Women Mentors Forum & Public Affairs Section of the USEmbassy hosteda Roundtable on “The Portrayal of Womenand Girls in Media in India and Around the Globe,” on 4th August 2018 at ARCH. 60women from different walks of life participated in the same.
The session was takenby Ms. Cristal Williams Chancellor,Director of Communications for the Women’s Media Center, Washington, D.C. Sheis an award-winning journalist who has spent bulk of her career in newsroom andproject management. She has been a reporter, editor, trainer and recruiterspecializing in education and courts. She was a part of the team at the AkronBeacon Journal that won the1994 Pulitzer Prize Gold Medal for MeritoriousPublic Service for a yearlong series focusing on race relations in Akron,Ohio(USA).
Women Mentors Forum (WMF) is a network of Women Entrepreneurs andProfessionals who have gotten together to ‘Pay it Forward’. 600 professionalWomen of Jaipur are engaged in its activities, which, in 2018, has extended toUdaipur. Twenty-five active Women leaders among them are involved in initiatingthe objectives of the forum, which, essentially address mentoring relationshipsthat develop and advance the potential to learn, unlearn and relearn newskills, and take up challenges on the professional and personal front.
This event waswell-attended with women leaders sharing their notions and views regarding whatthey feel are the roles women play in the society and how media make themappear before the audience.
Rajasthan Patrika Group’sDeepti Kothari, IRS Officer Roli Agrawal, CA Nivedita Sarda, Dr. AnitaBhandari, former Chairperson of FICCI-FLO Jaipur chapter Apra Kuchchal and ChairpersonNitasha Chordia were the women leaders who were a part of this program.
According to Cristal,“we believe women should be defined all of who we are, not just our bodies orbeauty. We have plenty of things to provide to society and there should be anequal society for all.”
In the discussion, itwas felt that media plays an important role in defining lives of women. Inmedia, women are either projected in stereotypical, domineering and negativeroles. Then, where is the real woman? Even in entertainment industry, womencannot take the liberty of being projected in a way that it charges sensitivityor has a positive impact on women’s personality. Though the entire picture isnot dismal, there are powerful stories of women like Malala which are shown bymedia, more such stories need to shape the lives of women.
Archana Surana, Founder and Director of ARCH College of Design & Business, has been re-elected as Board Member of the Cumulus Association Executive Board for the 2025–2028 term. She previously served as the Vice President from 2022 to 2025.
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