White is Right

On March 8,The White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood-India,invited distinguished and influential women of different professional persuasions to make a pledge for spreading awareness about safe motherhood. The glittering dinner event at the Taj Mahal hotel in Delhi brought in not just glamour but the glow of conviction on the faces of women as each pledged,in her own way,to do something,however big or small,to create community consciousness about the cause. According to the sample registration system of National Sample Survey Organisation of India,the maternal mortality rate in the country is 254/100,000 live births. A woman dies every eight minutes from a pregnancy-related complication,taking the toll to 70,000 every year.

Columnist Pooja Bedi got all her statistics right in her impassioned speech,while actor Raveena Tandon displayed articulation when she spoke about her emotional connect to the cause. An eloquent Bina Ramani,veteran fashion designer,said she was humbled that she had been invited and rang in a meaningful pledge to explore the possibility of bringing in pregnancy medicine from abroad for the needy.

TV host Pratibha Advani promised awareness through her show and singer Shibani Kashyap dedicated a line from her song from the film Zinda (Zinda Hoon Main) to motherhood to a loud applause.

The public pledges recorded by the White Ribbon Alliance would expect concrete action from the ladies. Only then,would it become evident whether promising words spoken in five-star environs can be chased by action at the grassroots.