Tejaswini Manogna

I'm highly honored to be standing here today amongst the most responsible and respected men and women in the uniforms, who every second ensure that we live safe and secured. The frontline warriors, the police of Hyderabad. I am delighted to be here amongst those women who bravely voiced your choices and have become the voice and the vision of millions of women who are unheard.

It's because if your efforts and hard work that we girls in Hyderabad are able to live safe and celebrate every day as Women's Day. I consider myself extremely lucky to be part of this generation where I'm just a click away from getting immediate help in dire situations.

Be it a call, a WhatsApp message, a Twitter message, or the police apps which are available, all the recently approved drone cameras for women's safety are just a click away, which is an amazing amalgamation and integration of technology and friendly policing. I feel safe here. Thank you Hyderabad Police and She Teams.

Well, the theme of International Women's Day 2021 is Choose to Challenge. A challenged world is an alert world, and from challenges comes a change. I choose to challenge myself.

I'm Dr. Tejaswini Manogna, a young Indian with many passions. Thank you for that wonderful introduction. I'm a medical doctor, Miss India Earth 2019, all India's best cadet of NCC, honored by the Prime Minister and President of India, a graded Bharatnatyam artist, a certified yoga practitioner, a motivational speaker, a philanthropist, and eco-activist.

I come from a very simple family, leading a very ordinary life, but my goals in life are a little above ordinary. And I am known from going for growing from humble beginnings to becoming a motivating factor to youngsters across the country. My journey from stage performing as a young Bharatnatyam artist, to the army fields, to the hospital, to the ramp, and back to the hospital now, has been very educative.

I grew up idealizing women like you and my mother, who set an example to me by voicing your choices, bravely stepping out of your house in chase of your dream, standing strong on your feet against all the societal odds, breaking stereotypes, carving your way to success in unconventional fields, creating your own identity while gracefully balancing and justifying your family as a mother, as a child, as a daughter, as a sister, as a friend, and whatnot.

Isn't that multitasking? Hats off to you all. Well, I think that's where I developed this quality of, you know, strong belief system that if a woman resolves to be successful, and if she can be focused, determined, and manage her time properly, there is nothing that she can't achieve.

Change is possible. Back in school, probably when I was in my fourth or fifth grade, that was when I received a first prize for a competition from Shikha Goyal ma'am, who's not here today. And I remember going home and sharing with my entire family that, "You know, I met this amazing young IPS woman officer. You know, I want to be like her someday."

And I still admire you all, and I feel so proud to be standing here on this day in front of you all, in front of all the officers gathered here. For a girl child, empowerment starts at home itself. Ruling out the societal norms of, "You are a girl, and you can't do it," my parents gave me wings and let me follow my passion.

My passion for nation-building made me undergo the NCC army training, where after six months of rigorous training, I was rejected. With, you know, with a fighting passion, I rose back like a phoenix.

I worked hard for 18 hours a day with rifle drill, rifle shooting, group discussions, extempores, and commanding the boys' contingent, and I stood out to become the all India's best cadet among 13 lakh cadets in NCC, receiving the, Prime Minister's Medal and President's Baton. Later, I represented India as the youth ambassador in the SAARC nations and received the SAARC countries medal from the Sri Lankan president.

Well, this was a journey which taught me discipline, commandership, and leadership qualities. And I always wanted to be in service of my nation in real terms, and that's when I resolved to be a doctor. I bagged a seat in Osmania Medical College, and I worked with increased amount of responsibility in the government hospital.

My aim in life is to reach out to wider audience in service to humanity, and hence, I reached out to numerous government schools and colleges, where I worked for the upliftment of children, youth, and women. I remember traveling to women's jails, Chanchalguda. I performed there just to inspire the women there and you know, their kids also.

So I think being a doctor and a philanthropist is a journey which keeps teaching me patience, tolerance, and perseverance. And I want to keep my art form, my cultural art form alive for the younger generation, using it as a weapon of peace. And hence, for the past 16 years, I have been performing Bharatanatyam, and I've given around 2,500 shows all over the world.

And also, as a yoga practitioner, a lot of y'all must be seeing me in TV, generally these days on, around 8:30 you see me every day performing yoga and teaching yoga. Also, I had the privilege of training few of the young trainees of the task force, battalions in Hyderabad in yoga. And I think this is that which teaches me balance in life.

It helps me stay balanced. It teaches me flexibility and gives me a peace of mind. And my vision to be the voice of women and the ambassador of youth challenged me to step out of my comfort zone and chase my dream of becoming the Miss India Earth 2019.

You've seen an old video where the latest updates are not yet in it. I had advocated for major environmental and humanitarian issues from local communities to international platform, on this platform and received a lot of medals from India, for India. This was definitely, not an easy journey.

What is expected out of a beauty pageant winner is movies. But in contrast to it, the reason and the vision why I was on that platform is that I wanted to be an ambassador of the youth. Being an ambassador on the international platforms like UNICEF, WHO.

Well, that dream is still on, and in contrast to the reality, now I stepped back to justify my profession as a doctor again. None of this journey was easy. I just highlighted all the achievements I've made so far.

But then innumerable challenges, failures, hardship, pain, and scars are behind this smiling face of mine. And I'm sure it's the same with all of y'all, too. Growing up in a society where it wasn't easy or it is, it's, it still isn't easy for some of the girls in the society where it is difficult for them before birth and after birth also.

You know, with circumstances and incidences like female feticide and limited educational opportunities, insufficient sanitation facilities, adolescent school dropouts, and sexual, physical and sexual harassment, acid attacks, rapes, domestic violence, dowry harassment, gender inequality, unequal pay, cyberbullying, and what not. Okay. Every day, each one of us, at some point of our life, in some walk of our life, must have faced such situation, and I am no exception to it.

I just want to give one message to the women across the world that, you know, a lot of us suffer in silence, unheard, unnoticed, and unanswered. Women, dear women, failures and difficulties don't come to destroy you but they come to let you realize your hidden inner potential. Let difficulties know that you too, are difficult.

Voice your opinions, speak out, and seek help. I'm talking to the general public also who's seeing me there, but seek help from these wonderful She teams who are here, who are working day in and day out to ensure your safety. Because your voice has the power to change the generation.

And believe in yourself, and there's nothing that you can't achieve. Stand up for yourself, stand up for your dignity, and stand up for self-respect. India is a young country with a lots of hope laid on its youth.

While half of the youngsters are doing extremely well, you know, especially during the pandemic, we must have seen youngsters coming up with unique ideas and you know, apps and technologies. While half of the youth is busy doing this, the other half of the youth is busy just browsing the social media, just interested into the personal life of celebrities or just burning their parents' money for the sake of, you know, gaming or even cyberbullying.

I think it's okay to socialize, but it is important that we channelize our energies in the right direction and we utilize our time and opportunities to the best possible extent. Youth have to become job creators from job seekers, for which five Cs would definitely help us: competence, courage, confidence, communication skills, and consistency. Sir, I know you've done a wonderful job by organizing a job mela where 8,000 women have joined in it.

I stay close to Osmania University and it happened there, and even I happened to inform few of my friends to take part in that. So when you have, when you develop the competence and the skill, I think nobody could actually say no to you. And even if you have the skill, if you don't have the courage and confidence to present yourself, I think the skill won't be put to use.

And after, even though you have your courage and confidence, if you can't communicate well, it is extremely important to have good oral and written communication skills. If you cannot communicate well and speak out your heart, it will not take us places. And it is, and finally, it is important to stay consistent.

You guys are the best example for consistency and discipline, and to all the youth, this is extremely important to learn from you all. And I think our parents, I mean, for us, at least, youngsters, parents have been working day in and day out just to ensure to give us a good living and keep our tummy full.

So we need to remember the values the parents and teachers have inculcated in us and ask ourself, "What do I want to be? How do I contribute to my nation, to my parents, and myself?" You need not be an achiever.

Achiever or not does not matter, but it is extremely important that be, that we be good citizens of our nation because, lots of people around you surrounding you are noticing you. So we need to make sure that our life is inspiring. And I am blessed, as you've, as you have seen in the video, I'm.

I feel blessed to have been appreciated by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam sir. And at this juncture, I'd like to, quote one of his, quotes: "Where there is righteousness in the heart, there is beauty in the character. Where there is beauty in the character, there's harmony in the home.

Where there is harmony in the home, there's order in the nation. And when there is order in the nation, there is peace in the world." This is extremely important for us to remember.

I think if we youth around, if we can follow this simple ideology, you know, and if we can give peace and if we can maintain that peace and order in our nation, I think, you know, these hardworking police officers who are dealing with criminal cases day in and day out will get some little extra time to spend with their family. It is, which is so important.

I completely understand how sacrificing you all are. You're sacrificing your own family time for the sake of all of us, for the sake of us. So for youth, I think it's important that we maintain this peace and order.

And dear officers, as a doctor and yoga practitioner, I would like to highlight on the importance that amidst all the roles you play, do not overlook your health. Make sure that you value your physical, mental, and emotional health because you all are extremely, and extremely precious to us. You make us live safe.

And like all of us, you know, a lot of us have challans against our vehicles. So just like how we clear our challans, I think we all have a long-pending due and challans against a girl child. It is now that we pay back the dues that we give to a girl child, which is the respect and the honor that she deserves.

Give her the wings and let her fly. Girls and daughters are not a burden to the nation, but they are the pride of the family, pride of the nation, and pride of the world. Dear change makers, let us celebrate this remarkable achievement of ours and proudly say that I am being the change that I want to see in the world.

Can I request you to repeat after me? I am proud of myself. I am proud of myself.

That I am being the change. That I am being the change. That I want to see in the world.

That I want to see in the world. Thank you so much. This is an extremely wonderful opportunity that you have given me.

I feel so blessed to be standing here in front of you. Thank you so much.