Kathmandu:

They nurture and nourish; they encourage and inspire; they challenge and they conquer. They are known for their vitality, strength, compassion and integrity. They are mothers, sisters, wives or daughters — they are the women in our lives.

To recognise what women have done for her family, her society, her nation and the mankind, Creative Statements for the last six years has been organising the Celebrating Womanhood Navadevi Awards to celebrate womanhood and felicitate women from various fields who have brought remarkable changes with their passion and dedication. The awards are named after nine Hindu goddesses, each symbolising a particular area, which represent their attributes.

The seventh annual Navadevi Awards took place at the Regal Hall of Yak and Yeti Hotel on October 20. This year, in addition to the national achievers, the organisers also honoured work done by women of the South Asian region.

Guests of honour of the evening were Minister of Women, Children and Social Welfare, Pumpha Bhusal, Danish Ambassador Finn Thilsted, Pakistani Ambassador Syed Abrar Hussain and Bangladeshi Ambassador Imtiaz Ahmed, who gave way the awards to the winners.

The evening also saw a poem by Viplob Pratik enacted by Mithila Sharma, and a ballet based on

Danphe Chari which was written, composed and directed by Gopal Yonjan in 1973 and now directed and conceptualised by Srijana Singh Yonjan.

A short documentary on Chepang community of Chitwan was also screened. The Chepang community has been contributing towards women empowerment for ages through small gestures like planting a butternut (chiuri) tree at the birth of their daughters. The give the tree away as the daughter’s wedding gift to make her financially independent. Fruits from the butternut tree is used in various ways and also sold in the market by the Chepangs to earn a livelihood.

The Celebrating Womanhood Navadevi Awards was presented by Creative Statements in association with South Asia Partnership International, Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare and with support from Embassy of Denmark.

Women of the year are —

•Annapurna: Sushila Hamal Singh

•Bhagawati: Toya Gurung

•Durga: Bom Kumari Budamagar

•Karuna: Dr Hira Mana Pradhan

•Bhawani: All Women Group of Everest Summiteers who successfully scaled Mount Everest on May 24.

•Laxmi: Ujwalata Subba

•Mahamaya: Mithila Sharma

•Saraswati: Binda Thapa

•Shakti: Rama Neupane

South Asian Region achievers

•Nahid Barhardost for her contribution to culture in Afghanistan

•Sayed Rizwana Hasan for her contribution to environment in Bangladesh

•Chimi Wangmo for her contribution to economic empowerment in Bhutan

•Dr Meenakshi Gopinath for her contribution to social harmony in India

•Dr Meena Singh Khadka for her contribution to education in Nepal

•Nafisa Shah for her contribution to exemplary governance in Pakistan

•Pearl Stephen for her contribution to peace in Sri Lanka