The sisterhood of women journalists

Kaniz Almas Khan (centre), CEO of Persona and editor of Canvas magazine, speaks at the ‘adda.’

They all work for reputed media organisations. Some write while relay stories on camera. But in the general sense, they all belong to the growing community of women journalists in the country. In an informal and jovial ambiance, beauty salon Persona provided an opportunity for female journalists of the city to interact with each other. The event was held at Bengal Gallery yesterday.
A good number of journalists, both from electronic and print media, attended the event. Finding acquaintances among themselves, the participants earnestly mingled and chatted. When Amitav Dewry, head of news of the magazine Canvas, a publication by Persona, formally addressed the participants, the conversation was on full swing.
"This is exactly what we expected from today's event, interaction between these journalists who work in the same city, but do not get opportunities to meet each other on a personal level; especially those who are usually occupied with deskwork, have little opportunity to socialise with fellow women journalists," said Dewry, welcoming all.
Chief Executive Officer of Persona and editor of Canvas magazine, aesthetician Kaniz Almas Khan said, "There is nothing formal about today's meeting, we just want to talk our heart out. It's wonderful to see so many women working in the media these days. Our intention is to create a bond between all these women who have chosen a profession that requires courage. Hopefully, this bond will help us face challenges together."
"On the occasion of International Women's Day, we have been holding this event for the last three years. Initially it was small arrangement, with 15-20 participants. But as the number of women journalists increased, we decided to make our arrangement bigger too. We have almost 200 invitees for this year's event," she added.
Introducing themselves, the participants shared their work experiences, aspiration and issues. Many lauded Persona for this initiative.