Kay Kay Menon narrates young girl's suicide story at the launch of a TV show

Students at IIM-Lucknow took time out from their academic schedule on Thursday afternoon to participate in a discussion on women’s safety, corruption and domestic violence. Organised by Colors, the panel discussion launched their upcoming show, Code Red in the city with panelists actor Kay Kay Menon, UP ADG Sutapa Sanyal, president of Shakti Vahini NGO and Supreme Court lawyer Ravi Kant, Special Secretary Home (Government of UP) Ministhy S Nair and Code Red producer of the Umeed series, Anupama Mandloi.Journalist Sharat Pradhan was the moderator of the discussion.
The event started with a short act by Kay Kay Menon, who narrated the incident of a young girl’s suicide. The power-packed performance earned him a huge round of applause from the students.
READ: Woman power shines at 'Code Red' launch
During the panel session, Menon spoke about equality and respect for women in our system. “Everything can be solved by respect. But it is easier said than done. Respect stems from the sense of equality. A woman is no less than a man. We need to inculcate this thought in our children. That is the only way to change perspective,” said Menon.
Telling students how to tackle their inner demons, ADG Sutapa Sanyal said, “As a mother, a woman and a police officer, it is imperative that we realise that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, hope at the end of the day and a hole in every glass ceiling. But, we need to share it. It is high time that women speak up about the various issues concerning them. Often, we do not like to discuss our psychological issues. We need to break the taboo so that our inner demons are taken care of.” Sutapa also stressed on the importance of the partnership of the civil society and police in tackling problems in society.
One panelist who earned maximum applause from the IIMians was Ministhy S Nair, who spoke about the importance of personal benchmarks and philosophies to battle inner demons. “There has to be a personal philosophy to handle inner demons; benchmark against only myself. We need to believe in the power of partnerships and the power of good. The whole edifice is on the word ‘respect’.”
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To the IIM Lucknow students, Ministhy further said, “When you take over as CEOs of organisations, start by looking at those people who don’t have a voice. Lean in and dare to ask questions; maintain the steadiness in your voice and if you believe in something, speak up.”
Impressed by Ministhy's speech, IIMians gathered in large numbers post the event to get themselves clicked with her. “A selfie with me?” she asked the students in disbelief.
Ravi Kant, a man who has been working for the rights of women for several years, held the attention of the students by narrating various cases of cruelty that he had encountered while working. Shaken by the incidents Kant narrated, students asked him various questions related to his cases during the Q&A round. Talking about Code Red, producer of the Umeed series, Anupama Mandloi spoke about how television is a great medium to spread awareness. She said, “Media has a huge say today because it is a reflection of the society. The reason there is an increase in such shows is because there are finally people who can speak, who want to change the society and give other people the courage to speak.”
Moderated by noted journalist Sharat Pradhan, the forum led to a fruitful discussion as measures for a better tomorrow were deliberated. #KhamoshiTodo urged students at IIM-L to bring forth their queries for the panelists on these internal and external demons while the forum was on. Code Red will air from January
WATCH: Code Red: Coming Soon