Former Minister Dr Leeladevi Prasad presented the prestigious Matoshree Godutai Avvaji Award
KALABURAGI; Chairperson of the Sharanabasaveshwar Vidya Vardak Sangha Dr Dakshayini Avvaji conferred the prestigious Matoshree Godutai Avvaji Award, instituted by the Sharanabasaveshwar Samasthan, on Former Minister and Vice President of the Basava Samiti Dr Leeladevi Prasad recognizing her life time achievement in empowering the women and providing livelihood to thousands of women in her ancillary units in Bengaluru and other places.
The award instituted in the name of Matoshree Godutai Avvaji, who was the wife of 7th Mahadasoha Peetathipathi of the Sharnabasaveshwar Samasthan Poojya Doddappa Appaji was a pious known for her initiation to start the Mahadevi Girls Primary School, the first exclusive girls school in Kalaburagi way back in 1934, which paved way for all the educational activities of the Samasthan in the Kalyana Karnataka region. The award is presented on the occasion of the Punya Thithi of the Avvaji.
Speaking after accepting theaward, Dr Leeladevi Prasad recalled her visit to the Sharanabasaveshwar Samasthan more than five decades back seeking the blessings of Poojya Doddappa Appaji and meeting Poojya Godutai Avvaji in the Dasoha Mahamane and said that Poojya Doddappa Appaji and 8th Mahadasoha Peetadipathi of the Samasthan Poojya Dr Sharnabasawappa Appaji have done yeoman service for educationally empowering the people of Kalyana Karnataka region by starting chain of educational institutions and establishing a Sharnbasva University, first private university in the entire region.
Referring to the inauguration of the week long International Women’s Day celebrations in the University, Ms Prasad said that the true empowerment of the women can be achieved only if the women became economically empowered and self sufficient. Without the economic empowerment, the total or true empowerment of the women would be a mirage. Along with the economic empowerment of the women, they should also empowered with the political power by providing their share in the corridors of power in Legislative Assembly and Parliament.
Dr Prasad who had actively taken part in the movement for the reservation for women in the elected bodies, said that after the Independence the representation of the women in the elected bodies particularly the state assemblies and the parliament had come down drastically and the issues faced by the women went unheard and unresolved. However, she said that finally after a long struggle, the 33 per cent reservation for the women in the elected bodies, particularly in the legislative assemblies and parliament has become a reality with the passing of the women reservation bill in both the houses of the parliament.
Ms Neelima Mishra, Padma Shri awardee and winner of the Ramon Magsaysay emerging leader who is also the Maharashtra based Bhagini Nivedita Grameen Vigyan Niketan, which has opened windows of opportunities for the women artisans to market their products not only in India but also throughout the world and achieve economic independence, inaugurated the week long International Women’s Day celebrations organized in the University. In her brief address she said that the women need to cooperative among themselves with the motto of “helping themselves and helping others” to achieve self reliance and stand on their own legs.
Recognising the immense contribution in the field of Education and Social Service, the Karnataka State Akkamahadevi Women’s University, Vijayapura has yesterday conferred with honorary doctorate to the Chairperson of the Sharanabasaveshwar Vidya Vardak Sangha Matoshree Dr Dakshayini Avvaji were felicitated on this occasion.
Matoshree Dr Dakshayini Avvaji said that Sharnbasva University and the Vidya Vardak Sangha were standing examples of providing perfect platform for the women empowerment and practicing women empowerment in the recruitment of the faculty members and admitting students. She said Sharnbasva University was a women centric university with more than 60 per cent of the were women and even among the students women outnumbered their men folk with more than 60 per cent of admissions in all the departments. Secretary of the Sangha Mr Basavaraj Deshmukh welcomed.
Prominent among others who were present included Pro Vice Chancellor Dr V D Mytri, Registrar Dr Anilkumar Bidave, Registrar Evaluation Dr S H Honnalli, Dean Dr Lakshmi Patil Maka, Finance Officer Prof Kiran Maka, Governing Council member of the IETE, New Delhi Dr D C Shugbhangi and others.