World Economic Forum to present award to Dr Mallika Sarabhai

Ahmedabad, Nov 12 (UNI) World Economic Forum (WEF) will present its 2009 Crystal award to activist and classical dancer Mallika Sarabhai, in recognition of her two decades of work in the field of women empowerment and social justice and dedication to the arts, at Davos in January.

Darpana Academy sources said here today Dr Sarabhai had received a letter from executive chairman of WEF Prof Klaus Schwab inviting her to participate in the annual meeting of the Forum, to be held from January 27 to February 1. She had accepted the honour and invitation to be in Davos, where she will speak and perform.

The letter to Dr Sarabhai says, ''Arts and culture play an important role in the transformation of society. They are essential in raising consciousness to our sense of purpose, vision and fulfilment. They bring 'out of the box' thinking, renewal and inspiration to corporate leaders. For this reason, we are always particularly pleased to integrate cultural leaders into the annual meeting of the Forum.'' Prof Klaus said, ''given your continuous effots as an activist for societal education and women empowerment as well as to raise awareness on cultural issues, we think you would be a worth recipient of the next year's Crystal Award.'' The award--a Swiss mountain crystal--was introduced in 1995 to honour personalities, who are highly regarded as both cultural leaders and global citizens, committed to improving the state of the world. The award pays tribute to the decisive role which culture and arts play in the creation of global understanding and peace and is presented at the meeting, the sources said.

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