The SAGE-W cell at SiliconTech, the engineering institute of Silicon University, celebrated the International Women’s Day (IWD) by hosting two events—an expert talk on 8 March 2025, and an awareness session on 19 March 2025 to promote women empowerment, debunk prevalent myths around womanhood, and encourage a secure, digitally aware cyberspace—the events aimed to spark meaningful conversations on gender inclusivity in the digital age.
On 8 March 2025, the SAGE-W cell hosted an expert talk titled ‘Debunking Myths: A Scholarly Approach to Work-Life Harmony’, delivered by Khalid Ahmed, CEO of Born to Coach. Mr. Ahmed began by acknowledging the significance of International Women’s Day as both a celebration and a call for action. He debunked popular myths around work-life balance, especially those that place unrealistic expectations on women, and emphasized that systemic changes—not individual efforts alone—are needed to support genuine harmony. He challenged the notion of ‘having it all’ and encouraged attendees to redefine success through personal fulfilment rather than societal benchmarks. The session was interactive, with participants sharing experiences and reflecting on how institutions can better support women through inclusive policies.
On 19 March 2025, the second event featured distinguished speakers, including Ms. Anjana Tudu (OPS), Additional SP, CID, CB, Odisha, and Mr. Satyanarayan Roy Mohapatra, Cybersecurity Delivery Manager at Tata Consultancy Services. Ms. Tudu opened the session by highlighting women’s growing role in cybersecurity and discussed the importance of digital self-reliance, safe social media practices, and mechanisms for reporting online harassment. She encouraged women to act against injustice as a form of empowerment. Mr. Mohapatra followed with insights on building inclusive and ethical cybersecurity frameworks, noting that cybersecurity challenges are as much social and ethical as they are technical.
The event concluded with the presentation of the Medhavi Chhatra Award to women toppers in academics. Additionally, the Women Achiever Award 2025 was presented to Sneha Sruti Sahu, a final-year CSE student, in recognition of her overall excellence.
Both events were successfully coordinated by the students and faculty members of the SAGE-W cell, reflecting the institute’s continued commitment to women’s empowerment and gender equity.
