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THORAYA
AHMED OBAID
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Sushma Anand
 Dr.
Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, the Executive Director of UNFPA since 2000 is a
Saudi Arabian national. She was born on 2nd March 1945 in Baghdad,
Iraq. Her graduate and post graduate education has taken place in
USA. She received her B.A. degree from Mills College, Oakland,
California, 1966. In 1968 she obtained her Masters degree from Wayne
State University, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A. and continued her
studies here till 1974 for a doctorate in English Literature with
minor in Cultural Anthropology. She founded Association for Working
Mothers, Sidon, Lebanon in 1974 and remained its active member till
1982. She was also a member of Member, Al Nadha Women's Association,
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Between 1980-1982, she was Vice-President of
ESCWA Staff Council. During 1981-1992 she became Programme Manager,
Women and Development, SDPD, ESCWA . She was made chief of Social
Development and Population Division (SDPD), ESCWA in 1992-1993.
She held the post of Deputy Executive Secretary Economic
and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), 1993-1998. Before
becoming the Executive Director of UNFPA in 2000, she was Director
of Division for Arab States and Europe, UNFPA, New York for two
years. A staunch advocate of gender equality for sustainable
development, Dr. Thoraya commented at Panel Discussion at Third
Prepcom for Johannesburg Summit, "Poverty and gender inequality
are incompatible with sustainable development. We need to ensure
that more economic resources flow into the hands of poor people,
especially women." During her illustrious career with various
international welfare organizations, Dr. Thoraya has repeated
stressed on health, education, eradication of poverty and gender
equality. She feels inequality and poverty have social roots and are
intergenerational. In her opinion we can remove extreme poverty
through education, health and control of population.
A
relentless advocate of empowerment of women, she started her speech
on International women's day with , "If we are serious about
global peace and security, we must do more to support the world's
women. All over the globe, women are eager to participate in the
development of their countries and the prosperity of their
communities. Yet their vision and leadership remain largely
untapped." The same sentiment was repeated by her later in
March at Monterrey, Mexico, on the occasion of United Nations
Conference on Financing for Development, "Invest in Women,
Invest in Change".
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ARUNDHATI
ROY
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Sushma Anand
Some people are born controversial and our protagonist for this
month, Arundhati Roy happens to fall in this category. Is it her LDS
( limelight Deprivation Syndrome) or is it her way of thinking or is
it her lifestyle or is it her stand on issues of concern that push
Arundhati center stage every now and then. Be it what it is
-Arundhati is always hot.
This time Roy hit the head lines
for her single day's 'symbolic' imprisonment and fine for contempt
of the Indian Supreme Court. She has been charged with inciting
violence and attacking a court official last year at a demonstration
against the court's decision to give the go-ahead to the country's
most controversial dam project, the Sardar Sarovar in the Narmada
valley.
Roy is used to criticism, by her own admission, "Each
time I step out, I hear the snicker-snack of knives being sharpened,"
she told one magazine. "But that's good. It keeps me sharp."
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LUCID
SHANNON
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Sushma Anand
Shannon Lucid, the NASA astronaut, was born in 1943 at Shanghgai,
China but she considers Bethany, Oklahoma, to be her hometown. Lucid
Graduated from Bethany High School, Bethany, Oklahoma, in 1960 and
received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from the
University of Oklahoma in 1963. She went on to study further and
obtained her Masters of Science degree and Doctor of Philosophy in
biochemistry from University of Oklahoma. Her hobbies are flying,
camping, hiking, and reading.
Dr. Lucid's held various
academic assignments between 1963 to 1978 when she was selected by
NASA for an astronaut candidate training program. She has taught at
the University of Oklahoma's Department of Chemistry, been senior
laboratory technician, a graduate assistant and a research
associate. Dr. Lucid is a commercial, instrument, and multi-engine
rated pilot.
Dr. Lucid currently holds the United States
single mission space flight endurance record on the Russian Space
Station Mir. Following a year of training in Star City, Russia, her
journey started with liftoff at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on
March 22, 1996 aboard STS-76 Atlantis. Following docking, she
transferred to the Mir Space Station. Assigned as a Board Engineer
2, she performed numerous life science and physical science
experiments during the course of her stay aboard Mir.
Among
various awards and honors Dr. Lucid has received are the Order of
Friendship Medal by Russian President Boris Yeltsin and the
Congressional Space Medal of Honor by the President of the United
States. She has the distinction of being the first and only women to
have received the Congressional Space Medal. Dr. Lucid holds an
international record for the most flight hours in orbit by any
non-Russian, and holds the record for the most flight hours in orbit
by any woman in the world.
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DR.
NOELEEN HEYZER
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Sushma Anand
Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, the Executive Director of the UNIFEM - the
leading operational agency within the United Nations to promote
women's empowerment and gender equality, is known for her warmth and
spontaneity.
Ms. Heyzer received her education at the
University of Singapore and holds a Ph.D in Social Sciences from
Cambridge University in the United Kingdom. She worked as a banker
in Singapore; she tutored sociology at the University of Singapore;
worked for the World Employment Programme of the International Labor
Organization (ILO), and was a Fellow at the Institute of Development
Studies at the University of Sussex. She also served in the Economic
and Social Commission of the Asia and Pacific Region, and was
Director of the Gender Programme of the Asia and Pacific Development
Center. Her key publications include "Women Farmers and Social
Change", "Working Women in South East Asia", "The
Trade in Domestic Workers ", "From the Rural Economy to
the Industrial Sector", "Market Growth and State Planning
in the Asian Region", "Gender, Poverty and Sustainable
Development", "A Women's Development Agenda for the 21st
Century", "Globalization, State, and Gender Equality".
Ms.
Heyzer has served on numerous boards and advisory committees of
international organizations including, the Society for International
Development, the UNDP Human Development Report, the Eminence Persons
Group of the Global South on global governance, the Commission on
Globalization of the State of the World's Forum, and is in the UNDP
Eminent Persons Group on Trade and Sustainable Development. She has
received several awards, including from the University of Singapore,
the Ford Foundation, the Social Science Research Council, Friends of
the United Nations, Soroptomist International, the International
Leadership Institute, and the International Council of Women. She is
regularly invited as keynote speaker by numerous foundations,
universities (eg. Harvard, Trinity College, Cambridge), donor
governments (eg. Italy, Germany, UK, Canada, The Netherlands), and
programme countries (eg. G77, Mongolia, Indonesia, Chile), NGOs, and
women's groups.
Under the leadership of Ms. Heyzer, UNIFEM
has undergone comprehensive restructuring and expansion. The
organization has turned its orientation towards results and has
become immensely effective in implementing its programs and
strategies. It has emerged as a powerful tool of empowerment of
women. More recently she has focused the Fund's work on the Women,
Peace and Security agenda. In her message on International Day
against Violence Against Women 25 November 2001, Ms. Heyzer
emphasized that violence against women is universal and advocated
the involvement of each one of us for its eradication.
Known
for her wit and patience, Ms. Heyzer has completed more than 7 years
as the head of the Fund but her enthusiasm for the cause dear to her
remains just the same.
Her Special Assignments Include:
 Chair,
UN Interagency Task Force on Women's Empowerment to implement the
Cairo Plan of Action, UNFPA (1995-1996)
Chair,
UN Operational Working Group on the implementation of the Platform
for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women (1996-1997)
Co-chair
of the UN Council of the Micro-credit Summit to reach 100 million
poorest families with Mr. Juan Somavia, Director General of the ILO
(1997-ongoing)
Chair,
United Nations Development Group (UNDG) on gender to engender
guidelines and indicators for the United Nations Development
Assistance Framework (UNDAF) (1998-1999)
Head
of International Delegation to engender the peace process in the
Middle East, (2000)
Co-convenor
of the Round Table on Human Rights and HIV/AIDS with Mrs. Mary
Robinson, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Ms. Carol
Bellamy, Executive Director, UNICEF, during the General Assembly
Special Session on HIV/AIDS, (2001)
Chair,
UN Interagency Task Force on Gender Equality and HIV/AIDS,
(1999-ongoing)
Alternate
Chair of the United Nations Development Programme Staff Rebuttal
Panel, (2001-ongoing)
Gender
Champion of the UNDP, (2001-ongoing)
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SHAUNA
SINGH BALDWIN
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Sushma Anand
Shauna Singh Baldwin, the media personality has authored many books
including "What the Body Remembers?", "English
Lessons and Other Stories" , "A Foreign Visitor's Survival
Guide to America" . She holds an MBA degree from Marquette
University and is an information technology consultant.
She
was born in Montreal and brought up in India. Shauna now lives in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin with her Irish-American husband. Her first
independent literary venture "What the Body Remembers?"
has been very well received in literary circles and is likely to be
translated into a number of foreign languages. The much talked about
novel traces the tale of partition through the story of a sikh
family.
Shauna has been adorned with many literary awards
including:
Orange Prize for Fiction, 2000 for What the Body Remembers.
Commonwealth Writers Prize for best book from the Canada/Caribbean
region, 2000 for What the Body Remembers.
CBC Radio/Canada Council Literary Award, 1997
Writers Union of Canada Award for Short Prose, 1995
Shastri Award for English Prose, Silver Medal, 1974 |
SEEMA
SAMAR
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Sushma Anand
Seema Samar, a doctor by profession, has the honor of being one of
the two female members of the newly elected Afgan Government. Seema
was born on 4th Feburary 1957 at Jaghori, in the province of Ghazni,
Afghanistan. Seem had a dream of becoming a doctor but the
traditions of Hazara, the Afgan group she belongs to did not permit
her to do the same.
She compromised and married a professor
of Kabul University so that she could fulfill her dream of studying
medicine. After her marriage Seema managed to begin the journey
towards realization of her long cherished dream. During this time
she was blessed with a son. When the Red Army invaded Afganistan,
her husband was taken by the Russians and that is what she saw last
of him. After completing her studies in 1984, Seema succeeded in
escaping from the country along with her child and reached Quettea
in Pakistan to seek refuge. Seema wanted to be a useful member of
the refugee camp by securing medical facilities for them. But much
to her dismay she discovered that even in the hospitals run by
International organizations there existed no amenities for women. On
probing further she finds that units for women have not been created
for women to avoid clashes with heads of the Afghani and Pakistani
clans. That moment Seema took a drastic decision to organize the
hospital facilities for women at the refugee camp. Fortunately with
the help of an International Mission, Seema managed to create
Shuhada, a clinic for women.
In the year 1989, when the Red
Army abandoned Afganistan, Shuhada became a Government Organization
and extended its activities to schools to enable children receive
the education being denied to them hence forth.
Seema has
not looked back since then and it was but natural to receive the
honor of being part of decision making body of the country. May her
kind multiply.
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MENKA
GANDHI
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Sushma Anand
Menka Gandhi, the younger Bahu of the Nehru family has an uncanny
knack for hitting the headlights time again. Fighting passionately
for the causes dear to her heart, she does not allow anybody the
liberty to play  with
her not even to her immediate family. More recently it seems that
elder daughter- in -law has brushed her on the wrong side rather
subtly.
Menka has emerged victorious in absolving herself
and her late husband from the allegations made against them in a
book by winning a libel suit against the publisher and author of the
book. The press statements made by her in the wake of this triumph
point a finger at her elder sister -in - law Sonia Gandhi.
As
if that was not enough divesting her of the ministry of culture
invited another attack on the whiter than thou sister- in -law.
Menka holds Sonia responsible for her removal as she had ordered
examination of the accounts of many prestigious national trusts
headed by Sonia. Though congress loyalists have tried to put aside
her allegations, the working of these organizations really does not
appear to be above board. |
AGBANI
DAREGO
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Sushma Anand
Agbani Darego ,the 18- year old computer science student from
Nigeria, has been crowned Miss World 2001 at Sun City in Soiuth
Africa. With the coronation, Miss Darego becomes the first black
African woman to win the title in the 51 year history of the Miss
World pageant. The glittering beauty event was celebrated at the Sun
City, South Africa's Kingdom of Pleasure, a luxury resort of casinos
and wild animals.
For the first time the decision of the
judges was aided  by
time telephone voting created by the 'Miss World You Decide' preview
program. Darego won a cash prize of US$100,000, plus gifts valued at
US$150,000. Sashaying down in a lime green, body-hugging gown, Miss
Nigeria competed with more than 90 beautiful young women from across
the world to win the crown.
After the crowning glory Miss
Darego said she wanted to be a computer scientist as well as super
model. Miss Aruba, Zerelda Lee, a 19-year-old law student became the
first runner-up and Miss Scotland, Juilet-Jane Horne, an 18-year-old
media student ended up as second runner -up at the gala show. |
NAINA
LAL KIDWAI
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Sushma Anand
Naina Lal Kidwai - the vice chairman of JM Morgan Stanley (India)-
was recently included in the list of 50 most powerful women in
international business. She has many firsts to her credit: she was
the first Indian woman to join Harvard Business School and she is
also the highest paid woman in banking- she was the first Indian
employee to receive a salary of one crore rupees per annum.
Before
joining JM Morgan Stanley Naina was Executive Director with ANZ
Grindlays. It were Naina's decisions that helped Morgan Stanley to
turnaround from a mutual fund fiasco and emerge the No. 1 investment
bank in India in terms of M&A, with deals worth nearly $700
million. She was the one who decided that Morgan should go
full-speed ahead in IT, and the IT advantage has paid rich dividends
to the company.
Reacting to her inclusion in the list she
says," Leadership is determined by performance and not by
gender." She further adds, " The current status has come
step by step from being a school leader, college presidentship to
the corporate ladder". She is happy that Fortune has expanded
its list and widened the research to include Asian women and feels
more Indian women will now appear in the list in coming years. |
PREETHI
NAIR
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Sushma Anand
29th October -- 4th November 2001
Preethi Nair , the author publisher of Gypsy Masala was among eight
individuals who won the 'Young Achiever' prize at London's annual
Asian Women of Achievement awards in May this year. Preethi was born
in Kerala but shifted to London at the age of two years.
Preethi
studied Law and Economics at Cardi ff
University and had a stint of work with the European Commission for
four years at Spain. Later when she returned to London she obtained
a Masters degree in International Relations from Warwick University.
A management consultant by profession, Preethi,
interestingly wrote the book in bits and pieces while commuting to
work along the London's Metropolitan line, in the wee hours of
mornings and on weekends. After receiving a few rejections from
publishers, Preethi decided to publish and promote her own book
under a pseudonym. She had an unflinching faith in her story that
she could not allow anyone to play with it.
Incredibly the
book did well and emerged as the number one book in many of the
stores in London. Preethi managed the entire campaign by herself and
came out a winner by overcoming her worst fears about rejection. "Gypsy
Masala" in the author's words "is a story about dreams
about going to wherever your heart may want to take you. It is about
daring, daring to believe that there is something more, daring to
face your fears."She says, "I have learnt an awful lot
through doing this but above all, it has strengthened my conviction
that anything is possible if you believe hard enough."
Wise
beyond her years Preeti feels very strongly about children being
treated unjustly and about people bickering over petty things. She
loves meeting people, reads a lot, does cooking and practices Yoga.
She believes in looking at the beauty of life and being thankful for
everything life has given. |
LALITA
GUPTE -
Sushma Anand 22nd October -- 28th October 2001  Lalita
Gupte, Joint Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer, ICICI,
recently appeared in Fortune's list of 50 most powerful women in
business. On account of her outstanding abilities she has been
entrusted this year with the responsibility of the group's
international operations as well. For Lalita work is a passion, a
commitment, a consc iously
chosen option. She is an unassuming and down to earth person,
outside her workplace you meet her and you will find it hard to
believe that this is the woman responsible for restructuring of a
financial institute of ICICI's magnitude. She dislikes being put on
a pedestal and feels there is nothing to it really. In her own
words, "I am not a dreamer. But I have a vision. Everyone
should have a vision to reach his/ her goals. But at the same time,
one has to be a realist."
Under her the focus of
ICICI is on technology, finance, speed and people. Realising the
importance of speed the company has made rapid strides in
technological upgradation. Lalita Gupte's totally committed her
company. She says, "My husband often jokes to me that if my
skin were to be scraped off, you'd find ICICI and Gupte mingled
together." She has been responsible for many an innovative
schemes for employee's welfare. She has a firm faith in the
potential of human capital and holds them valuable.
Success
has not come without a price for Lalita says, When you aim to be a
supermom, a superwife and a superexecutive at the same time, "you
are forced to make a number of compromises. But by the end of the
day, it all evens out. Especially when you realise that this is a
way of life that you have consciously chosen and that you would
cease to be yourself if you were to decide to drop out."
She
attributes her success to the hard work, the right opportunity and
the support structure at home, " My dad was a civil servant,
who rose to the level of commerce secretary and cabinet secretary.
My mother was a social worker. My parents were very encouraging.
They always kept pushing us to do well in life. Husband Dileep Gupte
is a retired naval officer. My in- laws have also given me a lot of
space and are very understanding. My husband opted for early
retirement, realising that both running behind our careers can make
life miserable".
The most important factor for her
success has been an equal -opportunity employer in ICICI , she says,
"ICICI has always displayed more of a pro-woman bias than an
anti-woman one. I have never encountered the glass ceiling here. I
know it exists but I have never faced it."
According
to Lalita women need to be given education as they influence
family's decisions. |
INDRA
NOOYI -
Sushma Anand 15th October -- 21st October 2001  Indra
has appeared t 43rd rank in Fortune's list of 50 powerful women in
business in USA. She has emerged as the highest ranking Indian women
in the USA. She is the president and the CFO of Pepsico one of the
most successful consumer products companies in the world. She is
responsible for Pepsico's acquisition of Tropicano and more recently
of Quaker.
Born
in Chennai, Indra did her MBA from IIM, Calcutta. An achiever all
the way, she has carved a niche for herself in a short span of time.
Without Nooyi and her team, Pepsico would not acquire, divest, merge
or spin-off any part of the $22 billion company.
At 43,
after 22 years of corporate career, Nooyi still has the same bubbly
enthusiasm about her work and perhaps that is the reason that Pepsi
remains the choice of new generation the world over. She is a
voracious reader and possesses the ability to finish a book in a
day. At leisure she loves to strut at her guitar.
Nooyi was
honored with "excellence in human capital management" awrd
in New York in February this year.
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KALI
BEHN - A WOMAN LESS ORDINARY -
Sushma Anand 8th October -- 14th October 2001 Sarpanch
of Modar Panchayat in Gujarat, kali Behn, has come a long way since
the day she tied the knot to a deaf man at the age of 12. As it is
in our country and especially so in our villages, women do not have
a right to voice their concerns let alone have prior knowledge about
their husband.
Not only her husband but his parents and
brother, too, are deaf. Inaugurating the Sarojini Naidu Awards for
Excellence for Best Reporting on Women and Panchayati Raj, Kali behn
narrated the difficulties confronting women in rural India. "
The main problem faced by women is the oppressive husbands"
says Kali Behn. Her burning desire is to uplift the lot of
illiterate and exploited women of villages.
Studied upto
sixth grade, Kali Behn, is a field worker for the People's Education
and Development Organisation (PEDO). She set up SHGs across the
scorched hilly terrain of her district, distributed saplings and
seeds to facilitate rejuvenation of land devastated by recurring
famines. She undertook various welfare measures in the villages she
represents including construction of wells, hand - pumps, deepening
of ponds and distribution of shops to unemployed youth at minimal
rent.
She feels she could have done much more had she been
more educated. She is planning large - scale afforestation and
leveling of fields. Her district has made considerable progress in
the area of water management which is a biggest issue there. She is
yearning to make women self-reliant.
Applauding her
sensitive and conscientious approach the former Prime Minister
I.K.Gujral Gujral said, "It is women like Kali Behn who make up
the real India. We need more such women. We need to understand the
pain that goes on behind their eyes, recognise the work they are
doing in those far off areas. I am totally inspired by her."
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