"Tejaswin" - Is there Anything More to Say?
 

President, TWU addressing the Function

Tejaswini – the very word conjures up an image in our minds of a woman who is nothing short of a Demi-Goddess. In Hindi it means “stri jo tej se yukta ho” i.e. a woman full of radiance. In today’s world, Tejaswini is that woman who can not only balance her career and the household, but is also a sort of an iconoclast – a tradition-breaker – who does not follow norms and yet achieves the unthinkable. Every woman has it in her (in essence) to be a Tejaswini. In order to actually become one, a woman needs the right atmosphere, the necessary encouragement and, of course, the required paraphernalia.

Tata Steel has all this in abundance. Tata Steel has always prided itself on being an equal opportunity employer – Tejaswini is a larger than life example of this in today’s world.

Tejaswini is basically a Women’s Empowerment Programme – the first of its kind in the steel industry (perhaps any industry) in India. Tejaswini sought to empower 13 female employees in the age group of 30-40 years who were working as Attendants (their primary job was to clean the shop floor). The Tejaswini’s Ms Savita Bhen, Jaswant Kaur, Domini Murmu, Joba Soren, Asha Hansda, Babita Kumari, P Gyaneshwari, Sunanina Devi, Sefali Sardar, Laxmi Kumari, Malati Hansda, Champai Tudu and Sefali began to be trained to be mobile equipment drivers. In two months (beginning 1st November 2002), these female employees were transformed into proficient operators of heavy mobile equipment like tractors (3/5/8 tonnes), forklifts, loader-cum-excavators, payloaders, etc.

Graduating from Attendants to Mobile Equipment Operators was not easy. There were many barriers to be broken down – mental, physical and social. It was quite an uphill task, which all of them withstood very gracefully. For them, every sunset signified a milestone which had just been crossed, and every new day brought along with it hope as well as reduced inhibitions. They became successful through sheer hard work and gritty resolve not to give up, come what may.

They are true Tejaswinis in words and in spirit. Hum mein yeh hai pucca viswas, hum honge kamyab ek din (we are sure, we will be successful one day). For the thirteen Tejaswinis in Tata Steel, that day has already dawned.
 

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