Past EventsKolkata

Women's Day is the day to acknowledge the courage of strong powerful women, who being limitless lead the path to follow. LSG gave homage to their guest speaker- celebrated journalist, author and founder of YouTube news channel Mojo, Barkha Dutt, who was in conversation with President LSG, Diya Jaiswal.

Barkha was candid in saying her mother; Prabha Dutt was a trailblazer role model, who was the first female war correspondent. "She was an abiding example in my life. Whatever I have done, my mother has done first and I was brought up with a staple diet of news", said the ace reporter.

Barkha, who has changed the paradigm with her determination, shared chilling stories of her frontline war reporting on the Kargil Conflict between India and Pakistan in 1999, which won her the Padma Shri.

Barkha confessed, 'Kargil a Master class in life' was her most transformative experience. She said, " I believe two things displace the fear- survival and how to tell the story", and "Kargil in 1999 and COVID in 2020 are bookends in my life with exactly the same impulses."

"Migrant story coverage was a test of journalism for me. It was a medical and humanitarian crisis, and the civil society and NGO's really stepped up where there was vacuum", said Barkha. Digital news is the present and the future, voiced the journalist.

Barkha confessed her biggest fear is failure-a benchmark set by her, addiction to murder mysteries, and described herself as obsessive, compulsive and fun! She said she admires Kamala Harris as she wears her power without any apology.

COVID-19 vaccines represent a new hope: the beginning of the end for this pandemic — and the advent of a new era!

Priya Sahgal, a senior Executive Editor at NewsX channel was in conversation with a panel of specialists to give clarity to the crucial subject.

Satish Reddy, Chairman of Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories said India is administering the COVAXIN TM vaccine by Bharat Biotech and the COVISHIED-The Oxford- AstraZeneca vaccine, which are safe and effective in preventing COVID-19. It makes use of a viral vector made using a weakened strain of the common cold virus, which contains genetic material similar to that of SARS-COV-2. Upon administration, the body's defences recognize the spike protein and prepare antibodies to evade out the infection. Reddy said India was lucky to have access to medicines like remdesivir for treatment of Covid-19.

Dr Anandhi Johri, a consultant in oncology drug development in New York said U.S healthcare was administering Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine and The Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19, a messenger RNA vaccine, which does not use the live virus but rather a small portion of the viral sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to instruct the body to produce the spike protein displayed on the surface of the virus. That spike protein then generates an immune response to the virus to potentially prevent infection.

Dr Rupali Basu, Director and CEO, Woodlands Multispeciality Hospital Ltd, Kolkata stated the first group to be administered the vaccine includes healthcare and frontline workers, followed by Government administrative staff and then persons over 50 years of age. Vaccination is recommended for persons with comorbidities, including obesity, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and diabetes. People with a history of severe allergic reaction should not take it. Dr Basu said for vaccination process, the central government has introduced an app named CoWIN, where individuals need to register in order to qualify for the vaccine.

The panelists agreed that the efficacy rate is unknown and it may be that people need annual vaccinations, as happens with the flu jab. To tackle the new strains, booster shots, being developed may be given.

Diya Jaiswal, president LSG concluded saying, ” Vaccines and prevention are our primary weapon to tackle the coronavirus. It is absolutely necessary and is our passport to good health.”

Ever since our lives have been taken over by the ongoing COVID crisis, we have been stuck indoors and most of our time has been taken over by our phones, tablets, laptops and televisions and some form of screen time has been happening almost 24/7. We therefore decided to "unplug" ourselves and head out into the outdoors (following all the currently required health and safety norms). We took our members in three groups on three different dates :35 members at a time, for a one-hour guided walk at the beautiful Tollygunge Club with nature conservationist, Diti Mookherjee. This gave us the opportunity to breathe in fresh air .. be out in this lush green haven ..and to learn fascinating facts on flora and fauna among the sounds of chirping birds and in the company of shy jackals.

Tollygunge Club is a heritage property and is a veritable green oasis in the middle of Kolkata's concrete jungle and is spread over a 100 acres. While our members were completely enchanted by the abundance of nature that we saw, what was particularly noteworthy was the commendable restoration work done by the Club Authorities for the trees and plants post the destruction caused by the Cyclone Amphan.

It is said that in every walk with Nature one can experience a thousand miracles and our walk at the Tollygunge Club is a testament to this.

What is the color of your Sky?

Shonali Bose, internationally acclaimed Indian film director, writer and film producer was in an electric conversation with eloquent LSG President, Diya Jaiswal. Shonali engaged in a chat on her personal journey, politics, death and learning to accept life as it unfolds.

Shonali’s films – ‘Amu’, ‘Margarita with a Straw’ and ‘The Sky is Pink’ showcased that cinema, a powerful medium acts as a crucible where the narrative and cinematic devices interact to tell human stories: stories of our concerns, fears, anxieties, hopes and aspirations. Shonali expressed the trilogy was deeply personal, and a big part of it is the mother-child relationship, death and also sexuality and disability.

Shonali said reminiscing her mother’s death, “When we don’t deal with the pain that we experience, it gets embedded in our body and psyche”, and “When my son Ishaan died, I just decided that I had to do the opposite of resisting, which is accepting.” Director Shonali Bose said that the death of her son and the subsequent disintegration of her marriage drew her to make The Sky is Pink, starring Farhan Akhtar, Priyanka Chopra and Zaira Wasim.

Kalki Koechin, lead actress of ‘Margarita with a Straw’ and Aditi and Niren, parents of Aisha Chaudhary, protagonist of ‘Sky is Pink’ shared the screen to give accolades to the Director, who was overjoyed by the surprise element.

Shonali Bose is truly a shero-courageous, fighting misogyny, being a part of the lgbtq+ community, fighting for women's rights, transcending pain to spirituality and eventually portraying it in the contemporary world cinema, which has emerged as a powerful medium cutting across all sections of society.

Rallying with Ladies Study Group, our very first outdoor thrilling event in almost a year, focused on the pandemic protocols, gave the LSG participants a participative, excitement filled and yet safe morning. Mrs. Preeti Kapur, Governing Body, LSG did the honours to cut the red ribbon.

The event was a form of a car rally with a difference. This rally involved a treasure hunt concept and required the participants to find the clues given in the booklet to reach a destination, where the Marshal standing, stamped their booklet. A total of 10 venues were covered in a span of 2 hours. Once done, they returned their booklets to the organisers stationed at HHI. There were prizes for various categories to encourage some friendly competition in the true spirit of the LSG.

Every car with participants was given a number to be displayed, badges, exclusive individual hampers from ITC, and a flag off from the President LSG, Ms. Diya Jaiswal and her team. The morning was buzzing with excited participant groups and cars dressed in various themes, which was a fascinating visual treat.

Mrs. Sumangla Birla, Chairperson LSG announced the winners over a zoom session, and the organisers explained the clues to the intrigued members. The gifts, magnanimously contributed by the Gallery Store, Kolkata Centre for Creativity was sent to the addresses of the winners.

“Good teamwork means a synergistic way of working with each person committed and working towards a shared goal. Teamwork maximises the individual strengths of team members to bring out their best.”

Dr. Sudha Murty, author, philanthropist, and Chairperson of Infosys Foundation was in conversation with President LSG, Diya Jaiswal in this landmark session, “Leading with Inspiration.”

“Epitome of wonder woman”, a befitting introduction given by Diya Jaiswal, as Dr. Murty is all women in one, who profoundly believes, “Generosity of a few is the hope for millions.”

Dr. Murty, an epitome of simple living and extraordinary values said that the ‘Share and care for others’ ideology was instilled in her in her childhood. Dr. Murty advised to implant in a child the philosophy of giving back to society.

Dr. Murty spoke about highlighting gender discrimination, helping Shri Narayan Murty start Infosys, founding 60,000 libraries across Karnataka, and bringing 3000 Devadasis into the mainstream.

Amongst Dr. Murty's favorite books are ‘Three Thousand Stitches’ and “Magic of the Lost Temple’. She looks forward to releasing a book on Gopi, who is her pet dog and the star of her household. She advised teachers to teach children to be compassionate, study, think, share, and practice physical exercise.

She aced the Rapid fire round, as she revealed that money is only a facilitator to work, fame is people’s concept, happiness is contentment in life, secret of good marriage is giving space to each other, strength is adjustment and humanity is the most important aspect of her life!

The webinar had an overwhelming response, as Dr. Murty’s fans from all over the world and all walks of life tuned in to hear from the living legend. Dr. Murty truly won the hearts of the members, young and adults alike with her inspiring stories and life-lessons.

Coming soon.

'Let food be our medicine, rather than let the medicine become our food', articulated president Diya Jaiswal, dazzling us with her gorgeous smile. She welcomed LSG's guest for the evening; celebrity nutritionist Pooja Makhija , author, entrepreneur and advisor to Bollywood's glitterati.

Makhija's foray into the world of nutrition was driven by a passionate curiosity about food and immense support from both her 'Mums'. While her mother was her mentor , her mother-in-law gave her 'wings to fly' on her degrees! 'Our bodies are calorie consuming machines' that can 'delete effectively' what we 'eat smartly' is Makhija's core philosophy.

Makhija's five fundamentals for fitness are : 'eat well for yourself'; 'eat the right food at the right time to avoid eating wrong food at the wrong time'; 'food is not calories but the foundational fuel for every aspect of our being'; 'clean sleep cycles are crucial' and 'four active hours a week a must'. She emphasized that as Indians we have an advantage of eating fresh food daily and that traditional meals are unsurpassed. A life style approach is needed instead of following harmful trends, she reiterated. To the president's query on immunity building in current times , she asserted that we do need to take quality supplements. Another gem was, 'have everything God made, and everything manmade cautiously! '.From vitamins and minerals in the right proportions making for systemic efficiency and optimal functioning to the sinfulness of sugary treats: her numerous insightful tips were simple and applicable in everyday life.

In a nutshell she professed, 'food, nutrition, sleep and activity' are vital and 'you are what you eat'. This illuminating session by LSG was a treasure-trove indeed.

Mithali Raj, Captain of the Indian Women's cricket ODI team was in conversation with Gautam Bhimani, cricket commentator with ESPN-STAR Sports.

LSG President,Diya Jaiswal introduced the cricket legend as the “Undisputed queen of cricket and our Nation’s pride.”

Gautam in his trademark wit quizzed the captain about her longevity, fitness and hunger for the runs. Mithali said she followed Coach, Late Sampath Kumar’s advice, to get on to the field and score a minimum of fifty runs. “Playing on an international level, you are a hope of millions of people”, and “I always want to be fit and not a liability for my team”, said the Arjuna Awardee.

“When you walked out to the field for the first time in India colours, you walked away with a 100 at Milton Keynes”, said Gautam to the Indian cricket captain. Mithali confessed, that as a16 year old, she was under pressure as Mohammad Azharuddin, who too belonged to Hyderabad had scored 3 digits in his debut match.

“Validation of my father, who chose this profession for me is very important” and “I am grateful that I saw the evolution of women’s cricket, which is no longer male dominated”, said Mithali. She said that women’s cricket team under the umbrella of BCCI, signing contracts, getting access to NCA and facilities has accelerated the growth of the game. The T20 challenge has given opportunity to other Asian countries to be a part of the game. The captain confided that reading books calms her down mentally.

Young cricket players, Puja Rajak from West Bengal and Ayantika Guha from Nagaland were invited by LSG to quiz their dream player, who shared her cricketing tips with them.

“Success to me is not only scoring runs, it is showing emotions, vulnerability, and being compassionate. Success is evolving as human beings”, concluded the Captain of the Indian Women’s cricket team.

Ladies Study Group brought together two very inspiring speakers on the same platform - actor, dancer Amala Akkineni and film producer Elahe: two very contemporary women who have etched their lives out beautifully. Amala, a trained Bharatanatyam dancer from Kalakshetra, got roped into acting and went on to act in 54 films in 5 languages.

Elahe Hiptoola, a qualified lawyer, went on to open a lifestyle store and in the process of constantly reinventing herself ended up in the movie world, beginning as an assistant director and ending up as a highly successful producer.

Amala shared stories about her childhood - about moving cities with parents in the Navy, about her husband, southern heartthrob Nagarjuna; her son Akhil, her pet project Blue Cross Animal Shelter, Hyderabad, and of course about acting - especially about her film Pushpak with actor Kamal Haasan.

Elahe’s life probably changed dramatically after film director Nagesh Kukunoor offered her a role of assistant director. She felt she has found her true calling and continues to thrive under all the pressure and demands of her role as a producer today. Movies like Dor and Iqbal remain very close to her heart.

Both also spoke about failure and Amala said it was the best teacher that taught her not to get into a negative zone and instead to move on, while Elahe’s mantra was that if you don’t recognize failure, then there is no failure.

This truly was an amazing session with two highly accomplished women who kept the virtual audience totally engaged with such valuable life lessons for each of the audience to take back !!!

Shubho Bijoya! Durga Puja celebration with LSG Plus Happiness Forum was an interactive, festive celebration of happiness, joy and merriment. Rituparna Sengupta, Indian actress and producer was in conversation with Smita Roy Chowdhury, Editor, t2, The Telegraph.

Rituparna said, “I miss the pandal hopping and the hustle bustle of the city during this festive time, as I am in Singapore. I am happy to hear that people maintained social distancing and did virtual Anjali.”

The veteran actress recalled Puja festivities in her growing years, all dressed up, visiting pandals like ‘Mohammad Ali Park’, Ballygunge culture’, ‘Ekdalia’. She enjoyed celebrating with her friends, relatives, and those memories are embedded deep, responsible for shaping ‘chumki’ to Rituparna of today.

The gastronome beamed reminiscing Ilish Maach, khichri, labra tarkari, aloo dum, rasmalai, peethe, payesh and other Bengali delicacies. Rituparna confessed dressing up traditional during the Pujas rather than being experimental.

“I am a strong believer in maintaining my Bengali culture and have inculcated strong values in my children through cultural exposure, discussions and keeping close ties with extended family”, said the true Bengali.

Rituparna said her film ‘Utsav’, directed by Rituparno Ghosh, showing small nuances of life, was probably the best Durga Puja release. She spoke about her films, ‘Bela Seshe’ and ‘Debipaksha’, which depicted the Puja festival in all its grandeur.

“I worship my work, which has given me everything”, said Rituparna. In spite of the pandemic, she has worked in dance dramas, campaigns, and a short film for the migrant workers in Singapore.

Rituparna said she derives inspiration from positive women, and fondly mentioned her progressive grandmother, as one of the strong influencers in her life.

Tollywood’s numero actress concluded, “We need a positive spirit to uplift our morals. Maa Durga is all about strength and power. We need to celebrate womanhood and empower women.”