The Inaugural Session of the India Chapter of the Daughters of Themis Network was a huge success. The event was held on 20thMay, 2023 at the National Law University Delhi. It was graced by the presence of four women dignitaries, Hon’ble Ms. Justice Rekha Palli, Judge Delhi High Court, Hon’ble Ms. Justice Tara Vitasta Ganju, Judge Delhi High Court, Hon’ble Ms. Justice Gita Mittal (retd.) former Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Dr. Pankaj Mittal, Secretary General, Association of Indian Universities.
The presence of strong and successful women on the dais enhanced the contribution of this session in the journey of the India Chapter of Daughters of Themis. The dignitaries appreciated the initiative and conveyed their best wishes for the success of the network. Their impactful words steered the discussion in the right direction and promoted the importance of contributions made by women in various academic and professional fields. The speakers emphasized upon the importance of adopting an equitable approach at different levels of the professional journey. There are certain challenges that are unique to women and there is a strong need to provide opportunities so that women can overcome such challenges and continue to prosper. The judges highlighted the fact that it has become imperative to provide leadership positions to women and give them the power to contribute in the decision making so that they can make a difference by bringing in a different perspective. The speakers quoted famous personalities and motivated the participants with their learnings and experiences from their professional journeys.
A number of women are excelling in different fields such as law, business, science and technology, medicine, policy and governance, education etc. They are opening doors for other women and inspiring them to continue making efforts in order to achieve the desired goals. Slowly and gradually the contributions made by women have increased over the years. Considerable strides have been made in this direction, however there is still a long way to go.
Important suggestions were made for the future scope of work of the India Chapter. These suggestions included
– Providing mentorship, networking opportunities, especially for women at the initial stages of their career
– Advocating for policies that supporting gender equality in the professional domains
– Conferences and seminars to provide opportunity for discussions on relevant themes leading to advocacy for policy making.
– Research and knowledge sharing by providing publication platforms.
– Training and development opportunities with affiliate organisations.
The participants were apprised of the goals of the India Chapter of the Daughters of Themis which includes providing a platform to women business scholars to connect and fostering a community to facilitate sharing and mutual support. The foundational values of the Daughters of Themis network which hold utmost significance are wisdom, prosperity, honesty, objectivity, justice, modesty, fairness, peace and sustainability. These values were explained to the participants.
The participants were from various diverse fields such as academics, research, industry, professionals, lawyers and students. The powerful discourses instilled confidence amongst the participants to work with zeal and enthusiasm for achieving their goals. They had the opportunity to interact with each other which facilitated sharing and mutual support and led to fruitful outcomes of the programme.
All women panel speakers reiterated the contributions made by women in all walks of life. Majority of participants were women which further promises rewarding association in the future course of work of this network.