Around the world, International Women's Day marks a celebration of the economic, social, cultural and political achievements of women. Women have been making music since time immemorial. And 'Stree Gaanam' was an event to showcase the works of women composers, presented by vocalist Vasumathi Badrinathan in Mumbai.

This event recognised the works of leading female musicians, highlighting the works of six women composers, spanning a period from the 12th century AD to the present day. This included Tallapakka Thimakka, Mahadevi Akka of the 12th century, princess Rukmini Bai Tampuratti and Muddu Palani of the 18th century and Bangalore Nagaratnamma and Ambujam Krishna of Tamil Nadu of 20th century.

Their compositions are an interesting revelation of the poetry of their times, and an insight into the feminine mind. Vasumathi performed with an all-women team comprising Mangala Vaidyanathan - violin and Jayalakshmi Gopalakrishnan - mridangam, alongwith a multi-media presentation of slides, video and audio clippings, besides her talk and music.

The guests of honour of the event included Sanjeevanee Kutty Secretary, Dept of Culture and Tourism, Dr Poornima Advani, ex-chairperson of the National Commission for Women, Dr. Vijaya Venkat, a well-known nutritionist and health activist and Satya Saran, Editor, Femina.

Present day women composers Rajee Narayan, Mangalam Ganapathy and Rukmini Ramani also graced the event.

The event was supported by the Deportment of Culture, Govt. of India and The Mysore Association, Bombay.