Meera Khanna brings daring women into light
India International Centre hosted an event for book rendition of 'Breaking Paths: Stories of Women Who Dared' by Meera Khanna published by Niyogi Books. The session, held on September 10, was graced by the presence of N N Vohra, President IIC.
The session started with the unveiling of the book cover by N N Vohra aligned to a very intrinsic discussion on the book by Renuka Narayanan, journalist, writer and diplomat, and author Meera Khanna. The session was moderated by Malashri Lal, writer and academician, where they discussed about the real life stories of women mentioned in the book and more on social dilemma and perspective of the women empowerment.
The highlight of the session was a thematic dance presentation Swashakt, which is a unique attempt to combine the vibrancy of Bharatnatyam with the poignancy of contemporary concern on gender rights by an acclaimed Bharatnatyam dancer and choreographer Rama Vaidyanathan. He combined English Blank verse written and presented by Meera Khanna with the traditional art form.
These are stories of eighteen strong women who daily resist the suffocation of conformity. They are fighters of their circumstances, and brave and determined in their refusal to accept conventional limitations and courageous in their acceptance of the consequences. For them every day is a challenge; for their relationships and social expectations conspire to encroach upon their private spaces, erode their dignity and identity. Yet rooted in their cultural milieu, they make their choices, fight for it and succeed.
Much of author Meera Khanna's voluntary work is in the field of gender rights, which has perhaps honed her skill to spot the unique story of an empowered woman. Many of these stories are inspired by real life incidents and some by newspaper reports.
Covering a wide social spectrum, some of these women break a stereotype with a drastic action. And there are some who without rippling the waters ostensibly carve a space for themselves. Presented in lucid language, with their own twists and turns, the stories meander along unbeaten tracks, striking hard at the reader's soul.
