The ‘Don’t Party’ by United Colors of Benetton held in Delhi

Don’t ‘don’t’ us: The ‘Don’t Party’, held recently by United Colors of Benetton, turned out to be a fun platform for discussion of several don’ts that women face every day. Attended by over 3,000 people, the party, part of the brand’s #UnitedByDonts campaign, had youth from across the country came together to raise their voice against gender discrimination.Hosted by Mini Mathur, the evening witnessed performances by the Delhi Indie Project and the famous Shillong Chamber Choir.
‘Woman’ comedian? Delhi-based stand-up comic Neeti Palta added humour to the event with her performance, saying at one point, “Every time I meet someone, they ask me what it feels like to be a ‘woman comedian’. I don’t know, I’ve never been any other kind!”
Felicitations and honours: The event also felicitated women of note and their contributions to their fields. Those included Laxmi Agarwal, who is a campaigner with Stop Acid Attacks and a TV host, and Deepa Malik, who is a paraplegic athlete. While addressing the audience, Laxmi, who is an acid attack survivor, said, “I have changed the negative into positive. A campaign makes a huge difference and when I met other survivors, I realised that I’m not the only one.” Ambika, Deepa’s daughter who received the award on her behalf, said, “With a mother like her, we have been taught how to tackle problems in life and move on from them.”
Defy the don’ts: Speaking about the campaign, Sundeep Chugh, CEO, Benetton India Pvt Ltd, said, “Women’s safety and gender equality are issues that are close to our hearts. We promote them through the Benetton Women Empowerment Program, a long-term initiative to support women’s rights worldwide. This campaign is our way of reiterating the urgent need for women’s safety and gender equality in the country. We have successfully launched the first phase of the campaign, which seeks to address the root cause of these issues – the widespread misconception in our society that women somehow are the ‘weaker’ sex. We must change the mindset of society and celebrate women.”