When 'Laadli' transcends borders

After nearly ten years of its existence, the Laadli Media and Advertising Awards takes on a new feature. Now, re-christened as The South Asia Laadli Media & Advertising Award for Gender Sensitivity 2015-2016, the award has opened its doors to entries from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, and Nepal, widening both, its scope and reach. “The idea of expanding the awards has been with us for quite some time. However, when I addressed a group of South Asian journalists, they lamented a lack of such awards in their countries and requested us to expand the awards. Here, my resolve to explore the possibility of making Laadli go international was strengthened,” says Dr. A.L. Sharada, the Director of Population First. The jury for the award ceremony included prestigious editors, writers, and academicians, some of whom were, KV Sridhar, Sameera Khan, Kalpana Sharma, Gurbir Singh.

Hosting the award ceremony was well-known television journalist Barkha Dutt, while the awards were presented by the chief guest for the evening, member of Parliament Dr. Shashi Tharoor. During the event, 37 media professionals were facilitated for their exemplary sensitivity towards reporting on gender issues. The Laadli Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to renowned women's rights activist Ms. Kamla Bhasin who has written extensively on gender, patriarchy, masculinity and feminism. “I am just a small part of the feminist women’s movement. Even though gender relations and the status of women have undergone a drastic change, there has been an improvement, as the government is now more sensitive to the needs of women while formulating laws and policies,” says Bhasin.

In addition to these, other awards were also bestowed to winners from South Asian Nations. Among the few recipients was Dinitha Ratnayake, from Sri Lanka, who has been a journalist for the past decade. Currently the Deputy Manager – Current Affairs in one of Sri Lanka's well-known radio channels “Neth FM”, she has worked on several investigative pieces, while speaking evocatively on women's rights. The next was Lubna Jerar Naqvi who is a part of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). With 25-years of journalistic experience to her credit, she too has written extensively on sexual harassment, violence against women, honor killings, child marriage and gender equality in Pakistan. “Receiving this award makes me feel so happy and honored. Women in Pakistan have little or no idea about their rights, especially when it comes to divorce or the custody of their child. Hopefully, my small contribution may have made some impact,” expresses Lubna. The next is Amkala Khadka, a journalist with Annapurna Post, who is known for her critical writings on citizenship and the rights of women in Nepal. And finally Martine Luchmun, a journalist working with Le Sentinelle in Mauritius, who writes on female role models who have fought through the difficulties of life.

Few of the other prominent awards were 'Water Wives' for the 'Best Short Film' by Radhika Puri. The 'Books in the Novella' category was awarded to Volga for her book, Liberation of Sita. 'Neel Battey Sannatta' and 'Parched', were awarded as the most appreciated films. 'Vicks' was given the 'Best Campaign' award for its brilliant portrayal of the third gender, the 'Game Changer' award was given to 'Nayi' by Star India. “Shikhandi”, directed by Faezeh Jalali won for the category 'Best Play',