The Abhaya Bravery Award Ceremony was held at Alliance Française de Bangalore on March 6, recognising individuals who have demonstrated exceptional courage, social commitment, and dedication to building a safer and more equitable society.

The awards aim to honour people who stand up for justice, support vulnerable communities, and work actively towards empowering women and protecting their rights. By celebrating such changemakers, the initiative seeks to inspire others to promote dignity, equality, and safety within society.

Faces of Abhaya announced

During the ceremony, three individuals were named “Faces of Abhaya,” who will represent Team Abhaya in future social welfare initiatives.

They are:

  • Manika Sharma – Face of Abhaya for the Educational Vertical
  • Janajit Thangjam – Face of Abhaya for the Sports Vertical
  • Sakshi Kamath – Face of Abhaya for Animal Welfare

In total, 15 individuals were recognised for their extraordinary contributions and bravery, including:
Subhas E.M., Veena Prakash, Dr. Munesha, Sarita Kumari, Pushpalatha, Vinod Kartavya, I. Sree Thanuja, Gopakumar, Ragini Sharma, Jithin Kumar, Papiya Kar, Bhubaneswari, Kathik Mohan, Sangeeta Sinha, and Kinjal Roy.

Dignitaries and supporters present

The event was attended by several prominent personalities who joined Team Abhaya to encourage the awardees. Among them were Sowmya Reddy, State President of Mahila Congress in Karnataka; Jyothsna Naidu, World Champion 2025 in Bodybuilding; and retired KAS officer K. Mathai.

Other notable figures present included Brinda Adige, Dr. Girish Mood, Antony Sajeeth, Janab Zafer Mohiuddin, and Brijesh Gokhale, who applauded the efforts of the award recipients and encouraged continued social action.

Call for year-round equality

Debmalya Bhattacharyya, Director of the Abhaya Group, expressed gratitude to partners and supporters, including De-Design, Rawley Associate, ASG Travel India Private Limited, and NewsKarnataka.com for supporting the initiative. He also acknowledged Ayan Pramanick and Aslam Pasha for their continued support of the Rape-Free India movement.

Highlighting the importance of sustained action, Abhaya Group CEO Payel Sengupta said:
“Women’s Day should not be a symbol of one day’s appreciation, but a promise of 365 days of equality and safety.”

The ceremony concluded with a call to society to nurture courage, compassion, and responsibility, encouraging more individuals to stand up for justice and social change.