Creating a platform to celebrate International Women’s day, Savithri Rodrigo, the founder and creator of online
digital programme Kaleidoscope has joined forces with Taru, from Table by Taru at Lake Lodge to host Cargills
International Women’s Day Festival - The Changemakers. The event will span four Mondays, 1st,8th, 15th and 22nd of March and will be held at Lake Lodge, a small luxury boutique hotel in the heart of the city. The four-day festival is designed to celebrate women who are championing change and thought leaders who prompt dialogue through their work, impacts and actions. The festival also aims to uphold women’s ability to transform, adapt and be the change, while also stimulating debate, building knowledge, expanding networks of champions and advocating gender equality.

Each day will feature curated panels of Change Makers, moderated by Savithri Rodrigo who will guarantee engaging and thought-provoking discussions on a variety of salient topics applicable to the modern Sri Lankan woman. Speaking about the event, Brand Communications Specialist for Taru Management Mahika Chandrasena says "Taru who is renowned for her unusual and innovative events hopes that this will be the genesis of an annual event in breaking new ground with the focus on inspire, empower and connect. This is why we have collaborated with Kaleidoscope with Savithri Rodrigo and these festival partners, as they share the same philosophy with a focus on helping forge a more gender-equal world.”

Pictured: Savithri

For Savithri who is a veteran presenter, compere and accomplished writer the collaboration with Taru and Cargills
“augments our focus on that singular mission of showcasing the important roles women have played and continue to play in this country.” Savithri who hosts Kaleidoscope has highlighted achievers, pioneers, disruptors, peacebuilders and entrepreneurs, placing the spotlight primarily on women, as the focus on women’s achievements, their determination and commitment to instigate change is rarely spotlighted in the media.

Pictured: Taru

An extract of each discussion will also be featured in the “Let’s Talk” segment on Kaleidoscope. Each day begins with dialogue and discussion and concludes with apéritifs and canapés. Socially conscious corporate steward Cargills is the Festival Title partner, while the UNFPA is the Event Partner.

Tickets are priced at Rs. 20,000 for the Festival Pass (which gives access to all events of the festival) and Rs. 6,000 for the Day Pass to an individual event.

Day 1 - March 1st
The Peace Prompters
Features women activists who have been fighting to advance peace, reconciliation and nation-building. Panellists are Author and Researcher – Peacebuilding and Reconciliation Sarah Kabir, Writer, Researcher and Activist Amalini De Sayrah and Director for Legal and Advocacy NCEASL Yamini Ravindran

Day 2 - March 8th
The Pioneers
Features women who have chosen to challenge conventional career paths and now lead their disciplines with
tenacity and purpose. Panellists are Triad Joint Managing Director Varuni Amunugama Fernando, Hemas Holdings
Group CEO Kasturi Chellarajah Wilson and Sri Lanka’s first hip hop artiste Ashanthi de Alwis.

The second session on Day 2 titled The Leading Men will begin from 6 pm onwards: Purpose-driven leading global
companies, Standard Chartered Bank Sri Lanka, London Stock Exchange Group, Sri Lanka, and Brandix have been re-defining a world of work with gender meritocracy at the helm. It is their experiences, challenges, solutions and ground realities that will be discussed in depth. The panellists are Head of Shared Services Center LSEG Sri Lanka Arjuna Nanayakkara, Group Chief People Officer of Brandix Ishan Dantanarayana and CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Bingumal Thewarathanthri.

Day 3 - March 15th
The Creative Forces
This session celebrates those who have revolutionized the creative arts. Panellists are Author and Publisher Ameena Hussein, inter-disciplinary artist and Pro Helvetia awardee Layla Gonaduwa and Principal Dancer of the Chitrasena Dance Company Thaji Dias.

Day 3 - March 22nd

The Disruptors
This concluding day will be the finale with two sessions and a networking event. The Session 1 panellists are Co-
Founder/CEO of GoodLife Accelerator, Director and former CEO of Hatch Works Randhula De Silva, Founder of Ape and Co-Founder and COO of COLLAB Himali De Silva and Co-Founder of Good Market Achala Samaradivakara.

Session 2 brings through an unusual discussion with two young people who truly disrupted the comedy realm, Gehan Blok and Dino Corera. Their discussion on the portrayal of women in disruptive comedy guarantees the prompting of lively discussion.