New Delhi: The first ever Kamla Bhasin (South Asia) Award for Driving the World towards Gender Equality has gone to Natisara Rai from Nepal and Vidya Rajput from India.
The award was instituted by the Azad Foundation, iPartner India and National Foundation for India. Each of the winners will receive Rs 1,00,000.
Rai, according to the press release on the award, is the co-founder and executive director of the Shakti Milan Samaaj (SMS). Rai was forced into sex work when she was 13 and is HIV positive, and now her organisation supports more than a thousand HIV positive women in Nepal access healthcare, dignified work and education.
“She [Rai] continued to face social boycott and discrimination even after her rescue because she was HIV+. However, despite all odds, over the years she along with other survivors able to build a strong community through which they are able to resist injustices and extend solidarity,” the press release reads.
“I am extremely honored to receive this recognition named after Kamla didi, who guided us, staying at the forefront of fight for gender equality,” Natisara Rai said after receiving the award. “While receiving this award, I feel more responsible and, I will stay on my words, setting an example, to carry forward Kamla didi’s vigorous advocacy for human rights.”
Also read: Kamla Bhasin: A Feminist Who Lived By the Slogan ‘Rise, Not Fall, in Love’
Rajput, a transwoman from Chhattisgarh’s Bastar, co-founded an organisation called Mitwa in 2009. Mitwa organises and collectivises transpersons and raises awareness on their rights, including the right to self-identify.
“Vidya’s work with Mitwa is rooted in her own life of struggle, hardship and discrimination. Over the years, through advocacy and training Vidya has been able to bring changes in the lives of people and influence state policy,” the press release states.
“This award is an encouragement; it will give courage not only to me but also to all people like me. That is because until today we (transgender people) only have rejection from our family and society. And getting this honour will give confidence to our community and it will bring a lot of positive changes in future,” Rajput said.
The winners were selected by a five-member jury chaired by Anu Aga. “It has been a privilege to chair the jury for the inaugural Kamla Bhasin Award. The high quality of applications made the task of the jury extremely challenging and I am delighted that we could pick two clear winners whose life and work embody the spirit of what Kamla stood for,” Aga said.
The other jury members were Khushi Kabir (Bangladesh), Binda Pandey (Nepal) Salil Shetty (India) and Namita Bhandare (India).
The award is named after feminist activist, poet and author Kamla Bhasin, who passed away in September 2021. Bhasin was a prominent voice in the women’s movement in India and other South Asian countries.
