Singing Praises: A Celebration of Women Defenders of Human Rights

“This will be our reply to violence: To make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.”  - Leonard Bernstein 

Today, on Day 5 of the campaign, on what happens to be Women Defenders of Human Rights Day, we were treated to a wonderful musical celebration by the Sargam Children's Choir as well as groups from the Chennai Schools in Mylapore and Nungambakkam, led by Dr.Sudha Raja.  

The evening began with a presentation by Dr.Swarna Rajagopalan on women defenders and looked at notable personalities across generations such as Tarabai Shinde, Dr.Muthulakshmi Reddy, Kamla Bhasin, Ruth Manorama, Mary Roy and Dayamani Birla. Equally, the presentation also payed homage to the countless nameless, faceless women who fight for justice and freedom everyday with little or no recognition but enormous impact. 

The children from the Sargam Choir and the Chennai Schools sang a wide variety of songs to celebrate the courage and fortitude of all these women and the many more yet to come. From Paarukulle Nalla Naadu to Ekla Chalo to Odi Vilayadu Paapa, it was truly a spirited performance.