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Woman’s Era ● September (Second) 2014 55
“Donʼt limit yourself. Many people
limit themselves to what they think
they can do. You can go as far as
your mind lets you. What you believe,
remember, you can achieve.”
– Mary Kay Ash
E
mpowering women is the
most talked and discussed
topic and to tackle the issue
of women empowerment in
India CII commissioned a
study for understanding the
level of empowerment at the
workplace and has conduc-
ted interactive workshops to
sensitise workforce on
gender equality. The powerful woman
of CII shared with WE her stories and
ideas for empowering women.
Manpreet Brar Wallia was
crowned Miss India – 1995, and also
won Miss Universe First Runner- Up
crown in 1995 in Namibia. After
winning the crown she chose a
career in television and fashion.
She has hosted and anchored
numerous popular TV shows. She
won the Mahila Shiromani Award for
Excellence in oneʼs chosen field in
1996 and was also given the National
Unity Award of the Council of
Economic Development in 1995. As a
vice-chairwoman of Indian Women
Network and director of the Walsons
Group, Wallia is actively involved in
all strategic decisions on financial,
real estate and legal matters.
Excerpts
After becoming Miss Universe
in 1995 how did you avoid the
temptation to do films?
I never believed in doing things
just for doing. Thatʼs how it should
be. I believe in doing things that I like.
I always enjoyed the medium of
television.
How did you get involved with
Indian Women Network?
I was part of CII. I was also a part
of young ladies organisation for
4 years and I feel privileged to be a
part of this organisation. There are
people whom the young generation
needs to see, who have made it from
nothing. The stories of such people
inspire others.The women who
inspire me are women who in spite
of all odds managed to follow their
dreams.
Who is the most influential
person in your life?
There are different women that I
admire for different reasons. I feel
fortunate to be brought up in a family
where there was no gender bias. I
give credit to my parents to expect
nothing less from me. I always make
sure that there is complete gender
equality between my kids because I
donʼt want my daughter to grow up
with a feeling that there are things
that she cannot do that a boy can do,
and to my boy my message is always
to treat women with respect and they
can do anything that you can do.
You have been married for so
many years. How do you maintain
balance between your personal
and professional life?
There has been time when I chose
to do more work. When my first baby
was born I took leave for three
months and resumed work later. I had
flexible work schedule according to
my comfort zone. After my second
baby was born I decided to spend
more time with my kids and took
break for two-three years and I
enjoyed the time and after that I
decided to get back to work.
What is Indian Women
Networkʼs next three-year plan
under your guidance?
There are so many different
aspects and the main idea of IWN is
to enable women in all fields and
achieve their potential. There are few
essentials to do. I feel there is need
to change the mindset, ensure safety
and security of women, gender
equality, equal opportunities, policy
change and training of women.
These are long-term objectives which
I would like to focus on.
What message would you like
to give to the young women
aspirants who want to become like
you?
First of all, it is important to follow
your passion and dream. If you want
to succeed in any sphere you got to
have that attitude of achieving. You
may fail but at least give a try. When I
went for audition for the first time, I
got rejected but I had a belief that I
can do it. So, the path opened up.
The way to empower women.
By Megha Jetley
SURMOUNTING
THE SNAG
Manpreet Brar Walia, Vice-Chairwoman,
IWN and Director, the Walsons Group.
We

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Surmounting

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