Bengaluru: Celebrated author, motivational speaker and one of the 100 most powerful women in the UK according to BBC Radio 4 woman’s hour power list, Miss Pinky Lilani interacted with women entrepreneurs at Phoenix Kessaku in the city on Tuesday.
Ms Leelani, founder and chairperson of the Women of the Future Programme, a platform that aims to empower women through a culture of kindness and collaboration, said that the only way to achieve success is through an attitude of never backing down, especially if you’re a woman. “I truly believe that in order to achieve success, one must never give up on one’s dreams and work hard and collaborate with others to create platforms that empowers women to succeed,” she said.
New adventures and constantly reinventing with time is what keeps her going, she said speaking to Deccan Chronicle. “I think it’s the thirst for doing something new and constantly finding new things to explore is what keeps me inspired. I am constantly learning.”
The most recent adventure has been the social media platform, said the 62 year old. “I tried Twitter recently and it has opened a world of connections for me. I even got quite a bit of followers,” she said with a chuckle.
On what holds women back from succeeding, she said that it is an amalgamation of the patriarchy and the women themselves, if they do not push towards in the right direction. “I think both the factors affect women together, more so their own will to get where they want than the patriarchal society. But one cannot make you feel small without your consent and that is very important for women today to realise if they want to succeed.”
She has great hopes for Bengalurean women entrepreneurs. “The scene is pretty different in every country and not comparing in terms of turnouts, but the entrepreneurs here are very varied in terms of ideas and business concepts. Where it lacks a bit is the financial knowledge, like bank transactions and knowledge of the market,” she said.
Lilani is also the founder and chairperson of the Asian Women of achievement awards and global empowerment award. The portfolio of events and projects support and celebrate the success of women.
