KOLKATA: After a glittering and high-voltage debut in Kolkata in 2019 and an equally successful return in 2022, where 15 women were awarded for their path-breaking contributions to their profession and impacting society positively, The Devi Awards was back again this year to felicitate 12 more such dynamic women.
The Devi Awards was started in 2014 with the vision to recognise the contributions of women from all walks of life who have triumphed in their respective fields and uplifted fellow women and men in their respective journeys. After 23 chapters in Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi, Lucknow, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar and Chennai, the Devi Awards came to Kolkata for the first time on August 31, 2019, to celebrate women achievers from Kolkata, and Eastern India in general.
Neha Periwal, director, of The New Indian Express Group and Event Express, welcomed the guests saying, “In this venerable land of Bengal, the primordial deity has always been Kali or the divine mother — even the trinity being subordinate to her. In India, we have believed Devi personifies all that is divine, as the universal mother. We, at The New Indian Express Group, uphold that strong independent women are the backbone of the nation. We act on our beliefs by organising the Devi Awards. Our devis are those women who have had the inner strength to overcome obstacles and achieve their end goals.”
This year, the event saw an engaging session with Rongili Biswas, singer and academician, and Jaya Seal Ghosh, dancer and actress. It was moderated by author and senior journalist Kaveree Bamzai of The New Indian Express Group — on the influence and inspiration of art, culture and the performing arts in contemporary society. While Biswas mentioned the impact of arts in shaping politics and vice versa by mentioning her father Hemango Biswas, Ghosh commented on the power of art in unifying people.