In compliance to the UGC – MHRD’s letter for sensitizing women on Gender Bias and Stereotyping, Gender Equity and Women's Rights in view of ongoing Covid-19 Circumstances, Amity University Madhya Pradesh, Gwalior, organized a Panel Discussion on the topic “Glass Ceiling: How Real?” on Saturday, 05 September 2020.
The Panel Discussion was organized under the aegis of Amity System of Communication Enhancement and Transformation (ASCENT) and Committee against Sexual Harassment (CASH). The panelists of the discussion were Lt. Gen. V.K. Sharma, AVSM (Retd) Honorable Vice Chancellor, Amity University Madhya Pradesh, Wing Commander Jasmine Kaur, a retired Air force officer, Dr. Iti Roychowdhury, Director, Amity System of Communication Enhancement, Amity School of Languages and Amity Institute of Social Sciences and Chairperson Committee Against Sexual Harassment, Mr. Amanpreet Randhawa, Deputy Director HR, AUMP and Urvashi Pandey, student of MA Clinical Psychology. The Discussion was moderated by Dr. Sudha Mishra, Associate Professor, ASCENT.
The discussion began with the opening remarks of Honorable Vice Chancellor, in which he said that glass ceiling - the obstruction or resistance in the professional growth of women is nothing more than a psychological construct in modern era. He said that women have to push their limits and do their mental conditioning in order to break the glass ceiling. They should not accept or expect any concession on account of their femininity to prove themselves worthy.
Subsequently, the moderator, Dr. Sudha Mishra asked Wing Commander Jasmine about her career in the Indian Air Force, to which she shared a brief overview of her experiences.
Then there were inputs, discussion leads and questions from the panel members aimed at understanding various aspects of the guest speaker's life and experience. Mr. Amanpreet Randhawa discussed with her the Human Resource policies for women in the Indian Air Force. Dr. Iti Roychowdhury asks her how she maintained a balance between her work and personal life. Student representative Urvashi Pandey discussed with her about the opportunities available to women in the Indian Air Force. Answering the questions, Wing Commander Jasmine Kaur shared the secrets on how women can reach heights in their careers and how they have to prepare themselves mentally and physically for this. At the end of the discussion, the guest speaker answered the questions asked by the audience. One thing that suffused the entire discussion was that “dreams, coupled with hard work and determination make the perfect recipe for success, be it for a man or a woman.
The occasion was graced by the presence of Hon’ble Pro Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. M. P. Kaushik, Dy Pro Vice Chancellor Dr. Anil Vashisht, Registrar, Mr. Rajesh Jain, Dean Academics, Prof. (Dr.) R. S. Tomar, Dir. Admin. Col. S. K. Sethi, all the HOIs, HODs, members of faculty and students of Amity University Madhya Pradesh.
At the end the discussion was concluded with a vote of thanks proposed by the moderator.