By IANS,
Kolkata : Rallies, awards, contests and book-reading sessions were held in the West Bengal capital to mark International’s Women’s Day Friday.
Over 1,000 working women from the unorganised sector marched from Sealdah Railway Station to Dharmatala demanding rights for themselves.
Organised by Durbaar Mahila Samanwaya Committee, a sex workers’ and unorganised sector workers’ collective, the rally saw women shouting slogans such as “We want equal wages and rights” and “Accept sex work as work” while displaying colourful placards that read: ‘Women should have right to work’ and ‘Silence stops getting rights’.
The day also saw six women being felicitated by the state government and State Commission for Women for showing courage and bravery in trying circumstances.
The awardees are Panchami Burman, Sharmila Murmu, Baishakhi Roy, Chandra Rajbhor, Shabana and Krishna Ray.
“Women have made a mark both at home and outside. There is no area where women have not made an impact,” said a commission official.
The awardees were given Rs.5,000 by the government and Rs.15,000 by the commission.
Celebrating women’s empowerment, Maruti Suzuki also rolled out a ‘Queen of the Road’ contest and gave discounts to women enrolling into their driving school.
A reading session was also held at Oxford Bookstore on health issues affecting women.