Fmr DG prisons IPS Vimla Mehra and biker Priti felicitated amongst 30 outstanding women at IIC New Delhi

Hundreds of award functions are held all over the country and there have been controversies with several of them as even the non deserving get the pivotal awards sometimes putting the actual and true achievers at bay or behind the scene.

But an award function organised by ICMEI yesterday at India International centre was unique and outstanding in the sense that about more than thirty women of outstanding calibre and feats were felicitated with 11th excellence honours in various fields for their exceptional contribution to the society inspiring the new generation, especially the budding sportswomen, journalists, police officers, advocates, theatre and social activists, women with guts and gumption, small and medium entrepreneurs, women in Army n Air force, doctors, engineers and even housewives doing extraordinary work.

Appreciating and lauding women for their untiring and exceptional contributions to the society is indeed something credible which all would appreciate as despite their making greater strides in all fields of life they are still considered to be a vulnerable lot in a male dominated society.

While congratulating each one of them I’d figured out two exceptional woman amongst the entire lot of awardees to describe their outstanding contribution to the society in their own way as the organisers could not provide me the requisite information about rest of them.

Vimla Mehra, the first woman IPS to be the Delhi Police’s special Commissioner and DG Prisons to whom goes the credit for introducing revolutionery reforms in Tihar Jail of Delhi was felicitated with the Life Time achievement Award while Priti Saraswat, a mother but a woman biker of guts, gumption, determination, courage and intelligence having travelled singularly more than one lakh kilometres on bike to the most distant n highly challenging hilly terrains , destinations and complicated remotest routes of the country during the minus degree temperature conditions was felicitated with the NAV SHAKTI award for her unique and outstanding achivement as a biker with immense dexterity n confidence likely to cover thousands of kilometres ahead on Bike to Thailand in the near future as well.

While highly determined and committed for bringing reforms in the high security Tihar Prisons in her capacity as the DG Prisons Vimla Mehra introduced good number of reform programmes in Tihar Jail by giving training to the jail inmates in job oriented skills. She also introduced foreign language courses for the literate undertrials both women and men in the high security prison bringing a new trend of educating and training inmates in order to make them socio economically self reliant after they come out of the prison to lead their futire lives.

She promoted Yoga, physical education and enforced descipline and decorum amongst the undertrials and contributed immensely in making them better citizens of the country.

Having travelled more than 1 lakh kilometres singularly as an adventurous biker facing all odds in minus degree as well as under scorching sun temperature in various challenging destinations of the country and still many more to cover including her future trip to Thailand as a biker Preeti writes on her FB time line in one of her posts:

“If you don’t challenge yourself, you will never realise your true potential.”
Have been riding now for few years and every ride for me is more of living my dreams rather than eating up kilometers and burning rubber.
This time I decided to push it a little further and take the spirit of adventure inside me to a different level.
It all began with the usual ride plan to the hills for diwali holidays { if u follow or can recall I posted tirthan valley plan }.
That’s when I thought – “why not test my limit as a biker”. And the idea of riding in sub zero temperatures on white and black snow clad roads started taking shape. The decision was tough. The terrain and weather was extreme and anything could go wrong. I discussed the idea with my riding partner, my husband, and the idea turned into reality.
Two of us took this epic journey with just one thing in mind – “we have just one life to lets live our dreams”
A ride to remember – no back up, no one to bank upon in case of a breakdown and an unknown and tough terrain to handle, this ride has taught me a lot. Made me a more disciplined and attentive rider and strengthened my belief in myself as a rider and an individual.

Hats of to both these towering women achievers and to 30 others who’d been felicitated in different fields for their extraordinary contribution as outstanding women achievers.