Misty on the road between Bangalore and Bellur

© Jake Clennell 2009

The DVF awards

Last night at the UN, four extraordinary women were presented with the Diane von-Furstenberg award. It was an inspiring evening. Sadiqi Basiri Saleem, has against all odds, set up schools in Afganistan. Katherine Chon works to stamp out human tracking. Danielle St. Lot uses her now, conciderable influence to help her countrymen in Haitti. Ingrid Bettancourt, who perhaps moved me the most last night, spent 6 years in the jungle where she had been kidnapped and tortured by Columbian gurillas. She now works to raise awareness on the plight of those still being held in the jungle. She spoke about and showed much compassion for the dispossesed young men (teenagers, she said — the same age as her own children), who held her captive for so long.

We all battled our way over to the UN last night. Many of us had been dropped off by our taxi to the wrong UN building. We walked (most of the women wearing toweringly high heels) in the driving rain and through deep puddles to the correct building.  All of us arrived drenched to the skin, and were extremely cold. It was a wild night. The wind was very high, very fierce. It was raining sideways. Power lines the next morning are down all over the tri-state area. All flights were cancelled coming into New York. Meryl Streep, who presented Ingrid Bettancourt with her award, likened the falling rain with the tears of women. It was a wonderful evening and well worth the struggle to get there!

© 2010 Bobby Clennell.