Bengaluru: A day for women to hold a mirror to their problems

Bengaluru: True to its spirit, the International Women’s Day was celebrated in the city with a sense of pride on Wednesday. With a special focus on women’s health and safety, Aster CMI Hospital, in collaboration with the Bengaluru traffic police, organised a series of programmes, including talks on the importance of health check-ups, breast cancer awareness and others health issues concerning the wellbeing of women.

DCP Traffic Renuka Sukumar said, “Women should excel in their chosen field and not bother about comparisons being made as each woman is unique in her own way.”

She shared that in the initial days of her career, she was asked why she decided to step into a male-dominated field. She felt that now, her experiences and success have provided the answer.

Govt’s push for start-ups
The state government, in association with the Confederation of Women Entrepreneurs, highlighted the need for more women entrepreneurs in the state. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Infrastructure Development Minister R.V. Deshpande and IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge were present.

Mr Kharge said, “We are getting more women entrepreneurs on board through a 360-degree ecosystem for business. As not every entrepreneur needs money, we are also helping them with mentorship in various niche segments. The 360-degree approach towards start-ups includes mentorship, legal help and networking, with definite assistance from the government.”

British Council to celebrate women  
The British Council is celebrating the women’s week from Wednesday. The council will display books written by women authors at its office. Quiz competitions, Woman’s Day Open Quiz put together by the Quiz Foundation of India, will be held during the week.

Restaurants offered special discounts and offers on food and beverages for women. Smoke House Deli in Koramangala offered a glass of complimentary sangria, JW Mariott offered free lunch at, while 100 Ft Boutique Bar offered 10 percent discount for all tables which had women diners with a complimentary glass of beverage of choice.

Many clothing brands in various malls like Orion and Orion East offered special discounts only for Wednesday. Embassy Office Parks hosted its 8th edition of Contours Women’s Day Run at Embassy Manyata Business Park.

This year’s theme was raising awareness and empowering children in need. They raised funds for children at Shristi Special Academy to help get them to school. Over 3,000 women and men participated in the run.

BoB fetes women staff  
Bank of Baroda, Bengaluru Zone celebrated International Women’s Day on Wednesday. Women employees of all the branches were honoured and a cultural event was organised by school children.