Actor Raveena Tondon, Activists Felicitated in Mumbai on International Women's Day

On the occasion of International Women's Day, 40 women were felicitated for their outstanding contribution to the society by Young Environmentalists Programme Trust, a Mumbai based NGO today.  

The Trust has been organizing the award function for 15 years now. Actors, activists and artistes were present at the Rados Hotel in Mumbai to celebrate the occasion.

This year, the Trust received close to 300 nominations out of which just 40 were shortlisted by a committee on the basis of their respective contribution to the society and individual stories of sacrifice and courage.

34-year-old Roubel Nagi was one of the awardees. Ms Nagi has been educating slum children through art for the last 6 years.

"I run a foundation called the Roubel Nagi Art Foundation which teaches art to underprivileged children. Once these kids come to a level of education they never want to go back to the slums. Education is the key. I run paathshalas and reach out to kids who don't go to school", said the artist.

Sheetal Kharka, founder of Innocent Heroes also received an award for running an organization that helps underprivileged children build their careers. Innocent Heroes helps such children identify their talent and finds sponsors for their education and training. "I want to learn singing and 'Innocent Heroes' is taking complete responsibility for the training", said 21-year-old Priyanka who lives in a shelter home in the city.

Actress Raveena Tandon who was also present, received an award for her Go-Green cause. "Wildlife and environment are very important to me. I'm a tree hugger. People just mindlessly chop these life giving trees. It is important to teach our children how important our planet is", the actress told NDTV. "I think women must realize their strength and worth, their inner shakti", she added.

"For the last 15 years we've been doing this to get women together, to show the power of women and to share inspirational stories. We can be change-makers in life", said Elsie Gabriel, founder of the Young Environmentalists Programme Trust that organised the event.