BENGALURU : A power-packed body, the Karnataka Lifestyle and Fitness Council under WICCI (Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry), will be launched today with an aim to spark initiatives that will create change
In the last few years, awareness about women’s issues has seen a positive rise. However, there’s still much to be done. Which is why the Karnataka Lifestyle and Fitness Council under WICCI (Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry), which will have an online launch on Saturday, is envisioning improvement of the health and lifestyle of women of Karnataka with particular focus on the youth and rural women.The launch on a Zoom session on Sept. 19, between 5-6.30pm, will have a special address by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa. It will be followed by a panel discussion that will look at rewiring and rebooting conversations with the youth.
Mental health experts Dr Geeta Ramanujam, founder and academic director, G R Educational Institutions, and former principal, National College, Bangalore; Dr Ali Khwaja, chairman and founder, Banjara Academy; Dr Saraswathi Hegde, founder-president, Unnathi Healing Foundation Trust; and Kalpana Purshottam, counsellor, Centre for Child and Law, NLSIU, will be a part of the panel discussion on ‘Ailing youth of today.’
According to Minnku Buttar, state president, Lifestyle and Fitness Council, Karnataka, WICCI, post Covid-19, the world will settle into autopilot, and driverless cars and robots will become our youth’s reality in the future. “We are on the brink of a shift of unprecedented proportions – and they must prepare for a very different future than the one we have always imagined for them. Borders are perhaps going to be a figment of imagination. Global risks are humanity’s great challenge. Climate change, the collateral effects of political instability, economic repercussions of financial crises, epidemics are looming on our heads. It is imperative for all of us to start looking at humanity as a collective responsibility – to bring about a more stable and more prosperous world, a world in which every person in every country can reach their full potential,” she explains.
‘Dialogues’ Kafe’, which will be launched on Oct. 9, will be a safe, non-judgmental virtual platform, where young women aged between 18 and 25 years will be able to spark honest dialogues every fortnight. “They will have the option to remain anonymous and share anything with complete anonymity. We are backed by a solid team of professionals in mental health space to take care of any serious challenges that might come up in this space,” says council member Veena Jain, adding that when empowered young women rise together, they break isolation, build solidarity, and strengthen movements that challenge the prevalent social, economic, and political barriers.There’s much more lined up, with the council’s next project already being planned out, that, Dr Leena Fukey, vice president, says will be a catalyst to transform and impact rural villages in Karnataka by contributing to the social, economic, environmental and emotional well-being of women.
Making a difference
WICCI (Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry) is India’s national business chamber for women, with various councils in over 200 sectors working to strengthen women’s entrepreneurship and boost businesses through greater engagement with government, institutions and global trade.
The Karnataka council has been set up with the vision and objective to improve the mental, physical, emotional health and lifestyle of the women of the state, with specific focus on the youth and rural women. The council will strive to create successful models that can be replicated across chosen communities to transform their lives. It also plans to collaborate with the state government and influence government policy.
For more details, email wicci.lifestyle.fitness@gmail.com