Women achievers and girls celebrate National Girl Child Day with CRY and St Xaviers College, Mumbai
January 21, 2023, Mumbai: On the occasion of National Girl Child Day, leading child rights organization Child Rights and You (CRY) in collaboration with St Xavier’s college organised a panel discussion with women achievers and girls from CRY projects at the college premises on January 19.
Now in its third year, this annual event, #ItsAGirlThing, was done for the first time on-ground at St Xavier’s college, and it received an overwhelming response from all in the audience, and students in particular. At the event, accomplished women from varied fields and two courageous girls from CRY supported projects came together to discuss, interact and share how they have lived out the true meaning of It’s a Girl Thing in their lives. How having role models, a road map, a sisterhood and a dream, (and opportunities!) has gotten them where they are and will get them where they want to go.
The inspiring women icons present were Mumbai Ki Rani and popular Radio Show Host Malishka Mendonsa, Founder of BabyChakra and Good Glamm Group Naiyya Saggi, Celebrity chef and author Pooja Dingra and actor and influencer Sandeepa Dhar.
The event was moderated by Lakshaya and Alaiha from St Xaviers College, Mumbai.
Over 400 students attended the vibrant panel discussion and were inspired by the many stories, the wisdom and advice from the panellists. The women and girls spoke about a number of things ranging from memories of school, chasing one’s dreams and following ones career path.
“For the last 43 years, CRY has been committed to and has worked towards ensuring that every girl has the opportunity to meet her potential. We are honoured and grateful to have such powerful and inspiring women leaders and girls from our programs for this event. They are true role models and their stories reinforce our belief that it’s a girl thing to be confident, to work hard, to dream big, and to be equal to everyone and second to none.” said Kreeanne Rabadi, Regional Director, CRY - West
“It feels great to reconnect with CRY and hear the brave stories of the children and other inspiring panelists. There’s always something to learn and take away from these discussions. I love being part of CRY’s endeavour for a better world,” observed Malishka Mendonsa who observed that one should always been in touch with one’s roots how much ever successful you may be later in life.
“I believe that basic quality of life should be the right of all children, rather than a privilege enjoyed by a few. CRY has been working at the grassroot level in protecting and honouring the rights of children for over 4 decades and it humbles me to be part of this voice in inspiring collective action especially for girl child education and rights, which is a cause close to my heart,” says Sandeepa Dhar.
“I love the work that CRY is doing - I think it’s so important for every girl to know that they can be whatever they want to be, and never let anyone tell them what they can or can’t do!” says Pooja Dingra who in her discussion added that girls are always being told from childhood what they should and should not do.
“As a brand and as a mother myself, the question we are constantly asking ourselves is how are we impacting and really improving the lives of all our children across India. I am so happy to share that in our partnership with CRY, not only as brand BabyChakra and The Moms Co have we found a trusted partner but also as a mother and entrepreneur it gives me great pride to see that now when we use a BabyChakra product on our own kids, we know we are also touching and caring for children in need of help & care across India. Attending #ItsAGirlThing further cemented the belief especially seeing smart courageous children of CRY like Himani and Mayuri share their stories of how CRY had impacted them positively. More power to the organisation and to the team at CRY,” said Naiyya Saggi
About CRY
Note to the Editor: CRY - Child Rights and You is an Indian NGO that believes in every child’s right to a childhood - to live, learn, grow and play. For over 4 decades, CRY and its 850 initiatives have worked with parents and communities to ensure Lasting Change in the lives of more than 3,000,000 underprivileged children, across 19 states in India. For more information please visit us at www.cry.org. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
ABOUT THE PANELISTS
Affectionately known as “Mumbai ki Rani”, Malishka Mendonsa is the adrenaline shot that’s been waking the city up every morning on the radio for the last 12 years. A woman of many talents. Mumbai knows her as a bold and fearless entertainer who has made herself heard by everyone, from the common man to the authorities.
Naiyya Saggi is the Co-founder, Good Glamm Group - South Asia’s Largest Content to Commerce Conglomerate and founder of BabyChakra - India’s most trusted parenting platform. In 2015, Naiyya founded Baby Chakra with the vision of making parenting easier. BabyChakra has been consistently recognised as one of the Top Pregnancy Parenting technology products by Global Tech Powerhouses such as Google, Facebook and Microsoft as well as by international tech and health publications such as Healthline, Inc etc. In July 2021, BabyChakra merged with MyGlamm and Naiyya joined MyGlamm as a Co-founder and Board Member to further strengthen the content to commerce approach adopted by MyGlamm.
Sandeepa Dhar is an Indian actor, dancer, and influencer and an alumni of St Xaviers college, Mumbai. With films like Heropanti and Dabangg in her kitty, she has become a very popular face on OTT. She was most recently seen in Mai on Netflix and Dr. Arora on Sony Liv created by Imtiaz Ali. She has also won the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke award for the most promising actor on OTT. She is a professionally trained dancer and has won several awards for her dancing. She is trained in Bharatanatyam, Jazz and Contemporary from Australian Dance Academy (ADC) in Brisbane, Australia and has an MBA from Jamnalal Bajaj.
Pooja Dhingra is the founder of the Le15 brand of patisseries and packaged foods, which she launched in 2010. She is a graduate of hospitality from Cesar Ritz Colleges, Switzerland and trained at Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, for a Patisserie Diploma. Featured on the Forbes ’30 Under 30’ list both in India and Asia, Pooja has won acclaim from critics, the press, and her customers not just for her extraordinary skills as a pâtissier but also for her incredible entrepreneurial journey. In 2022, she was given the 'Best Pastry Chef 2022' Award by Culinary Culture and was named 'Best Patisserie Chef of the Year' by Travel & Leisure India and South Asia. Pooja has published seven books. The Big Book of Treats was her first and won second place at the Gourmand World Cookbook Award. Her other books are The Wholesome Kitchen, the bestselling Can’t Believe It's Eggless and Coming Home, and her most recently launched ‘Little Book of Cookies’. She is also the author of Le15 Café Cookbook and Bake at Home. She is an INK Fellow and hosts an extremely popular podcast called #NoSugarCoat.
Halima, from CRY supported project in Bandra is pursuing her BMM bachelor in mass media communication. Her family comprises of a younger brother, a housewife mom and her father who’s a tailor. She is currently pursuing her Bachelors in Mass Media.
Mayuri is in the 9th grade and her mother is a housewife and father a tempo driver. She has two siblings and heads the Children’s Parliament group, a collective of children’s group in CRY supported project in Mankhurd.
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