By Ashraf Padanna/Kovalam

Kerala’s top women actors and directors active at the International Conference on Gender Equality (ICGE), rubbing shoulders with academicians and transgender activists, say it’s an unqualified success.
The three-day international conclave concluded here yesterday with Chief Minister Oommen Chandy releasing the ‘Kovalam Declaration’ on gender equality.
They feel the conference organised the state government with the support of the UN Women has provided useful discussion forums and action plans for practical implementation of the ideas discussed.
“Children should be taught the necessary lessons about gender equality as they grow up. The inclusion of sex education in school syllabi will help in creating awareness against exploitation and abuses,” said Ennu Ninte Moideen fame Parvathy Menon.
“I had many breaks in my career due to my boldness at certain instances,” she said.
Anjali Menon prefers to be called “a director, rather than a woman director”.
The Bangalore Days-maker dismissed the notion that filmmakers need to have a loud, deep (masculine) voice, saying that her gentle tone has been enough to run a film set.
“It has been an excellent opportunity to understand the works done in the field of gender equality from different parts of the world and also a platform to interact with such pioneers like Mallika Sarabhai,” said Lakshmi Gopalaswamy.
“Though I have a Masters’ degree in women studies, this conference has enhanced my knowledge on gender issues. The workable ideas can be a model for the rest of the world to follow.”
Lyricist and music composer Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri said, “Gender equality is the need of the day.”
Even as hit movies across the globe in recent times are women-centric, the media largely remains devoid of inspirational female journalists, says Pat Mitchell, CEO of New York-based POW Strategies.
“Five out of seven of the highest-grossing films this year in the world are about women and made by women,” he told a session of India’s first-ever international conclave on gender equality. “All the same, there is a dire need of inspirational women in the media.”
The conference also saw the release of the Kerala policy for transgenders, the first such initiative by an Indian state outlining rights and protection measures for the third gender.
Journalist Pamela Philipose, a senior fellow at Indian Council of Social Science Research, said journalists in urban India suffered from a skewed gender ratio with men outnumbering women by 4:1.
“This is happening mainly because media houses are unfriendly towards women.” she said.
“Media managements are cutting down on the security being provided to women journalists to reduce expenses, leading them to take risks for a good story. Added to these, women have to deal with sexual predators and other gender-linked harassment at the workplace.”
Filmmaker Anjali Menon, who finds herself “surrounded by men in my industry,” spoke on how ‘commercial cinema’ portrayed men.
“It is such biases that guide boys on the street on how to treat their women,” she said. “Whether behind or in front of the camera, we need more women in the (film) industry.”
Dancer Mallika Sarabhai sought more intense training of women to become journalists, financiers, directors and storytellers to bring about a change in the mindset that would outdo a women-repressive attitude prevalently today.