When Shrijana Singh Yonjan started Celebrating Womanhood Navadevi Awards in 2002, it was more a fashion program where the who’s who of Kathmandu Valley gathered for a night of entertainment.
Twelve years later, it is one of the most awaited award ceremonies which recognises the extraordinary achievements of ordinary Nepali women from Surkhet to Solukhumbu. From literary geniuses to athletes with disabilities, more than 100 women have been rewarded in the past decade. The award recipients have not only fought gender stereotypes, but earned the respect of local communities through their dogged determination and altruism. The women also get the opportunity to build networks with fellow awardees and potential investors.
Among this year’s rewardees were Parbati Dagora, a former Kamaiya turned activist, and Meena Kharel who established Women Development Centre in Chitwan. A special ‘citation’ was presented to a 13-year-old rape victim, who despite objections from her family and neighbours, fought for justice and successfully put her perpetrator behind bar.
Ritu Gyamdan
Out of more than a thousand rafting guides in Nepal, only five are women. Twenty-four-year-old Ritu Gyamdan is one of them. After completing high school, Gyamdan took part in a training program for female river guides at the behest of her cousin. “I couldn’t even lift a kayak back then and spent the first few days doubting if I could ever make a living out of this profession,” says the native of Rasuwa. But by the end of the two-week course, she had confidence in her abilities. After four years of working as a professional river guide, in 2013 Gyamdan and three friends started their own rafting company called Himalayan Adventure Girls. Besides organising tours, Himalayan Adventure Girls provides river guide training to women for free.
Nanda Devi Kunwar
Nanda Devi Kunwar is the chairperson of Madhumalati Nanda Community Forest Group in Kailali. In April 2012, she was attacked by encroachers while putting up barbed wire fences around the forest boundary. The assault left her right hand badly injured, but did little to dampen her spirits. “I am not going to give up this fight. All we have left is 17.5 hectares of forest and I’ll not let crooks take that away too,” says the 42-year-old mother of four. Unfortunately, other members of the group don’t have the same level of determination and courage as Nanda Devi. They don't even visit the forest anymore. “It makes me angry that my attackers continue to walk free. It’s injustices like these which discourages people from taking up social work,” she adds.
Keshari Thapa
Daughter of a British Gurkha soldier, Keshari Thapa was born in Malaysia and spent her youth in Hong Kong. When she was asked by a relative to look after Gyan Chakchu School, a special school for the visually-impaired in Dharan, she couldn’t refuse the offer and returned home. For the past 21 years, Thapa has been the principal at Gyan Chakchu which currently has 100 students from 23 districts. Her former students now hold influential posts both in the government and private sector. “The school is my family now and I live for the children,” she says. Her own family lives in Kathmandu.
Laxmi Bhushal
Laxmi Bhushal from Kathmandu had always wanted to act, so despite fierce disapproval from her family, she joined Radio Nepal in 1966 as a voice artist for a children’s program. “Back then, a lot of people spoke ill of me just because they didn’t like a woman working in radio,” recalls Bhushal, who was disowned by her family. Today, the 64-year-old hosts agricultural programs on radio and has also appeared in popular Nepali series Hijo Aaja Ka Kura and Meri Basai. Says Bhushal: “My shows are my life-long friends. I’ll continue doing them for as long as I am healthy.”
And the winners are …
Meena Kharel, Women’s rights advocate, Chitwan
Nanda Devi Kunwar, Chairperson of Madhumalati Community Forest Group, Kailali
Kalpana Karki, Secretary of Mahila Sirjansheel Parivar, Sindhupalchok
Parbati Dagora, Chairperson of Aama Samuha, Kanchanpur
Ritu Gyamdan, River guide, Rasuwa
Keshari Thapa, Educator, Dharan
Laxmi Bhushal, Radio presenter and actress, Kathmandu
Radio Udayapur, A radio station run by women under 30, Udayapur
Makwanpur Mahila Samuha, A women’s group fighting against discrimination towards HIV patients, Makwanpur
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