Fourteen women were given Shakti Awards during a gala dinner event at Surrey’s Bollywood Banquet Hall on Saturday evening (March 7).
The 20th annual event, timed with International Women’s Day, aims to honour women “who have displayed strength and excellence” in several categories, including academic, artistic, entrepreneurial, sports, public service and more.
The awards are hosted by Surrey-based Shakti Society, a non-profit organization “dedicated to empowering individuals, families and communities,” according to a post at shaktisociety.com.
“Every year, we receive nominations of outstanding women who are working hard to make a better society for all of us,” event planners say. “This year we had an extraordinary array of women who were nominated in many of our categories.”
The awards event serves as a fundraiser for Shakti Society, which gives scholarships to young women, hosts empowerment events and offers resources and referrals to women, particularly South Asian women.
The 2020 Shakti Award recipients are posted below.
Resilience and Leadership: Barinder Rasode
Artistic Achievement: Kirti Arneja
Artistic Excellence: Anju Bedi
Academic Excellence: Jennifer Marchbank
Academic Achievement: Shanee Prasad
Business Excellence: Rita Chohan
Community Service: Dr. Suseela Reddy
Excellence in Community Service: Kamilla Singh
Community Service (Group): Women Helping Women
Leadership Excellence: Neelam Sahota
Professional Excellence: Kasari Govender
Excellence for Resilience: Shahnaz Rahman
Resilience: Wasan Abdulrazzaq
Volunteering: Shabnam Khan
Volunteering (Youth): Shannon Permal
Bios for award winners are posted to Shakti Society’s Facebook page and also twitter.com/ShaktiSociety.
It gives us great pleasure in introducing to you our Shakti Award recipient for Community Service: Dr. Suseela Reddy. At 80 years old, she has the energy and passion that rivals that of a teenager. pic.twitter.com/hBGmvmWcC8
— ShaktiSoc (@ShaktiSociety) March 7, 2020
We have an impressive list of Shakti Award recipients this year. They are artists, influencers, change makers and inspiring women.
— ShaktiSoc (@ShaktiSociety) March 7, 2020
The recipient of this year's Shakti Award of Artistic Excellence is Anju Bedi. pic.twitter.com/0b54bljE14
Every year, we have an awesome showcase of talented South Asian women who add music and magic to the evening.
— ShaktiSoc (@ShaktiSociety) March 7, 2020
We are honoured to have Seemi Ghazi sing the Canadian National Anthem in English and Arabic at the Shakti Awards Gala. We hope you will join us on March 7th. pic.twitter.com/QcpdM2e9E6
Shakti Awards are an evening dedicated to the power of women, their creativity, their talent and their contribution to society.
— ShaktiSoc (@ShaktiSociety) March 6, 2020
We are very excited to have Pratyakasha (Pushpa Mishra) performing a prayer dance to invoke the blessings of Lord Ganesh. pic.twitter.com/CAsxaeDaAn
The recipient for this year's Shakti Award of Academic Excellence is Jen Marchbank.
— ShaktiSoc (@ShaktiSociety) March 6, 2020
Jen Marchbank is a Professor of Gender, Sexuality & Women's Studies at Simon Fraser University. Jen teaches courses from first year to graduate students. pic.twitter.com/TCFwwOCPkN
Like every year, this year's Shakti Award recipients are women of substance, talent and resilience. We have been following Kirti Arneja's journey as she has worked hard to make a name for herself in the music industry. she is this year's recipient of the of Artistic Achievement. pic.twitter.com/ia0CjlMWW1
— ShaktiSoc (@ShaktiSociety) March 5, 2020
This year we are pleased to announce that our keynote speaker will be Barinder Rasode, a woman who has made a name for herself in various levels of government, non-profits and the health sector. She is the first South Asian woman to be elected as a city councillor in Canada. pic.twitter.com/TFvSKJ1LX7
— ShaktiSoc (@ShaktiSociety) March 4, 2020
Shakti Speaks Initiative!
— ShaktiSoc (@ShaktiSociety) January 20, 2020
We all have that fire simmering in us somewhere deep inside, the source of shakti in us women that makes us unbreakable even after being smashed into countless pieces, either by circumstances, situations or relationships. Let’s talk about that source. pic.twitter.com/UKxUrQYl8V