Women’s rights movements have rapidly been growing in the West, but is still lacking in many parts of the World. Hindu women comprise of approximately half of the global Hindu population of One-Billion and are among the World’s top political leaders and CEOs. However, there is still a lot of work to be done for Hindu women to at par as men in public and private industries. This is where an organisation by the name of World Hindu Congress (WHC) is trying to make an impact. The WHC has been running regional Hindu Women Forums across the World, but is pulling all the bells and whistles for their annual 2014 Hindu Women’s Conference and WHC in Delhi, India on November 21-23, 2014.
Some of the biggest and most powerful Hindu Women personalities will be speaking at this years Hindu Women’s Conference and World Hindu Congress, including Smriti Irani, Kiran Bedi, Dr. Vandana Shiva, Dr. Vijaylakshmi Balekundri and Nirmala Sitharaman. Smriti Irani carries the prestigious and very important role – Minister of Human Resource Development in the National Government of India and was previously one of India’s most popular Soap Opera stars. Nirmala Sitharaman carries the role of Minister of State for Ministry of Commerce & Industry in a traditionally mostly-men cabinet. Kiran Bedi is an Indian social activist and a retired Indian Police Service officer who joined the police service in 1972 and became the first woman officer in the IPS. Dr. Vijaylakshmi Balekundri is a renowned Cardiologist, while Dr. Vandana Shiva is an Indian environmental activist, award-winning author and did a Canada-based PhD with a thesis on quantum theory.
Although Hindu women are beginning to play a bigger and more visible role around the globe in many important fields ranging from business and science to politics and culture, they are not proportionately mentioned in history textbooks or the popular discourse, of which Hindu women have played a pivotal role in sustaining as well as protecting Bharat’s (India’s) culture and history. Examples of great Hindu women in history range from great sovereigns, teachers and warriors like Rani Durgawati, Rani Ahilyabai Holkar, Rani Chinamma, Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi, Rani Avantibai, Madalsa,Mata Jijabai, to great activists and revolutionaries like Sister Nivedita, Durga Bhabhi, Preetilata etc.
The core aim of the Hindu Women Forum is to provide encouragement, support, confidence and assistance in development of leadership qualities among Hindu women. The Hindu Women Forum strongly believes in the power and potential of Hindu women and therefore seeks to bring Hindu women from diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and professions that can support each other in all aspects of human endeavor as well as advocating the Hindu perspective from neighborhoods to college campuses to the wider society. More information on the Hindu Women Forum can be found here.