Ritu Jha-
More than 300 people stood to give a standing ovation when the award was posthumously presented to Geetha Ramakrishnan, former president of the San Francisco chapter of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). She died on May 10, 2022.
Ramakrishnan and 36 other women were honored at NAARI's annual Celebration of Women, an event organized by the Association of Indian Americans and the Indian Consulate of San Francisco on March 15 in Sunnyvale, California.
AIA is a non-profit organization that works to promote creative freedom for all communities who identify with India and the Indian diaspora. It represents 48 community organizations in Northern California.
Ramakrishnan's cousin, Subhadra Nachiyar, received the honor on behalf of the former ICAI SF president.
Speaking about the award at the event, Nachiyar said Indica“It has provided an opportunity for our family to reflect on Geetha’s lasting influence, her dedication to mentoring others, and her ability to dream big and rally others to realize that vision. Thank you for the opportunity to celebrate her life with a renewed sense of joy.”
said Vijaya Asuri, chief host of the NAARI event representing AIA Indica The team decided to present awards this year.
“The good part is that we didn’t decide the winners,” she said. “AIA is a group of 48 organizations working together. They each nominate achievers from their communities. One person cannot decide all those whose achievements deserve recognition. Because each person's reach is mostly limited to their communities. If they are from your community, you know who He was the one who made a difference, and that's what made it such a classy and authentic event.
She said that as women hold things together, whether in family or community, especially in the Bay Area, they are wearing more hats, including those of housewives and entrepreneurs.
“In any event or function, it is always the woman’s motivation that brings the family and community together,” she said. “That is why we thought it was appropriate to pay tribute to women and their achievements on behalf of the entire community.”
Asuri praised Purnima Reddy, the wife of the Consul General, and her candid responses to questions, explaining that she “shared her experiences and taught us all from the heart.” AIA collaborated with the Consulate General of India for the first time this year.
The event was also attended by speakers Krithika Bhatt, CIO, Pure Storage; Assemblymember Jill Pellerin, Representative for California's 28th Assembly District; Susan Ellenberg, Chair of the Santa Clara County School Board; Dr. Anjali Gulati, cardiologist and president of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin; Prathima Reddy, wife of the Indian Consul General in San Francisco, shared their experience as an accomplished woman and shared their wisdom.
Bhatt said that during her years of moving to multiple countries, she learned the power of communication, despite her lack of social media tools available today. She said that in the past four years alone, she has joined at least three women's organizations. She said it's not just about getting support, it's about giving it.
Besides the professional aspect, there were strong personal networks as well, she said.
“My husband, Girish, is my biggest fan, and we were a tag team. We have been married for 33 years, and I couldn’t have done this without his support.
Dr. Gulati also spoke about personal networking, saying: “Whatever I do today in my life, in my career, I owe it to my parents, brother and sister to encourage me every step of the way. And then I met my husband Anil, who supported me all the way through my night calls, day calls and medical emergencies.
But she stressed the role played by women in particular.
“If you think about it, there are men and women in your life who made you move forward, but it was the women who really helped you move forward in life,” she said. “It's sisterhood. Make sure you have a fraternity, a sorority, because they will stand by your side through everything. You have to be very strong, and have a support system, because on your own, how hard can you fight? We have to do a balancing act. Men and women “They have their challenges in this world. We can't keep playing the women's card. We have to find what we love to do and do it well. Your work will get noticed.”
NAARI Award Winner, Entrepreneur, Curator, Speaker and Founder and CEO of INK said, Indica“The award is just as important as the community we bring with us. Awards are great, but I love seeing other women and getting to know a lot of women in a lot of fields, and what they do. We're all in our own little bubble most of the time. A lot has changed over the course of 20 to 30.” There is a lot of diversity in fields like politics, art, history, language. There are many more things than just technology and medicine, there are a lot of people working in humanitarian work and political fields, which is great to see.
Another award-winner, Vasudha Patel, who runs a preschool program and is vice president of the Bay Area Gujarati Cultural Association, said: Indica. “Receiving this award is very encouraging and it is also very motivating to see so many women in different fields achieving different goals, thriving, and also doing their fair share in the community. I feel an extra responsibility towards the community. It is very important to make sure we keep the community thriving By making sure that both girls and boys get the right education.It's not just our girls, we also have to empower boys to do everything girls can do.
Priya Poonapalli, senior director of engineering at Google, who attended the event, feels there are a lot of opportunities for women in technology to receive NAARI awards.
I told Indica“Technology is one of those industries that affects us all. You want technology to work for everyone, so you want very diverse viewpoints to be represented. I strongly encourage women and people from all walks of life to attend and participate in it.
According to Latha Koneru, former program manager at Google and founder of Uravacharu & Uravachru Tiffins, who came to support her friend, “Events like NAARI are very encouraging. It's good to provide a platform to honor and acknowledge the work that has been done.”
