An afternoon of delicious food and inspiring conversation about women and women’s rights. The day was hosted by Seema Anand, mythologist and storyteller specialising in women’s narratives, who welcomed several special guest speakers.

This special event for women was inspired by Princess Sophia Duleep Singh: Suffragette, women’s rights campaigner and daughter of the last Maharajah of the Punjab who lived in East Anglia. The event took place in October 2018 at Essex Record Office in Chelmsford.

Over 60 women from different cultural backgrounds came along to find out more about this remarkable woman and her role in the history of women’s empowerment. They met others over delicious curry, hosted by the Essex Multicultural Activities Network. They were inspired and took part in conversations about issues still effecting women today, especially those from South Asian backgrounds: what brings us together, what holds us back and how can we generate change and move forward together?

Seema was joined by the following people on three group conversations:

Rahila Gupta - writer, activist and longstanding member of Southall Black Sisters and a patron of Peace in Kurdistan. Rahila’s articles are published in the Guardian, New Humanist, New Internationalist and openDemocracy among other magazines, journals and websites.

Vicky Ford - the first female MP for Chelmsford and is a passionate advocate of women’s voices in politics and UK Democracy. She is a member of the Women and Equalities Select Committee and chairs the all-party parliamentary group for women in Parliament.

Smita Tharoor - thought leader on the Unconscious Bias. Smita is a motivational speaker and trainer and has spoken at conferences around the world on women and leadership. Smita will be part of the conversation on ‘what holds us back’