In an exclusive chat with Moneycontrol.com, we delve into the inspiration behind Nyay’ri, the challenges faced by young advocates like Manasi Chaudhari, and Navya Naveli Nanda’s commitment to women’s rights. We also discuss the upcoming season of "What the Hell Navya" and the podcast’s unique multi-generational perspective.
What inspired you to establish Nyayari, and what are the primary goals of the organization?
What inspired us to establish Nyayri was the dire need of women for legal support along with mental health care. "Nyay'ri" is a combination of two words - 'Nyay' which means justice and 'Nyaari' which means endearing and unique. Through Nyay'ri, we want to uplift and empower women through a unique three-fold process. We provide women assistance on legal awareness, mental health support, and peer-to-peer groups. The primary goals of Nyayri are to provide women a holistic support system through free legal counselling, supported by mental health counselling, to enable them to stand up for their legal rights. We aim to do this by removing one of the fundamental barriers that hold women back - lack of financial affordability. Therefore, all services under Project Nyay'ri are offered to women pro bono (i.e. free of cost).
For Manasi, What challenges did you face as a young advocate for women's rights, and how did you overcome them?
As a young advocate for women’s rights, I faced the challenge of lack of support in the field of human and gender rights. It is not a field that is widely recognised as a career choice for lawyers. However, I didn’t want to let this stop me from pursuing my passion. Therefore, I found a workaround - I have my own corporate law firm, Manasi Chaudhari and Associates that fuels my commercial legal practice, allowing me to spend my time and resources to give back to society and causes that I came for.
What role do you believe education and awareness play in combating gender-based violence and promoting women's rights?
Awareness is the first step towards exercising one’s rights, and education plays a primary role in creating awareness. However, it is not enough to only educate women about their legal rights. It is also important to educate men, and the entire society, irrespective of their gender, about gender equality. Women’s rights is not a women’s issue only, it is a human rights issue which affects the entire society, and therefore, awareness has to come on all fronts.
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At just 26, Navya, you made a significant decision to focus on women's rights. What motivated you to take up this cause at such a young age?
I do not believe that you are too old or too young to stand up for what is right. As a woman, it is my responsibility to play my part in building a more equitable and safe future for us all. Project Naveli, and the work we do through the foundation is a step in that direction. Most importantly, as a part of the next generation of Indians, I urge more young people to voice their opinions on the kind of future they want to see for our country, and actively partake in building that future together. Women’s rights is not just the responsibility of women, but every single member of our society irrespective of gender.
When do we expect you to return with season 3 of what the hell Navya with your Nani and mom ?
We would like to continue using the platform we have to raise important conversations that must be had openly and transparently. In season 3 we would also like to invite guests on our show, who could shed light on certain topics or themes, which will allow for a more interesting debate/discussion.
Where did the idea of this podcast come?
The idea for the podcast really came from the three of us and the conversations we have at home. We felt having three different generations together, talking about the same topic but with very different perspectives would be an interesting way to dissect some of the key issues we see in society and in pop-culture today. The podcast is also a platform to spark further conversation around themes we believe are very important to women today, and should be debated more widely and transparently on public platforms.
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