IndianTelevisionAcademy.com

The Event
‘Women’s Day’ is being celebrated this year by Indiatimes, Asmi and the Indian Television Academy in a unique way. The most sterling feature of these celebrations will be the honour conferred on the four Asmi women of the year; viz. Raveena Tandon, Anoushaka Shanker, Ritu Beri and Rhea Pillai, as their personal attributes sit pat on the definitive Asmi woman being possessed of ‘an inner fire and driven by the internal benchmarks of her own heart’.

As Ms. Anu Ranjan, President, ITA elucidates, “We joined hands with Asmi because we are in consonance with their ideas of the Asmi woman achiever. The idea is to make this ‘Women’s Day’ not only an Event of sheer hungama, but also an occasion of fruitful import.”
Devika Gidwani, Director, Diamond Information Centre, says, “Asmi in Sankrit means ‘I am’ and stands for the woman who has a distinct identity of her own. We believe that women have the fire within to achieve excellence in whatever they undertake. International Women’s Day is celebration of womanhood and this innate spirit, which every woman embodies. We have chosen these four women achievers as the Asmi Women of the Year, as we believe they exemplify this spirit that is present in all women. Asmi is an external reflection of the fire within every woman, the fire that helps her be, what she is.”
As designed by the ITA, the Event will have Union Minister for Shipping, Shri Shatrughan Sinha doing these honours.

Another unique turn is being given to the Event. In this, a select band of livewire men will be placed on the dais, to be volleyed with a spate of women-related issues and questions by the house, consisting of a high-strung assemblage of 300 ladies, drawn from the upper crust of all walks of life. On this panel, there is the highly inflammable Mahesh Bhat, who spits fire when he opens his mouth…who is a rebel without a pause…who loves to shock, startle and stun. Then, there is the omnipotent, omniscient Subhash Ghai and the dapper and oh-so-definite Shashi Ranjan. There is also the go-for-the-jugular maverick Shekhar Suman, who dissects and rejects conventions like nobody’s business. There is the hunk of hunks, Marc Robinson, who makes you go hysterical with oohs and aahs! Then, there is the ‘today’ man…the ‘in’ guy – Prahlad Kakkar, who makes a virtue of the voluptuous…who is deliciously brazen in thoughts and thinking. Also, there is the swanky doctor Suchetan Pradhan, a dentist by profession and an ultra by obsession – who leaves you wide-mouthed – literally.

The entire proceedings will be anchored by Simone Singh with loads of vim and vigour.

Besides this, there will be a Fusion performance, presented with the inimitable Anuradha Pal on Tabla – whose taal will be matched by the Kathak steps of the lithe and lissome Praachi Shah and the western jig of the vivacious Sita Thompson.

In sum, the celebrations will be rich and resounding, making it a Women’s Day to remember for long.