An eve of Eves…
(Kelvinator GR8! FLO Women Awards)

‘God created Adam first and then Eve. Naturally! Because you make a prototype first and then the actual masterpiece…!’

Thus spoke Anu Ranjan, Editor, GR8! TV Mag at the GR8! Woman Awards, ’09 held in an upper-crust hotel in Mumbai.

The bouncy barb was just the right one for the evening that was devoted to the celebration of Indian womanhood. So, Adams – please go take a walk – here come the Eves!

And come they did – from the widest spectrum of society and the biggest orbit of disciplines.

They were all Achievers!

Distinguished women from Art, Dance, Literature, Journalism, Corporate, Medicine, Social service and so on were conferred GR8! Honours in this unique ceremony. In a land that still leaves much to be desired in its dealing with the feminine gender, a platform created to salute the same is exemplary, indeed!

And to cap it, there was ‘beti’ – a movement a mission, a Morcha against female foeticide rampant all across the country.

‘beti’ is a dream and a dare of Anu Ranjan, who stands totally committed to a crusade against gender-selection that is actually proving fatal to the gender-balance as created by Mother Nature. To create awareness against it, Anu creates occasions like GR8! Women Awards. The ceremony is like a dual-edged sword, as it accords honour and recognition to Women Achievers and also have them rooting for 'beti'.

And when a Rajashree Birla, a Zeenat Aman or an Aamir Khan (came to bestow honours) pledge their support to ‘beti’ – surely, people would sit up and take notice!

Besides this lofty cause, the ceremony also honoured the brave women of Taj, Oberai and Cama Hospital (Mallika Jagad, Sabrina Pooja Dey and Dr. Archana Garud, respectively), who saved scores of lives when terror struck their establishments in Mumbai. Added to them, was the intrepid Police Inspector Shaheeda Parveen who along with her team, has been instrumental in the elimination of some 70 militants in J & K.

It was a most stirring moment that rendered all of those present totally speechless and swept by emotions. It was ennobling for hearts to see these intrepid women honoured.

And then, there was the glam quotient, too. The evening had sizzling numbers performed by sparkling TV artistes along with the big screen hottie – Celina Jetly, who swung to a medley of Zeenat Aman numbers as a tribute to the Lifetime Achievement Award winner!

But the crux of the evening was, of course, the celebration of Indian Womanhood, so amply represented by all those women of substance gathered there. That’s how Aamir Khan made an exception to his resolve of not attending award functions and came here to decorate the
Phew! What an evening!

Shall we walk you through the corridors of this GR8! Hall of Fame for Women…