Celebrating Women Achievers: Spoorthi Vishwas

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Meet Spoorthi Vishwas, Founder Director, KWAA – Karnataka Women Achievers Awards and a brand emerging on her own.

BY NAMITA GUPTA

How did the idea of KWAA come about?
As an actress I have attended several award functions, and year after year I saw popular faces get the limelight. They were well established and their craft was already recognised. Though enjoying the same kind attention, myself from a very early age I always harboured a secret desire to do something extraordinary and carve a unique niche for myself. A small notion was conceived in my mind, which now I believe was divine intervention, to glorify the real heroes, women who have achieved great success by sheer hard work, dedication and passion, who don’t get the recognition they truly deserve.


Reality is far more compelling than “reel life”. And thus, KWAA was born as a simple noble conviction. Today looking back at the magnitude of its growth and the enormous impact it has made, I feel proud that it has surpassed what I imagined it would be. It’s surreal!

What’s special this year and how has KWAA grown from last year?
2018 was the maiden year of KWAA, which we took on with a lot of childlike enthusiasm. It was a huge success. We as a team have a vision for growth, and hence through the numerous lengthy review meetings post KWAA 2018, we tried to pick out the errors and looked at areas of improvement. As they say mistakes have the power to make you better if you can let them teach you, we did learn and have tried our utmost best to improvise on everything this year. The media appreciation, widespread recognition and impact KWAA received over the past year has reflected in both quality and quantity of the nominations we received this year. A big leap this year would be the intention to reach out at a national level. Yes definitely, we are bigger and better this year!

What were the challenges and how did you overcome them?
We are a non-commercial and profit free organisation and hence the gigantic challenge has been finances. Since we are a big team working in the background tirelessly for almost eight months to the run up of the event, and our vision is to project KWAA as an award ceremony that is far superior to any and unparalleled in terms of quality, we therefore wish to make no compromises on any front. Social Media and support of celebrities has played a huge role In terms of advertisements. We have good sponsorship support which we are grateful for! We can definitely say that we are in a better position this year as compared to last.

What have been some of the highlights of your journey so far?
The journey that is KWAA has been the most incredible and incomparable of all that I have experienced professionally. The women I have met in this process have simply blown my mind at what they have accomplished, that many times I find it hard to believe.
The jury, each one of them from a different field have brought their unique expertise and knowledge to the table and have been my backbone and support throughout. We as a team have learned invaluable lessons from them. Our sponsors have given KWAA the face lift we desired. Every individual associated with KWAA is in sync and resonates with the vision of this organisation. It has indeed been a blessed journey.

Tell us something about the selection process for the awards in brief?
KWAA winner’s selection process is very transparent. The entry or nominations are absolutely free. Any women who considers her achievement as noteworthy can nominate herself or any person can nominate an individual, they know. Personal details, professional achievements and links to profiles, awards and accomplishments have to be furnished. This year we received an impressive 1023 nominations for the 20 categories. The credible members of the jury scan every nomination shortlisting the top 10 in each category. These 10 nominations are thoroughly scrutinised, reference checks are made on google, wiki, and all social media platforms. Out of which top three are selected in each category. The jury conducts a telephonic interview with them, checking authenticity and verifying the credentials of the awards and recognition received thus far if any. With this information at hand, the jury collectively discuss each category and a unanimous decision is reached. Family and close associates of jury and team members can not apply.

What are your future plans?
The big ‘reveal’ that I am over the moon about is the launch of IWAA 2020. That is IWAA-Indian Women Achievers Awards. KWAA has created an enormous buzz in Karnataka, I can’t wait to witness the impact going national will have. My team is aware that this will mean that we stretch ourselves more to scale to the demanding work that will be needed to achieve this, but we intend to work with the same level of commitment, passion and ethics with which we took on KWAA. I dream big, almost the impossible many think, but I believe when you conceive a thought in your mind and work for it, the universe conspires to make it a reality. And so, I dare to dream that one day soon
I will go international too.

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