Gender equality in South Asia: Four eminent persons get Kamla Bhasin Award for their contribution
The Asian Tribune
The Kamla Bhasin Awards 2024 for driving gender equality across South Asia have been awarded to Lalitha Ranjani of Sri Lanka and Sunil Mohan from India.
The Special Jury Awards have been conferred upon Jaya Chakma from Bangladesh and Nikhil Taneja from India. The awards were presented on Saturday, 30th November 2024 here at India Habitat Centre, in recognition of the exemplary work carried out by these individuals to challenge patriarchy, promote gender justice, and inspire meaningful societal change.
Lalitha Ranjani, trade union activist from Sri Lanka who has spent decades in organising and empowering women.
Sunil Mohan, who was earlier captain of Kerala women’s cricket team and has dedicated 20 years advocating for gender equity and trans rights, changing lives through legal advocacy & crisis intervention apart from community based initiatives.
Jaya Chakma is Bangladesh’s first FIFA-accredited female football referee and coach, a pioneer for women in sports, who hails from Chakma tribe and has shattered barriers.
As a coach at the Bangladesh Krira Shikha Protishthan (BKSP), she has led her teams to multiple victories and continues to inspire young girls, especially those from minority communities, to break into male-dominated fields.
Nikhil Taneja, a Mumbai-based public speaker, writer, and the CEO of Yuvaa, has been a relentless advocate for mental health and gender sensitivity among Indian youth. Through his video chat show “Be A Man, Yaar” & his extensive campus outreach across over 100 institutions, Nikhil challenges toxic masculinity.
Kamla Bhasin, poet, author, educationist and a pioneer of women’s rights movement in South Asia. The awards are given under two categories, which include a citation in the form of a trophy and a cheque of INR 100,000 each, and have been jointly given by Azad Foundation, iPartner India and National Foundation for India since 2022.
The Special Jury Award consists of a citation in the form of a trophy. The award ceremony was followed by singing of Padma Bhushan Usha Uthup. Former President Of Sri Lanka, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga was guest of the honour for the award ceremony. In her video message, she said that “Kamla always said that without peace in South Asia, there could be no progress. She believed that walls, when turned sideways, become bridges.
The awardees were selected by a jury chaired by diplomat and human rights advocate Radhika Coomaraswamy, after a rigorous process. Other jury members included Anu Aga (India), Khushi Kabir (Bangladesh), Binda Pandey (Nepal), Munizae Jahangir (Pakistan) and Namita Bhandare (India).
Coomaraswamy said, “This year, the awards attracted candidates from nearly every South Asian country, and we had the privilege of evaluating extraordinary individuals from diverse fields—young men running creative gender equality programs, women involved in non-traditional livelihoods, trade unionists fighting for the rights of working-class women. The awards are given in memory of late Kamla Bhasin [1946- 2021] who was poet, author, educationist and a pioneer of the women’s rights movement in South Asia.
The awards are given by Azad Foundation, iPartner India and National Foundation for India. In the photo above, Usha Uthup is in the middle and the awardees [left to right] Nikhil Taneja, Sunil Mohan, Lalitha Ranjani and Jaya Chakma.
