March 23, 2007

Local women honored at Women’s History Month celebration

By Kalpana Shyam
Special to the Times

Six Bay Area women of South Asian descent were honored and recognized as role models recently at an inspiring Women’s History Month celebration.

The event was arranged by a fledgling women’s organization, Indian American Women Empowered (IWE). The mission of the association is to facilitate the overall growth of South Asian American women of Northern California through fun, action and learning. The awardees are selected by nominations from the IWE members and selected by the IWE executive board based on their excellence in their field and actions that have made a difference to the community. IWE is chaired by Anima Desai and the executive board members are: Neerja Raman, Surekha Patel and Dr. Anjali Sagdeo.

March, Women's History Month, is being celebrated enthusiastically to recognize the instrumental role that women have played in every conceivable field of human endeavor - politics, business, scientific study, literature, arts, athletics and entertainment. This event was a tribute to South Asian American women who are taking on increasingly prominent leadership roles as professionals, politicians and entrepreneurs. Desai opened the celebration with a quote from the Late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of India:

IWE committee members. Photos by Urvashi Nagrani

“To be liberated, woman must feel free to be herself, not in rivalry with man but in the context of her own capacity and her personality.”

San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed graced the occasion with his family and remarked that people of Silicon Valley demonstrate to the world that people from different parts of the world come together here to focus on what they have in common and then work long and hard, side by side, to make the valley the center of innovation.

One of the awardees was Anu Natrajan, the first Indian American woman to be elected to the Fremont City Council. She was given the “Public Service and Leadership” award. In her acceptance speech, Natrajan reminded other attendees how important it is to have a voice in what they want for the future and encouraged each and every one to take part in shaping the community.

The “Outstanding Young Woman” award was given to Priya Haji for her work as a social entrepreneur. Haji, a Stanford Business School graduate, is the CEO of World of Good, a fair-trade giftware company. The foundation of this global company is fair wages for artisans, many of whom are women, and the goal is to combine compassion with capitalism.
Anjali Lathi was awarded the “Public Service and Leadership” award for her exceptional service to the community. Lathi served in the public sector as a deputy district attorney for 22 years and now represents the city of Fremont on the board of Union Sanitary District. Lathi’s message to the women of today is to strive to become all that they can be.
Vinita Gupta was honored with the “Entrepreneur Award” for vision, perseverance and drive in the High Tech industry. Gupta holds the distinction of being the first Indian American to take a company public when she founded Digital Link, now Quick Eagle Networks. Gupta said that to know the true meaning of empowerment, one needs to think about why one needs the power, how it affects one and how one can apply it to make a difference.

Chief Guest, San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed, is welcomed by IWE Chair, Anima Desai.

Shailja Patel mesmerized the audience with a powerful recitation of excerpts from her one-person play, “Migritude.” The play narrates the struggles of immigrant families and describes how their love to their children is expressed as daily sacrifices so that the children can reach for their dreams. Patel said that arts are an integral part of empowering everyone. Patel received the “Innovative Talent Award” for her genius in opening hearts through marvelous poetry and performances.

It is common for men and women of South Asian descent to have a higher propensity for heart disease, so Dr. Prasnna Menon brought scientific research specific to the subject from Dr. Enas A. Enas and reached out to El Camino Hospital leaders to take action. With funding from the community, backing of El Camino Hospital and support of many volunteers, the South Asian Heart Center was launched in 2006. It enabled the Bay Area South Asian community to take a proactive approach to cardiac care. Dr. Menon was awarded the “Science and Medicine” Award. Her inspiration to future generations of women is in the words of Dr. Jonas Salk, the inventor of the Polio vaccine, “I feel that the greatest reward for doing is the opportunity to do more.”

The next IWE events will be Health Fair in May 2007 and a Professional Development Workshop in June 2007. More information about IWE and its events may be found at www.iweweb.com.