Shakti Awards in Surrey celebrate 14 women with ‘strength and excellence’
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