NEW DELHI, Dec 1: The 2024 Kamla Bhasin Awards for Driving Gender Equality in South Asia were presented to Sri Lanka’s Lalitha Ranjani and India’s Sunil Mohan. Lalitha, a leading trade union activist, was honored for her unwavering dedication to women empowerment in Sri Lanka’s garment sector, while Sunil, a trans rights advocate, was recognized for his work supporting the trans community in India.
Special Jury Awards were conferred on Jaya Chakma of Bangladesh, a pioneering female football referee, and Nikhil Taneja of India, a mental health and gender sensitivity advocate. The awards were presented at a ceremony at India Habitat Center, New Delhi, with former Sri Lankan president Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga as the guest of honor. The event celebrated the legacy of feminist icon Kamla Bhasin, with Usha Uthup’s performance marking the conclusion of the ceremony.
Former Sri Lankan president Kumaratunga was the guest of honor at the Kamla Bhasin Awards ceremony. In her video message, she highlighted Kamla Bhasin’s belief that peace in South Asia is essential for progress and that "walls, when turned sideways, become bridges." Kumaratunga emphasized that Kamla’s message, a call for gender equality, remains more relevant than ever, inspiring not only women but also men and trans individuals to challenge patriarchal prejudice and work toward a gender-just world.
Women’s rights activist and feminist icon Kamla Bhasin passes a...
While Lalitha won the award in the first category, a woman (cis/trans) practicing Non-Traditional Livelihood, Sunil has been awarded under the category two, a man (cis/trans), working towards enabling a gender-just ecosystem.
Kamla Bhasin (24 April 1946-25 September 2021) was a feminist icon, a poet, an author, an educationist and a pioneer of the women’s rights movement in South Asia. She was associated with several organizations and movements across the globe. She co-founded Sangat, a South Asian women’s network and Jagori, a women’s rights NGO in India. She wrote and published several books, booklets, songs and stories, many of which have been reproduced in about 30 languages. An integral part of the global One Billion Rising movement, she was one of the coordinators for the ‘1000 women for the Nobel Peace Prize’ initiative in 2005.
The awards intend to honor and celebrate Kamla’s lifetime of achievements. It is also meant to encourage the efforts being made by women, men and trans persons to fight patriarchy and work towards a just society where women can acquire livelihoods with dignity and gain control over their lives and bodies.
Next year’s Kamla Bhasin Awards will be held in Nepal, hosted by Tewa, Kathmandu.
