HT Health Shots She Slays Awards honours Women who Break The Bias

The HT Health Shots She Slays Awards recognized path-breaking contributions of over 20 women at a gala evening in New Delhi on April 23, 2023. The event was graced by noted names from Delhi’s political, social and cultural society as well as a host of women changemakers - as young as 17 and as old as 75.

The celebratory affair, centered on the theme ‘Break The Bias’, acknowledged and encouraged the spirit of women who influence, impact and inspire others to shatter the stereotypes.

Honourable Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Anupriya Patel, in her keynote speech at the event, stressed on the importance of women-led development for India’s transition from a developing to a developed nation.

"It cannot happen without the contribution of women who are half our population. Women are an important human resource, which is why we believe that it is our responsibility to create an enabling environment where women's potential can be realized and where women can bloom and flourish," Anupriya Patel said.

Priya Agarwal Hebbar, chairperson - Hindustan Zinc, says, “Few occasions leave one both inspired and humbled. The HT Health Shots She Slays Awards was one such event. It felt wonderful to be surrounded by so many brilliant women who have broken barriers and biases. It was an honour to give the opening remarks and to pledge to work for an equitable world!”

The mood for the event, presented by Ambience and powered by Vedanta, was set from the word go with a soothing musical performance by Grammy nominated singer Sanjeeta Bhattacharya. The audience was kept in splits through the show, with hosts - standup comedian Papa CJ and RJ Supriya Kapoor - adding dollops of humour with their punchlines.

One of the biggest highlights of the evening was veteran multilingual singer Usha Uthup, who was felicitated as the She Slays Legend. The presence of the 75-year-old, known for her distinctive baritone, brought audience members to their feet - first for a standing ovation, followed by a dancing dose on her foot-tapping number Darling. Another She Slays Legend honour went to classical dancer and Padma Vibhushan recipient Dr Sonal Mansingh.

The She Slays Champion Awards went to actor Aditi Rao Hydari, IPS officer Anita Roy, entrepreneur Chandni Nath Israni and Anuradha Pal, who is the world's first female professional tabla player. A posthumous Champion Award was given to Syed Rafath Parveen, who died an untimely death at the age of 40 but lives on through the lives she saved as an organ donor.

Ankush Kaul, chief business officer - Ambience Group, says, "It gives us immense pride to be associated with the HT Health Shots She Slays Awards. As we collectively move towards the empowerment of women, an award like this will only drive more people to make their own choices, which is a fundamental human right.”

Actor Aditi Rao Hydari wins the HT Health Shots She Slays Champion Award. She was presented the honour by Praveen Someshwar, Managing Director and CEO - HT Media Ltd, and Ankush Kaul, Chief Business Officer - Ambience Group.

Over a dozen more awards were given out to women who are influencing and impacting lives with their work and journey.

The winners include: Pankti Pandey (Sustainability), Payal Dhare (Gaming), Sahar Mansoor (Entrepreneur), Dr Rashi Agarwal (Mental Health), Tanya Appachu (Social Media Star), Dr Surbhi Singh (Healthcare), Aashna Bhagwani (Body Positivity Icon), Neha Ranglani (Wellness Coach - Nutrition), Leeza Mangaldas (Sexual Health Educator), Aanya Wig (Social Welfare), Manu Bhaker (Sports), Zoe Modgill (Wellness - Fitness Coach) and Usha Rengaraju (Technology).

Three Jury Awards were given out to Krutika Ojha in Gaming, yoga coach, body positivity and mental health influencer Natasha Noel and Young Achiever in Social Welfare Siya Tayal

Puneet Jain, chief executive officer - HT Digital News, says, “We are extremely proud of the efforts and achievements of each of our She Slays Awards nominees and winners. We look forward to sharing many more inspiring stories through our platform Health Shots and make this event bigger year after year.”

Shipra Yadav, business head, Health Shots, says, “After the first virtual edition of She Slays Awards became a success, we knew we wanted to take the event on-ground. It took patience, perseverance and hard work, but it has been truly worth it. The more we talk about women who aspire and achieve, the more women we will inspire along the way.”

The winners were chosen based on online voting and review by a jury that included Sonal Kalra, Chief Managing Editor, Lifestyle and Entertainment, Hindustan Times, Live Hindustan Executive Editor Jayanti Ranganathan, veteran beauty expert Dr Blossom Kochchar, Arjuna Award-winning rifle shooter Anjali Bhagwat, Cosmos Maya CEO Megha Tata, Suchitra Rajendra, CEO and Founder QEDHR and environmentalist-activist Ripudaman Bevli.

She Slays is a special initiative by Health Shots, a digital health and wellness platform by HT Media for Indian millennial women.It aims to inspire and empower women.

(We got this information in a press release).