BENGALURU: On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Public TV awarded ‘Nari Narayani Public Hero Special Award’ to ten women achievers in different fields.
Public TV Founder-Chairman H R Ranganath and Parishrama NEET Academy Founder and Managing Director Pradeep presented the awards to ten women achievers in different fields.
The ten women achievers who were awarded the Nari Narayani Award’ are as follows:
Nagaveni
Nagaveni, a resident of Kolara K village in Bidar taluk, runs a small restaurant named ‘Ootada Mane’ for a living. She has sponsored poor children for their education as she believes no one should be deprived of education. She has been working on the survival of Kannada schools, and for the past 22 years, she has provided free education to 345 poor students. She has also been funding 18 teachers and staff members of the Vidya Chetana Education Institute, Basava Chetana Senior Primary School and Ghaleppa Kote High School.
Dr Lata Damle
Women are also making outstanding achievements in the field of science and medicine. Dr Latha Damle is also one of them. She is a resident of Kundapur near Udupi and her father was a soldier. She was influenced by music from her childhood. Her father had a dream that his daughter would become an IAS officer, but she entered the medical field and has created a revolution in the field of medicine through Atrimed Biotech.
Lata Damle, who did her MS in Drug Discovery and Development in London, completed her MD in Plant Pharmacology in Bengaluru. She worked for 25 years as the chief physician at Rare Ayurvedic Centre and, in 2016, she set up her own company called Atrimed Biotech. Here, they are doing research on Ayurvedic plants and working to find medicines. She has researched drugs related to inflammation, cancer immunology, wound healing, dermatology and diabetes. Herbal medicines have been developed locally for diseases like psoriasis, asthma, diabetes, allergies, etc.
Vaishali
Vaishali, a young woman from Vaddikere village in Hiriyur taluk of Chitradurga district, is a talented athlete. Vaishali, the last daughter of Guruprakash and Lakshmidevi, grew up in poverty and was drawn towards sports. Recently, she performed well in the National Throwball and Handball Games held in Delhi, and was selected for the International Throwball Competition in Malaysia. Many appeals were made to the district officials and CM Basavaraj Bommai, but to no avail. The villagers collected money and sent her to Malaysia where she won first place in the tournament.
Dr Yamuna BS
Over the past few years, not only in the country, but also abroad, there has been an increasing trend towards the Indian traditional Ayurvedic system of medicine. Dr Yamuna B S started Guduchi, the Ayurvedic Institute, in 2014.
Dr Yamuna B S, who completed her BAMS degree in 2008 from Government Ayurveda Medical College, Bengaluru, worked at Ananya Ayurveda until 2013. Later, she started the Guduchi Ayurveda Clinic and made it a brand within a few years. She has manufactured more than 250 products in the last eight years and has also set up a huge manufacturing plant in Udupi. She has been exporting Ayurvedic extracts to Britain and Middle Eastern countries.
Aiming for a drug-free life, Dr Yamuna treats diseases like infertility, diabetes, PCOS, hypothyroidism and cancer. At present, Guduchi Ayurveda has more than 60 employees.
Sumita Navalagunda
Sumitha Navalagunda, who lost her husband 17 years ago, is a resident of Muruga Math in Dharwad. She initially worked in an NGO to earn a living and fulfill familial responsibilities. She had opened a beauty parlour, but it was still difficult to manage the financial responsibilities.
A few years ago, a marketing company had invited her to make chigali (a popular tangy tamarind treat), and she participated in the workshop and learned the preparation. Initially, Sumitra could only get orders for 1,800 chigalis per week. At present, she prepares 30,000 chigalis per day. The business was started with just Rs 2,000 and she is now earning lakhs of rupees and has more than 60 employees.
Dr Kiran Reddy
Dr Kiran Reddy, who founded the Acharya Institute of Management and Sciences, has acquired immense knowledge and skills in the field of education. She has been working as a member of various state-level educational committees and unions for the past 28 years, guiding post-graduate students and managing institutions. She also worked as the head of the local inquiry committee at Bangalore University.
Jayamma
The year 2023 has been declared by the United Nations as the International Year of Millet. Jaymamma of Doddagubbi village in Rattihalli taluk of Haveri district initially worked as a nurse for four years. She later developed an interest in agriculture and started organic farming.
She grew Navane, pearl millet, and proso millet (Baragu), but there was no benefit. Under the guidance and training of the Sahaja Samridha Institute in Bengaluru, she started preparing self-made products from millets. Since 2009, Jayamma has been growing organic millets, making her own products and trading in the market.
Jayamma has given employment to women through an organisation called Gagan Enterprises and is working to raise awareness about cereals and organic farming among its female members. She has also formed self-reliant groups.
Anjali Ramachandra
Anjali Ramachandran, founder and CEO of Kreatix Media and Mahavatara Media Communication, entered the industry through a media tech startup. Originally an actress, she entered Sandalwood through the movie ‘Manarotha’. She has acted in many movies and did not limit herself to acting.
The media startup provides services including advertising, corporate films, documentaries and brand management. In addition to this, she is also working as an anchor on Kannada entertainment channels. She is also recognised as a dancer and has given many performances.
Anjali has mentored more than 50 students through her organisation, the Anjali School of Dance and Music. She has received many awards, including the Daughter of India, Ramnath Goenka Award, and many more.
Divya Jyoti
Divya Jyothi Gram Panchayat Union of Koppal District has a special place among self-help groups formed for the economic self-sufficiency of women.
This association at Mangaluru village in Kukanur taluk of Koppal district has provided a means to increase the income of thousands of women. The Divya Jyoti Sanjeevini Gram Panchayat Union was started in 2015. This association, which began with a capital of Rs 1 lakh, has grown to have a community capital fund of Rs 1.5 crore.
In Mangaluru village, some people are into agriculture, grow vegetables and sell them, run grocery stores and have a flour mill. Basamma has a turnover of up to Rs 10 lakh at her clothing store. Each household in the entire village has become a member of a self-help group.
Ramya
After graduating from Christ University, Ramya did a short-term course at Harvard University. With a special interest in food, Ramya worked in the hotel industry for eight years. During the lockdown, she started RNR Donne Biryani Hotel with her sister Shweta. The traditional Donne biryani has gained popularity in a short period of time by adding a unique spice and flavour to it. Recently, RNR Donne has earned the title of ‘Best Brand Launch’ of 2020. Through this, Ramya has created her own brand in the food industry.