“EXTRA” BY SHIVANI DHILLON LAUNCHED AT CII
CII-IWN CELEBRATED INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY TODAY
Chandigarh, 14 March 2023: International Women’s Day was celebrated with great fervour by CII IWN Chandigarh Tricity. Ms Nagina Bains, Chairperson of CII – IWN Chandigarh, kickstarted the event by addressing the gathering with an inspiring note on womanhood and the remarkable strides made by IWN’s highly motivated women members, as well as by women around the world.
The event began with the launch of a book titled “EXTRA,” written by Ms Shivani Dhillon, an IWN member. The book, which revolves around the character Shreya, who has Down Syndrome, is an honest attempt to showcase the abilities of people with different capabilities and promote acceptance of uniqueness. The book launch was conducted by “Not That Different,” a pioneering child-led movement for neurodiversity powered by Bookosmia, India’s No. 1 publisher ‘For kids by kids.’
The book launch was followed by a panel discussion on “Work-Life Balance for Working Women”, which saw the participation of prominent personalities such as Dr Preeti Jindal, Director of The Touch Clinic, Dr Lipi Pathak, Founder of Akasa Wellness, and Ms. Reema Dewan, Principal of DPS, Chandigarh. The discussion was moderated by Ms Ritika Singh, CEO and Founder of Kontent Factory, and centered around the challenges faced by women in balancing their professional and personal lives. The speakers shared their personal experiences and journeys and the steps taken by them to strike a balance between their careers and homes.
The event culminated with an inspiring keynote address by the special guest of the day, Ms Sheila Lirio Marcelo, Co-Founder and CEO of Proof of Learn, and a dual degree holder from Harvard University. Sheila shared her own journey and emphasized the need to think about how we can impact the world and billions of people’s lives.
The Vote of Thanks delivered by Ms Nagina Bains was a fitting conclusion to the celebrations, where she urged everyone to empower themselves from within, saying “Are we empowered within? We have to go within. The outside world has already seen us break all barriers, it’s time to go inside and empower our soul, mind, body and hearts for ourselves.” Overall, the celebrations were a fitting tribute to women and their contribution to society.
