The Research Cell of Chevalier T. Thomas Elizabeth College for Women hosted a one-day National Conference titled Women in Leadership: Breaking Barriers and Shaping the Future on 26th August 2025. The conference examined structural inequalities in leadership, economic participation, and policy frameworks, and fostered critical academic discourse that informs advocacy and practice.
The keynote speaker, Ms. Sumita Dutta Shoam, writer, designer, and photographer at Adisakrit Publishing, delivered a compelling address on entrepreneurial self-reliance and economic agency. Drawing from her professional journey, she emphasized self-belief, skill development, empathy, and lifelong learning. Her message encouraged students to become job creators, driving innovation and contributing to community advancement. She highlighted the importance of reading quality literature, cultivating persuasive communication, and remaining vigilant in the face of professional and personal challenges. She stressed the value of family support, ethical grounding, and self-awareness in navigating complex life choices. Her talk served as a roadmap grounded in resilience, values, and strategic thinking.
Dr. Abdul Azeez E.P., Assistant Professor of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work, VIT Vellore, addressed Intersectionality and Women’s Empowerment, demonstrating how overlapping identities—caste, class, gender, and ethnicity—shape experiences of discrimination. He examined gaps in agency within families, the labour market, political participation, and public life. His session drew attention to data on gender-based violence, the unequal burden of domestic work, and systemic exclusion from decision-making. Using Kimberlé Crenshaw’s intersectional framework, he exposed the need for structural interventions grounded in contextual realities.
Ms. Romina Joseph, Location Manager, TMF Bengaluru, led a session titled Leading Herself – Women Disrupting the Norm. Her interactive session reframed leadership as an ethical responsibility anchored in authenticity, empathy, and collaborative action. She urged participants to develop assertiveness, confidence, and consistency in purpose. She stressed that leadership arises through self-definition and guided participants in identifying barriers imposed by education, custom, and systems. Her session recast leadership as purpose-driven and people-centred.
Ms. T. Vanadhi Devi, Partner, Vista Expedition, Director, Tradewell Cargo Pvt. Ltd. Founder President, SIAWED, emphasized challenges in women’s economic participation, including access to capital, training, and leadership roles. She identified education, mentorship, and policy alignment as essential drivers of inclusion and innovation. She provided policy suggestions for advancing female entrepreneurship, highlighting the importance of cross-sectoral partnerships, data-backed advocacy, and inclusive business practices.
Ms. Gladys Hepzibah, Senior Manager – Programs, United Way of Chennai, presented field-based models of women’s empowerment grounded in sustainable development. She detailed initiatives such as banana fibre product manufacturing, financial literacy campaigns, and green entrepreneurship. Her case studies aligned with global SDGs and were based on measurable outcomes. She advocated value chain development, digital inclusion, and ecosystem strengthening to scale impact. Her perspective underscored empowerment as an economic necessity with national consequences.
Ms. Sinnathamby Sooriya Kumary, President, OfERR (Ceylon), Sri Lanka, documented transformative leadership among Sri Lankan refugee women in Tamil Nadu. She shared outcomes from self-help groups, vocational training, and women-led governance committees. These programmes elevated women’s roles in camp administration, education, and enterprise. Her session highlighted the transition of women from invisibility to public agency, anchored in sustained mentoring, institutional engagement, and community trust.
A total of 40 papers were received from scholars and students, of which 31 were presented during the conference, fostering critical dialogue and interdisciplinary exchange. Presenters examined gendered challenges in leadership, marginalisation in digital and civic spaces, and legal as well as pedagogical strategies for transformation. The discussions underscored the scholarly imperative to interrogate systems of exclusion through empirical and interdisciplinary inquiry.
The National Conference demonstrated the Research Cell’s commitment to linking academic thought with social transformation. Through knowledge-sharing, critique, and collective reflection, the conference reaffirmed CTTE College’s institutional vision for inclusive leadership, ethical scholarship, and transformative education.
One-Day International Conference on Global Impact and Acceptance of Nagari Script
The Department of Hindi at Chevalier T. Thomas Elizabeth College for Women (CTTE), Perambur, Chennai, in collaboration with the Nagari Lipi Parishad and the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), organized a One-Day International Conference on 19th August 2025. The event served as a distinguished platform that brought together eminent academicians, cultural historians, literary scholars, and students to reflect on the historical, linguistic, and cultural significance of Hindi and the Devanagari script in a rapidly globalizing world.
The strength of the conference lay in its international reach, with distinguished participation from Australia, Mauritius, and the Netherlands, alongside national representation from Punjab, Gujarat, Delhi, Lucknow, Maharashtra, and Nagaland, as well as state-level contributions from Kerala and Chennai. This diversity of voices reinforced the global relevance of Hindi and its enduring role in shaping intercultural dialogue and national identity.
The inaugural session commenced with an invocation by second-year Hindi students, followed by a formal welcome address delivered by Dr. A. Thasleem Banu, Assistant Professor of Hindi. She emphasized the academic and cultural importance of the conference and introduced the distinguished guests whose erudition enriched the deliberations.
Dr. Rama Takshak, Senior Rachnakar and Adhyaksh of the Saajha Sansaar Foundation, delivered the keynote address on “The History of Hindi in the Netherlands.” He traced the diasporic journey of Hindi through an Italian manuscript (1583–1588) from Cochin that preserved traces of Devanagari, linking the script to early European encounters with India. Highlighting the Bhojpuri-speaking Suri community’s efforts to sustain their linguistic identity, he emphasized the resilience of Hindi abroad. He also reflected on media initiatives such as OHM Hindi Channel and Ujala Radio, which popularized Hindi among wider audiences. Concluding his talk, Dr. Takshak stressed the significance of the earliest Hindi grammar books in the Netherlands as a vital intersection of European scholarship and Indic traditions.
Dr. Hari Singh Pal, General Minister of the Nagari Lipi Parishad, New Delhi, served as the Chief Guest. His scholarly remarks illuminated the deep interconnections between Hindi and Tamil, situating both within the larger civilizational framework of India’s linguistic heritage. He lauded Tamil as one of the world’s most ancient languages while emphasizing the unifying role of Hindi. Drawing upon historical examples, he recalled the establishment of the Dakshin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha under Devdas Gandhi’s stewardship, which cemented Hindi’s pedagogical presence in South India. He further referenced “Pehli Hindi Pustak” authored by Satyadev of Haridwar in 1918, which became a seminal milestone in Hindi grammar. His address highlighted the need for linguistic inclusivity and the preservation of India’s pluralistic identity through both Hindi and Tamil.
Dr. Rajalakshmi Krishnan, In-charge of the Nagari Lipi Parishad, Tamil Nadu Branch, contributed a thought-provoking analysis of the structural and functional dimensions of language. She emphasized that the written form of a language holds an enduring legacy distinct from its spoken form, situating Devanagari as a cornerstone of linguistic continuity. Her assertion that “Without a national language, a nation is like a mute being” underscored the importance of collective linguistic identity for cultural sovereignty.
International speaker Ms. Sunitha Sharma (Australia) enriched the discourse by situating Hindi within the framework of diaspora literature (Pravasi Sahitya). She highlighted Bharat Darshan, the first Hindi magazine launched in New Zealand, as a pioneering diasporic cultural initiative. She further underscored the growing digital footprint of Hindi through global online competitions, virtual conferences, and cultural programming, demonstrating how technology is revitalizing Hindi’s presence across borders. Her address affirmed that Nagari Lipi is a script deeply rooted in India’s cultural ethos.
Dr. Rashmi Choubey (Ghaziabad) advanced the dialogue by stressing the inclusive and pedagogical dimensions of Devanagari. She emphasized its utility in fostering literacy among visually challenged learners and its capacity to promote national integration across India’s diverse linguistic landscape. By positioning Devanagari as both accessible and unifying, she highlighted its dual role in pedagogy and nation-building.
Mr. Ajay Kumar Ojha, Supreme Court lawyer from Delhi, provided a personal yet profound reflection on intergenerational literary heritage. He described his father’s literary contributions in Hindi, spanning poetry and prose, and his own efforts to revive, annotate, and republish them. His testimony underscored the enduring vitality of Hindi literature as both a familial and civilizational legacy.
The academic richness of the conference was further enhanced by research paper presentations from faculty and students. Their work reflected diverse perspectives on Hindi pedagogy, literary criticism, cultural history, and scriptural studies, underscoring the interdisciplinary vibrancy of Hindi scholarship. Among the presenters, Ms. Aarthy, II Year B.Com (A/F) and Secretary of the Hindi Department, contributed a noteworthy paper, representing the active role of students in advancing literary discourse.
The conference emerged as a confluence of scholarship, cultural dialogue, and global exchange. By integrating perspectives from history, linguistics, diaspora literature, and pedagogy, the One-Day International Conference reaffirmed Hindi’s role as a language of communication, a vehicle of cultural identity, a medium of academic inquiry, and a catalyst of national unity.
