Speaker: Aindrila Das, CS Undergrad Student (3rd Year), Google Cloud Champion Innovator
Why is International Women’s Day important to you? How are you celebrating?
Aindrila Das: Hello. My name is Aindrila Das and I'm a Google Cloud Champion Innovator from India and today is International Women's Day. A day when we talk about women and their rights. But for me it's just an ordinary day because I don't believe in the idea in praising womanhood in one single day of the year. Being the only child of my parents, I have always been given all the privileges one could ever have. When I was a kid, it was both my mother and my father who always supported my passions and high ambitions. I never felt any way lesser than the opposite gender. My father alongside my mother has always motivated me to achieve my goals in life. He told me that I can achieve anything in life as long as I have confidence and faith in what I'm doing. I was always his number one as he was mine. Even though I lost him a few months back, the lessons which he has taught me and the love which we have for one another is always going to be there alive. I am celebrating this Women's Day with my mother by visiting the Kolkata International Book Fair and buying a handful number of books.
2022's International Women's Day theme is #BreakTheBias. Can you speak to biases we can work to break in our communities and/or workplaces?
Aindrila Das: These days, we often talk about feminism. Some people misinterpret this word as anti-men, but that's not what the word really means. Feminism is accepting the fact that women and men should have equal rights and opportunities, such as equal pay for equal work, indiscrimination against women, giving them the opportunity of getting education. There are 129 million girls in the world who are out of school. Because education is a basic human right, providing education to girls is the most important step in fighting against gender inequality. Investing in girls education transforms communities, countries and the entire world. Gender equality is also giving rights to men for being vulnerable and express their feelings and emotions. Let them realize that crying doesn't make them less of a man. To break the stereotype that women are the ones most capable of taking care of the household and earning and feeding the family is a man's responsibility. Women and men can share the work together. I believe, as long as we accept these and acquire these ideas, we can celebrate Women's Day every day, not just a single day of the year.
What advice would you give to the next generation of women as they begin their careers?
Aindrila Das: The only advice which I would like to give to the next generation of women who are early in their career is to believe in yourself. Despite of all the odds, if you believe in yourself and keep working towards achieving your goals, that will be the most valuable thing you will be doing for your future self. The only thing to keep in mind is to never lose hope. And of course, you got this.
