Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
BARTLETT, Ill.
More than 450 women participated in the eighth annual International Women’s Day hosted here by BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir March 14.
Jesha Thakker, radiation therapist from Michigan, examined the importance of compassion, why its practice helps us look towards the future. “Many of us think that compassion drains us, but I promise you it is something that truly enlivens us…seek to find ways that you are similar and you will automatically feel a bond with another person,” she told the audience.
Speaking of perseverance, single mother Sneha Dixit, founder of VA Cosmetics and a master makeup artist, shared personal memories and circumstances that changed her life and how she persevered to become a successful entrepreneur. “Painful memories can be carried and kept to build upon new peaceful beginnings,” she explained using research on the “growth mindset” as an antidote to defeatism and depression: one chooses to “solve the problem in front of you and not all the problems that surround you.”
Vina Patel (PhD in Chemistry) said forgiveness does not simply mean to forgive and forget, but also to wish well for others. Often grudges and personal ego deflect us from forgiving others, but we “have to see forgiveness as a gift to ourselves and not to someone else. The truth is that until we let go of an unpleasant situation with the other person and realize that it is over, we cannot move forward in our lives.”
Ami Gandhi, Executive Director of Chicago’s South Asian American Research and Policy Institute and an attorney passionately advocating for minority and immigrant communities, said moving forward as individuals also impacted our progress in our community. She discussed awareness and education outreach on issues such as immigration reform and gender gap in Desi communities throughout the Midwest. “This conference is an inspirational example of how communities can make a big impact by having a safe space to talk about difficult issues, bring up these conversations with our family and friends, and find specific ways to change our lives. It helps our society when women are empowered through various organizations, we benefit socially, economically, and politically when we get involved.”
“In an often male-dominated society, it is nice to have women come together to share their similar stories and circumstances. It promotes everyone to achieve their goals, no matter where life takes them,” said master of ceremonies Dhara Thakkar.
The annual conference is inspired by His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the fifth spiritual successor of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, in an effort to empower women to move forward in their lives and to ensure their spiritual growth as they overcome life’s challenges.
