her ability to have kids, raise them, and keep her family together and happy alongside managing her career. Yet, despite these qualities, she plays second fiddle.
Patriarchy is the most effective tool for men, and some women too, to keep a woman grounded. Sometimes, in the name of religion and culture, at others in the name of family and social duties. And at times by shaming her for exercising her choices boldly.
It is often seen that some mothers and mothers-in law contribute to the perpetuation of patriarchy. If women held their ground and stood by other, weaker women, they would be a force to reckon with. Alas, women don’t do enough for other women.
I will broadly take up some more areas, where there is a scope to improve this practice in our social setups. In the forthcoming issues, I will be talking more elaborately on these.
We need to talk about mothers of sons who fail to sensitise them, and the mothers of daughters who give them wings but keep them tied to the ground in the name of security and family honour.
The educators, who ignore the fact that boys and girls should be taught about equality right from the beginning.
The film makers, TV dramas, advertisements and other modes of communication that show blatant or veiled patriarchy.
Things are even worse in the corporate sector, where ‘boys clubs’ easily score over the fragmented groups of jealous women in organisations. Yes, the truth stings.
Women, more often than not, do not support or stand by each other. One woman climbing the ladder of success is pulled down by others, with false narratives and defamation. Can things get worse than this? Unless women curb their jealous stirrings, and help other women rise, there can be no end to patriarchy.
You can blame men or curse the society till the cows come home, but unless women stand together, no major shift can be expected in our patriarchal society.
It is often asked why educated women continue to stay in abusive relationships.
Simply because there is not enough support back home. Or, because the onus of relationship is thrust upon the woman and a failed relation brings her bad name.
Stay with me and watch this space. I will be talking more on the aforementioned points. I look forward to your thoughts, experiences, observations on the said topic.Together we can bring about a change. One step at a time!
Thank you for reading!
Dolly Singh
Here are some links with book recommendations and articles to browse through on this important and pertinent topic that directly affects our lives in many myriad ways:
Masculinities and Hierarchies in Haryana
What it’s like to grow up as a girl in bhiwani, Haryana
Jakari folk songs: a protest against patriarchy by women
How Haryana’s women are heralding a silent revolution
As we come to the end of this edition, here is something on Mental Health, a crucial aspect of our well-being that never receives enough attention.
Strive to Thrive
Have you heard of quiet thriving? It means taking small but specific steps and actions that enable a mental shift and help you feel more engaged at work. Read more.
To sign off, leaving you with a little something to ponder upon:
‘We envisage a society in which mental health problems are an acceptable and in some ways valued part of the human experience.” – Mike Slade, Lindsay Oades, & Aaron Jarden, 2017
Until next time, best wishes from the Haryana Arts Council!
The Newsletter Team:
Komal Gupta: Content curation
Neetu Ralhan: Editor
Sonika Tyagi: Video Editor