Towards an inclusive and empowered society

On one hand, there have been leaps and bounds made in the area of women empowerment and inclusion of women in decision-making and society at large. On the other hand, cases of sexism, discrimination, etc. are still prevalent. The call to "invest in women: accelerate progress" and to "inspire inclusion" – themes of this year's International Women's Day – should echo loudly and clearly, as it would mean a world that is more just, a society much better than the present one.

In this context, today we present to you a special supplement on the occasion of International Women's Day 2024, where we put forward various facets and dimensions of celebrating womanhood and addressing some of the challenges. 

We draw inspiration from success stories that will help us move forward and shatter barriers even further. From the insights of an enterprising businesswoman to the story of a woman who is leading a university, we hope that people can become inspired by them.

Women have indeed come a long way, and to celebrate this progress, we have also embarked on a journey of three generations, where we feature the unique challenges faced and how the mindset and society at large have changed over time.

Regardless of your gender, it is everyone's job to ensure an inclusive society, where women's voices are not silenced and where women are given equal opportunity. The world is in peril with myriad problems, and we cannot think of solving them when all genders are not getting the opportunity to contribute to the economy, family, and overall society.

It is great that the scenario is slowly changing, but is it good enough? If we look around us, we still do not see the equality and inclusiveness that should be the norm. Be it at home, in the streets, at the workplace or anywhere else, a positive change is what we would like to see!

And change, as they say, starts with you -- no matter how small or large that change may be. As long as it is a step towards the right direction, we count it in!  

With that hope of positive change, we bring you this supplement. Regardless of gender, we invite all of you to flip through the pages and enjoy and be inspired by the stories!