Bank of Baroda, one of India’s leading public sector banks, today announced the winners of the 2nd Edition of the#SaluteHerShakticontest. The contest, which was launched on International Women’s Day in March, seeks to recognise and celebrate the inspiring women amongst us. From the number of remarkable entries received, Ms Neelam Rani who hails from Patiala and Ms Kiran Devi Bothra from Delhi were adjudged the winners for the courage shown under adversity and for displaying a heart-warming commitment to helping those in need.
The two winners got a chance to interact with Bank of Baroda’s brand ambassadors PV Sindhu and Shafali Verma virtually. The winner of the Nari Shakti Puraskar for promoting Indian folk music on a global scale, Ms Batool Begum was also present at the event. And the host for the day was Rannvijay Singha, the well-known Indian actor, television personality and VJ.
The story of Ms Neelam Rani is that of a wife, mother and a woman who displayed immense determination and grit when adversity struck her family. When her husband’s business faced a financial crisis, Neelam took it upon herself to start a small cosmetics shop to support her family. After facing challenges early on with no customers, she persevered and her shop is now running successfully and is well-known in Patiala.
The second winning story is that of Ms Kiran Devi Bothra. Not only has Kiran single-handedly raised her daughter after the untimely death of her husband, but during the pandemic, Kiran served the homeless and hungry people in her community with free homemade food.
Shri Vikramaditya Singh Khichi, Executive Director, Bank of Baroda said, “We are overwhelmed with the response received for Bank of Baroda’s #SaluteHerShakti campaign. It was inspiring to hear the extraordinary stories of seemingly ordinary women and they deserve recognition for the strength they have displayed and their determination to make a difference. For Bank of Baroda, it was also exciting for us to host Ms Rani, Ms Bothra and Ms Begum on the same platform as our brand endorsers, PV Sindhu and Shafali Verma and listening to the interaction between these women was truly rewarding.
We hope to take many such initiatives in the future to recognise and encourage women from all walks of life.”
During the interaction, PV Sindhu highlighted the challenges she faced during her younger days and the importance of the role that parents can play in ensuring that girls can achieve their dreams, be it in sports or in any other field. Shafali Verma also added to this and highlighted the support she had from her family that gave her the platform to succeed.
