Instituted in 2016 to recognise women achievers with a Bengal connect, this year too saw the jury of The Telegraph She Awards Leadership 2022 — Madhu Neotia, Sanjukta Bose, Tanushree Shankar, Melinda Pavek and Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury pick a set of illustrious awardees across disciplines. The evening of July 5 saw Archana Vijaya host the award ceremony as winners were given beautiful trophies that were designed by Narayan Sinha and gifts that were sponsored by our gifting partner Sharbari. The proceedings kicked off with percussionist Swarupa Ananth-Sawkar and violinist Shruti Bhave setting the stage on fire with their performance. The guests tucked into a yummy dinner spread presented by JW Marriott Kolkata.
From left: Jury members Sanjukta Bose, Tanushree Shankar and Madhu Neotia
Jury speak:
It was such a fulfilling process of deciding who the winners would be. All the names were decided unanimously and Tony (Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury) was such a valued addition (to the jury) as he made up with his knowledge where we fell short, especially in the fields of film and theatre. It was such an enriching experience and the award ceremony was so well done — Madhu Neotia
The She Awards itself shows that it appreciates and gives a platform to young women and encourages them to come forward and show their strength. I love the name as well, which literally makes you feel special — Tanushree Shankar
The winners were all very deserving. The event was very good and the decor changes every year, which is very interesting to watch. It was good and things are becoming more interesting. But there can also be other categories included and a few excluded, I feel — Sanjukta Bose, co-founder & director, IIHM
It was such a pleasure to be a part of the jury of The Telegraph She Awards. The She Awards honours women achievers from different walks of life, with a Bengal connect, and the illustrious list of awardees would serve as inspiration for generations to come. So it was definitely a very difficult choice but it was a very exciting experience being a part of the jury. Participation in the selection process was an amazing and enriching experience. This is a great initiative by The Telegraph because it gives a platform to women who have done so much for society. It is so relevant — Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury
When women step out and compete for awards and demonstrate why they contribute to society, to film, to culture, to sports, to bettering our society, the world is a better place. I really strongly encourage women who are doing better things to be proud of what they are doing and to put that information out there to compete for the She Awards. You owe it to not only what you are doing but to the girls that you are going to inspire in the future. Thank you so much for doing everything you do — Melinda Pavek, US consul general in Kolkata
Hall of Fame
Arati Mukhopadhyay
Her Story: An iconic name in Indian music, her melodious voice has won hearts across generations. Versatile is a word synonymous to Arati Mukhopadhyay’s body of work. Trained by Debabrata Biswas and having a grasp over classical music, her expertise was not only limited to various styles but also earned her recognition in different languages. Starting her journey in playback singing with Ritwik Ghatak’s Subarnarekha, she sang for renowned directors like Mrinal Sen and also actresses of different generations both in Kolkata and Bombay. Mentored by renowned names like Sushil Banerjee, Chinmoy Lahiri and Sagiruddin Khan, she worked with the likes of Bappi Lahiri, Ravindra Jain, Shankar-Jaikishan, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Salil Chowdhury and R.D. Burman. She has an extensive contribution to Indian music, both as a playback singer and recording artiste that won her innumerable accolades and an indelible place in people’s hearts.
Arati Mukhopadhyay with Mimi Chakraborty on stage after receiving the award
She said: “I am very happy to receive the She Award. When I received the invitation, I did not want to come as I was not keeping well. But after coming here, I am feeling very good. I want to thank The Telegraph for this. I have sung for so many actresses starting from Sandhya Roy and Suchitra Sen to Aparna Sen and Moon Moon Sen; I just need to sing for Raima, then I can complete the three generations. I have sung for all the leading directors of Kolkata. Tarachand Barjatya took me to Bombay because Ritwik Ghatak was making Subarnarekha. It was a beautiful movie. I was very young to understand the movie but I knew the music would be loved. I learnt a lot during that time. Till now I think music is the only thing I have in my life. I was very happy staying in Kolkata and did not want to leave initially. Later, I used to shuttle between Kolkata and Bombay. In Bombay I sang in the morning and came back to Kolkata to sing in the evening. I have recorded 35 songs in a day. From morning to night 2.30am, I recorded one after another,” said Mukhopadhyay. She sang a few lines from her iconic song Do naina aur ek kahani after her acceptance speech on stage.
Arati Mukhopadhyay with husband Shreyas Munim
“Both my husband Shreyas (Munim) and I liked the programme very much. There was so much variety. There was no artificiality in the presentation. This was so different from the award ceremonies we have attended elsewhere which are about films and only films. Awards were given to a litterateur, to a sportsperson, to an educationist and even to a beautician. People doing good work in every field deserve a boost. Everything has value. I was very moved,” she later told The Telegraph.
