“Menstruation at Workplace: An Overlooked Issue – The Male’s Eye”
On 29th October 2022, Inner Wheel Club of Chennai Coral SACAS in association with Association of Accounting & Financial Professionals and SACASians Fin.Tech Club organised an event, “Menstruation at Workplace: An Overlooked Issue – The Male’s Eye”. The event was facilitated by the Chief Guest, Dr. Srinivasan, MD General Medicine, Murugan Hospitals with 100 tertiary-level male students as his audience.
He thrashed out the fact on how the natural process of ‘Menstruation’ has been politicised and used as a tool to suppress women, in order to establish a male dominant society. Dr. Srinivasan reminded the audience of the certitude of our country’s belief and customs in idolizing women and their menstruation, with reference to the temple of Kamakhya Devi, the Goddess of Menstruation in Assam. Subsequently, he explained the stages briefly i.e. the first five days of the menstrual cycle comprises, the bleeding phase where the layer of endometrium sheds and bleeds. Following that next 5 days, the layer of endometrium starts to grow afresh.
The phase between 11 to 16 days is when fertilization occurs. In addition, Dr. Srinivasan expounded on the PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome) which gives an indication to women that they are going to menstruate soon. The symptoms of PMS include: bloating, pain in abdomen, and frequent mood swings. He also emphasized that men should acknowledge, understand, and support women in all aspects during their periods by lending their ears and listening to their needs, not by judging them for the least.
Furthermore, he underscored the fact that sex before 18 is literally a rape, and made all the male students to pledge that they would not touch or event attempt to speak with a woman without her consent. Dr. Srinivasan concluded the groundbreaking session with the famous Tamil tag, “Ennam pol valkai”
SACAS HOMEPRENEURS MEET 2022
The Homepreneurs Meet organized jointly by the Rotaract Club of SACAS, IWC Chennai Coral and the Institution Innovation Cell of SACAS on October 14, 2022 was a confluence of sharing experiences and the spark of entrepreneurship with the students. To ensure that the students get an idea on the different genres of entrepreneurship, the invitees included Mrs. Aadhieswari, Co-Founder of Millet Magic Meal & an IWC member herself; Mrs. Thara Umesh, a Casting Director; Mrs. Monica Arogiamary, Founder, Theo Foundation and Mrs. Nidhi Sharma, an Integrated Health Coach. The jewel on the crown was the Guest of Honour, CA Nalini Padmanabhan, Director, Canara Bank.
Mrs. Aadhieswari encouraged not only the young minds, but also the faculty who were in the audience to explore opportunities and go to the path that the mind dictates. The fact that the age is a mere number, her transition from a lay person to an entrepreneur even at the age of 48 was a point to reckon with. According to her, the scent of success revolves around basic qualities – honesty, hard work, discipline, and customer satisfaction through quality food.
Mrs. Thara Umesh, a Casting Director by profession was a surprise element for the audience. We had a glimpse of metamorphosis from a demure village damsel to a tigress in a male-dominated scenario. Behind her strong character, she has hidden deep scars of pain, anguish, and a pressing need to keep herself ahead & be refreshingly different. Her thrust was on spiritualism, straightforwardness and maintaining her dignity and decorum at work.
Ms. Monica Arogiamary dons a dual role of both a social entrepreneur and a homepreneur. Being the founder of Theo Foundation has helped her to connect with the special needs of the mentally challenged children supported by Mithra Foundation. Her Wabi-Sabi cafeteria has instilled both confidence and opportunities for these children to become financially independent. Selling tea and coffee to inmates, making yummy sandwiches and baking cakes and cookies at a nominal cost by these children have made her plate full of joy. Ensuring as a homepreneur was a chance factor, thanks to the oodles of idle time available due to the lockdown and backed by specific skin requirements. She made the students to be grateful for their small mercies and kindled with them the joy of giving and sharing.
In the era of mounting stress, maintaining emotional, mental, and physical wellbeing is the need of the hour. Ms. Nidhi Sharma, an Integrated Health Coach, traced her journey from a typical entrepreneur to a homepreneur. Her re-location to Chennai without an inkling of the vernacular language or networking made her think differently. Her penchant for yoga and deep understanding from her gurus made her pursue her profession as a wellness coach. She made the students realize that there is a hidden opportunity in every challenge that crops up. “Realizing the hidden potential and strength of oneself is the actual challenge” was the learning for our students.
Our guest of honour was CA Nalini Padmanabhan, the Director of Canara Bank. She shared the times when she succeeded in hammering the glass ceiling by topping the charts as the 1st rank holder in the professional exam. Hailing from a conservative family, the amazing support from her father and husband has made not only her family but also womanhood proud by holding distinguished positions as the Independent Director, member of Posh etc. Her advice to the student community was directed at perseverance, prospective thoughts and a positive attitude.
AWARNESS SESSION ON TNPSC EXAM
The Rotaract club of SACAS and Inner Wheel Club of Chennai coral jointly organized an awareness session on TNPSC Exams, conducted in association with V Achievers IAS Academy. Authority invited for this program Mr. Gandhi Kanagaraj, Founder of Good India Movement Trust, Mr. Sheriff the excellence academy founder and Motivational speaker gave awareness speech on 10.09.2022. The session started at 11 a.m. with the participation of the all III rd year student and faculty members.
Mr. Gandhi Kanagaraj, Founder of Good India Movement Trust gave speech about the current behavior of students in society and how they have to change themselves and improve the standard of our nation worldwide. He said about how courageously the youngsters should be and advised at any cost suicides should not be committed, he welcomed all our student to meet him at his office to speak with him generally to gain general knowledge and asked students to consider him as their grandfather.
Mr. Sheriff the excellence academy founder and Motivational speaker gave speech about the attitude of students and how the attire of students should be. He shared his college days and work experience which was so impressive and motivational. He gave information’s about the exams conducted by TNPSC and how many vacancy is available for this year.
A PROGRAM FOR GIRL STUDENTS ABOUT WOMEN, FAMILY AND PROPERTY RIGHTS
As part of this program for women - Our Family and Property Rights, the Inner Wheel Club of Chennai Coral Invited Ms.Arasi ponmozhi, Chairman, District-323, Ms.Nallini Olivannan, Ms.Jothilakshmi, gave an awareness speech on 09.09.2022. The session started at 11 a.m. with the participation of the IInd year girl’s student and faculty members. Firstly, the guest speaker Ms.Arasi ponmozhi addressed the gathering by giving few general tips to satisfy our lives which were; provide shelter to homeless people, donate food to poor ones who can’t afford for. Further, she advised to give motivational speeches to become successful in life. She ended her speech requesting the audience to share among themselves the skill development strategies that they know. She also explained about the functioning of the Inner Wheel Club and how to enroll in it to do the social activities.
Ms.Nallini Olivannan, started her speech by talking about the importance of Indian history and what we owe the people who gave us this peaceful and independent present. She further stated that “Ambedkar is opposed to the prevailing Hindu Law because it denies women the right to property; it denies women the right of divorce while granting to men the right to several marriages and that he condemns these laws as patriarchal and seeks to amend this through the Hindu Code Bill” and also about the Hindu succession Act that says “Any property possessed by a female Hindu, whether acquired before or after the commencement of this Act, shall be held by her as full owner thereof and not as a limited owner”. At the end of her speech she mentioned not to compare yourself with others because you might have not undergone the same they did.
Ms.Jothilakshmi, started by stating that 13% of land in India is owned and operated by women, and talked about the importance of women land right’s. She also recommended us to go through the ‘CONSTITUION OF INDIA’. She explained the significance of equality among male and female. She ended her speech by saying that “You should speak for yourself because no one will do it for you”. Some students shared their experience about the women who are all having properties on their name are more dominant in the family as well as the family members are respected them much than that of other.
LIC DAY
The program was about the “Latest Schemes & Employability Opportunities in LIC” on 01-09-2022. Guest of the LIC Day is Dr.Shilpa mam. Shilpa mam was a positive person and broken many myth of society which was against women, also a sports person. She was college topper and got placed in Infosys. Through the competitive exam entered LIC.
She gave information regarding the origination of Life Insurance and the various schemes prevailing at present which is very beneficiary to all age group of people. How to choose the correct scheme and how much it is beneficiary all this information given by her is very informative to the students. She has ended the session with an advice that “Everybody should fix their own goal and should work for that and they should take their own decision and should not be influenced by others”.
A PROGRAM FOR GIRLS STUDENT ABOUT LEGAL AWARNESS
As part of this program for Girl students about the legal awareness cum literacy, the Inner Wheel Club of Chennai Coral in association with District Legal Services Authority Invited Tr. P. Sandilyan ML, Secretary/Senior Civil Judge, District Legal Services Authority, Tr. Sai Ganesh, Sub Inspector, Cyber Crime, Avadi and Tmt. S. Priya, Juvenile Justice Board, Panel Lawyer Thiruvallur, gave a awareness speech on 29.08.2022. The session started at 11 a.m. with the participation of the IInd year girl’s student and faculty members. Firstly, the guest speaker Tr. Sai Ganesh, Sub Inspector, Cyber Crime, Avadi addressed the gathering on what is cybercrime and what are the cases filed under the cybercrime and how to file the case. He discussed various cybercrime cases faced by general public and explained how we can avoid ourselves from such fraudulent hacks. For finance oriented crimes we can report to the cybercrime portal in number 1930 through NCRP.
Tmt. S. Priya, Juvenile Justice Board, Panel Lawyer Thiruvallur, explained about various juvenile cases, its background and impact and proceeding of the case. The age category belongs to juvenile is below 18 years. It depends upon the case the punishment and rehabilitation imposed by the act. She explained about Posco Act 2012 and how legislation protecting children from all types of sexual abuse, recent amendments and its implications. She explained about how the investigation is carried out and how they record it. She given the information about child helpline number: 1098.
Tr. P. Sandilyan ML, Secretary/Senior Civil Judge, District Legal Services Authority, gave speech about overall legal assistance given by the district forum without any cost. He explained about how to avail free legal services and spoken about child Nirbaya case and what are the steps taken by government to overcome it.
“BREASTFEEDING AWARENESS SESSION” ON ACCOUNT OF WORLD BREASTFEEDING WEEK (WAW)
The Inner Wheel Club Chennai Coral and Rotaract Club of SACAS jointly organized the “Breastfeeding Awareness Session” on account of World Breastfeeding Week (WAW) on 2nd August 2022. All the final year girls participated in the session which happened between 10.00 to 11.00 a.m. at SACAS theatre. Dr. V. Lakshmi, Consultant and Head of the department of Neonatology, Dr. Mehtas Multi Specialty Hospital, Chennai, was the guest speaker of the session.
The facilitator started the session with basic questions on motherhood and the importance of breast-feeding. She then elaborated on the inevitable role that mothers have to play before and after delivering the baby. With simplified definitions and explanations on the nutrients found in breast-milk, she made the students understand the need for breast-feeding. She also presented some statistical data on the increase and decrease of breast-feeding in different countries of the world and explained the increase of diseases in newly born, specifically in their neonatal stage, due to the decrease of breast-feeding.
POSHAW-A-PEAK
IWC Chennai Coral conducts plenty of programs to the students for their personal development. In this context, POSHAW-A-PEAK was conducted, on 25.07.2022, at SACAS theatre, to create awareness on female sexual harassment. The program was attended by participants including faculty members and female students. The Session was handled by Dr.Malathi Selvakkumar, Principal of SACAS and President of IWC Chennai Coral. Madam started the session explaining what Personal Hygiene is and how it should be followed by females. Madam gave a lot of advice and awareness to the female students on female sexual harassment. Madam shared some stories about the people, she came across in life. One of her old students was the daughter of a general manager who fell in love with an auto driver and eloped with him. But that guy spoiled her life. She lost everything even her degree. Similar to this, madam shared many experiences. Madam warned students not to respond to unknown calls and unknown whatsapp messages from strangers. Madam further explained how a person called Kasi, son of a butcher, at Nagercoil spoiled many girls’ lives. At last, madam ended her speech with the advice, “Don't get diverted by this type of unwanted things” & “Study Well for your bright future.”
CELEBRATION OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY: “SHRISTI” 2022
The Inner Wheel Club of Chennai Coral celebrated International Women’s Day on 11.03.2022 with their maiden event called “Shrishti” 2022- The power to create, nurture and transform. In recognition of women’s selfless contribution to society, ten dynamic women from various fields were honoured, during the event.
The awardees were chosen meticulously based on their distinct and exceptional achievements. The Lifetime Achiever Award was given to Dr. V. K. Shantha- a renowned Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Former HOD from Sundaram Medical Foundation for affirming that need service is not measured with money but with sincerity & integrity, The Fiery Knight award to Dr. Meenakshi VijayaKumar- Director, Tamilnadu Fire & Rescue Services for choosing the untrodden path for others to follow, The Humanitarian Award to Ms.Mohini Sriram- Treasurer of Bala Vihar for proving that service to humanity is superior to religion, The Vision Builder award to Dr. Srimathy Kesan- Founder & CEO, Space Kidz India for casting her creative spell in young minds with her magic wand, The Difference Maker award to Ms. Meena Sathyamoorthy- Social Activist, CEO, Dhayaas Outlet for redefining the impossible, The Versatile Woman award to Ms.Lisha Chinnu- Founder and CEO of Cirkle PR for embracing who she is and daring to show it to the world, Ms.Sneha Mohandoss- Founder of Food Bank India For showing that the best way to find oneself is to lose oneself in the service of others, The Trailblazer award to Dr.Arathi Arun- Commonwealth Powerlifting Champion, Dental Surgeon, Director of Smile Centre for breaking the social barriers, The Catalyst of Change award to Dr Madhu Saran Vel- Director- STC Skills Pvt Ltd, Founder- River NGO for proving that change is by choice & not with time and The Champion Crew award to Emergency Medical Technicians-108 Ambulance- GVK EMRI, Govt. of Tamilnadu for demonstrating that the strength of each member is the team.
The awardees, after getting the awards, addressed the students and shared a few instances from their lives. They also spoke about the challenges they faced in their path of achievements which motivated and inspired the students. Each awardee planted a sapling inside the college campus. The event was a grand success and received wide appreciation from all the guests and the general public.
CELEBRATION OF NATIONAL GIRL CHILD DAY
As part of Celebrating National Girl Child Day, the Inner Wheel Club of Chennai Coral in association with IWC Chennai Thiruvanmiyur invited Ms. Gajalakshmi, Inspector of Police, Crime Against Women and Children Wing, Chennai for a speech, on 24.01.2022. The virtual session started at 11.30 a.m. with the participation of the club members, faculty members and students. The guest speaker addressed the virtual gathering on various issues faced by girl children and explained how they can protect themselves. She zeroed in on the role of parents and elders in teaching the children good touch and bad touch. She emphasized on the rights and protection laws of children and the need for educating people on them. She also addressed the psychological and physical issues and problems faced by adolescent girls. She then elaborated on POCSO (The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act). Under the act, the offences include, Penetrative Sexual Assault: Insertion of penis/object/another body part in child's vagina/urethra/anus/mouth, or asking the child to do so with them or some other person, Sexual Assault: When a person touches the child, or makes the child touch them or someone else, Sexual Harassment: passing sexually coloured remark, sexual gesture/noise, repeatedly following, flashing, etc. Child Pornography and Aggravated Penetrative Sexual Assault/ Aggravated Sexual Assault. She further explained the Juvenile Justice Act (JJA) which pertains to provisions for children found in conflict with the law in India and for children who are in need of care and protection, Dowry Prohibition Act, Women Harassment Act at Workplace, The Protection of Women from domestic violence, etc. Followed by a Q & A session, she winded up the presentation sharing some helpline numbers for women. Participants thanked Ms. Gajalakshmi and shared that the session was wholly information and eye-opening.
