Empowering women is an exercise that involves the community as a whole, said Radhikaraje Gaekwad of the erstwhile Princely State of Baroda.

In a conversation with Firstpost’s Managing Editor Palki Sharma at Network 18’s SheShakti 2024 event, Gaekwad said the community needs to stand up for women empowerment as it is an inclusive effort.

“As a community, we need to stand up for women’s voices. Empowering needs to come from inclusion and community-building. Women should be able to find that with fellow women as we do have a sense of intuition, community, compassion, strong bonding, and we really need to build that for each other,” said Gaekwad.

Highlighting the need for safe spaces for women, Gaekwad said that women need safe space to carry each-other along and celebrate the journeys of women who are achievers, who have a voice, and who have a franchise.

Gaekwad further said, “At the same time, you have to have quality of carrying the rest of us. For me, it’s more about awakening rather than enabling. We all need to, as women, recognise the power within us and connect at that level.”

In the conversation on women empowerment, Sharma noted the various societal activities Gaekwad is associated with, for which she is popularly known as the Queen of the Masses, and said that it was worth celebrating when a woman can use her privilege or position for the benefit of others.

Gaekwad noted that her work is rooted in her family’s lineage. She said that there was a “symbiotic relationship between the ‘raja (ruler)’ and the ‘praja (subjects)’” and that’s why members of erstwhile royal families are still in politics today. She said leadership comes naturally to them as serving the people is their generational trait.

When asked about her views on parenting, Gaekwad said that it was very important to be fearless and lead by example. She said that it important to be a positive role-model for your children and change mindsets along the way.

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‘We as community need to stand up’: Radhikaraje Gaekwad on women empowerment at SheShakti 2024