The 12th National Laadli Media and Advertising Awards for Gender Sensitivity 2022 announced 35 Awards in the various fields

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 3 (ANI/SRV): The award ceremony for the national edition of the 12th Laadli Media & Advertising Awards for Gender Sensitivity (NLMAAGS) was held at the prestigious Tata Theatre, NCPA, on Tuesday the 29th of November. Noteworthy work in journalism, advertising, films, television, theatre, and books was felicitated at the function which was returning after a gap of two years as an on-ground event. Arne Jan Flolo, Consul General of Norway in Mumbai and Andrea Wojnar, Country Representative, UNFPA India, were the guests of honour. Noted film personality Nandita Das was the chief guest. It was attended by a glittering ensemble of stellar personalities. The initiative was once again supported by UNFPA and the Norwegian Embassy in India.
"It is twenty years since Population First was established and 15 years since we launched Laadli. There has been a shift in the media, though a small one. We are today acutely aware and are open to speaking about reporting on gender issues and gender equality in media organizations," said Bobby Sista, Founder, and Executive trustee, Population First.

Each year the National Awards recognize pioneering change-makers who through the dint of their persistent work and vision have called out the structures that resist gender equality. This year for the Laadli Of The Century award, we salute a "gentle revolutionary", Ela Ramesh Bhatt who passed away on November 2nd. She is being presented the award posthumously for impacting the lives of thousands of women, for giving us a working model of women's empowerment, and for initiating the women's cooperative movement in India. The Laadli Lifetime Achievement award was presented to Indira Jaising for ardently advocating for social justice and women's rights, while the Laadli Gender Champion Award which was instituted in memory of the triumvirate of the Indian Feminist Movement, Gail Omvedt, Kamla Bhasin, and Sonal Shukla was presented to Advocate Varsha Deshpande, who has been courageously working to save and protect the girl child through judicious implementation of Pre-Conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 2002. Kausar Munir was presented the Laadli Woman Behind the Screen Award for stepping into hitherto a male bastion in the film industry and establishing an undeniable place for herself as a poet, lyricist, and dialogue writer. For her undeniable contribution to the world of theatre, Rohini Hattangadi was presented with the award for Theatre.
Noted film personality Nandita Das who was the Chief Guest shared, "We have made significant progress in gender space, yet we have a long way to go still. I grew up in a family, where I saw my full-time working mother supported by my father in every way. He would cook and tend to other household chores. But, when I look around, there are still families where women bear the brunt of the burden. The work being done by Laadli will go a long way in shifting perceptions".
"Achieving gender balance in media reporting is working towards achieving gender equality in society. The Laadli Media & Advertising Awards for Gender Sensitivity recognizes this need and the work that both female and male journalists contribute to a more gender-equal society," noted the Consul General of Norway, Arne Jan Flolo.
"UNFPA strives to address discriminatory practices that impede gender equality. We understand that women and their issues are not on parity with men in the media or in the newsroom. This encouraged us to support the Laadli campaign, which has over the years, motivated communication professionals to portray men and women/ boys and girls in gender-diverse roles; It has ensured that sufficient space is given for women-centric stories and encouraged communication professionals to analyze every story from a gender lens", noted Andrea Wojnar, Resident Representative - UNFPA India, UNFPA India while commending the work done by Laadli Media Awards and all the winners.
"Media has both reach and influence. It has the power to bring gender equality into political agendas and policies and play the role of a watchdog to ensure that programmes and schemes are implemented with sensitivity. The award winners show what sensitive and committed media is" said Dr A.L. Sharada, Director Population First. Each year a collection is curated from amongst the regional winning entries. The book, 'The Deep Dive: Media Reporting on Gender Issues' which was launched at the event, is culled from amongst the 76 award-winning journalistic entries and offers an insight into various concerns plaguing our society, and some windows of hope.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Gangubai Kathiawadi was felicitated in the theatrical release, Hindi category, while Gargi was recognized as a Regional theatrical release. Sherni directed by Amit Masurkar was awarded in the OTT category. Porgai (Pride): A Film On The Revival Of Lambadi Art was awarded as a documentary. The award for web series was presented to Delhi Crime Season 2 for spotlighting the grit of the two fearless women who stand undeterred in the face of crime, political nexus, and patriarchal systems.
A motley of advertisements was recognized for its gender-sensitive portrayals and these include BBDO INDIA's WHEN WE #SEEEQUAL, WE #SHARETHELOAD for ARIEL, SHREYANSH INNOVATIONS #KanyaMaan for MANYAVAR MOHEY, OGILVY's THE TALE OF 2 LAJJOS for PROJECT NANHI KALI, BBDO INDIA's THE STORY OF SUSHILA for P&G SHIKSHA, COCONUT FILMS' HOME for ROYAL ENFIELD, LOWE LINTAS Delhi's Manjha GOOGLE INDIA, DDB MUDRA's IT'S JUST A PERIOD for STAYFREE, DJANGO DIGITAL's MY STORY. PERIOD for LEMME BE!, and DENTSU WEBCHUTNEY's 'The 'Marriage Conversations' for Tanishq
This year four books were recognized for their gender-nuanced content. SHORMISTHA MUKHERJEE's autobiography CANCER YOU PICKED THE WRONG GIRL, MANJIMA BHATTACHARJYA's NON-FICTION INTIMATE CITY, and JOOPAKA SUBHADRA's fiction translated from Telugu, HOW ARE YOU VEG: DALIT STORIES FROM TELUGU were the winners from English, while, SUMITRA MEHROL's autobiography TUTE PANKHON SE PARWAJ TAK won for Hindi.
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