India’s first Diversity and Inclusion book The 99 Day Diversity Challenge launched

Bengaluru, January 25, 2019: India’s first ever book on Diversity & Inclusion – The 99 Day Diversity Challenge authored by country’s celebrated D&I expert Dr.Saundarya Rajesh - was launched in the city today. The session witnessed an intriguing fire side chat on the theme ‘Managing Diversity Pushbacks’ moderated by Dr.Rajesh. The panel consisted of Ms.Anita Kumar, Head Solutions, Sattva Consulting, Mr.Sudheesh Venkatesh, Chief People Officer, Azim Premji Foundation, Ms.Smriti Singh, CHRO, Flipkart and Mr.Srini Ramaswamy, Diversity & Belonging Evangelist, Co-Founder, Pride Circle. Following a brief chapter reading session by Dr.Rajesh, the fire side chat witnessed the D&I experts engaging in a conversation about their perspective on diversity and how effectively corporates can overcome the inclusivity barriers at workplace, especially the pushback on D&I initiatives. The candid conversation with the thought leaders, who were from diverse industries, opened gateways to understanding how D&I is perceived at workplace today compared to the previous generation and the commitment taken by companies to provide sustainable and enabling environment for women. Keeping in lines with the theme, the panel also talked about how Diversity pushbacks are happening - both by the leadership as well as the beneficiaries – and how one can overcome these issues. The chat also witnessed speakers address the challenges in making corporates sensitive to the LGBTQ community. Commenting on the occasion, Dr. Saundarya Rajesh said “Diversity pushback need not necessarily arise from the leader or management, it could even sprout from the very people who are the beneficiaries. The attitude of maintaining status quo in every situation can hamper the growth of D&I. I am confident that 99DDC will hand hold companies into adopting policies that nurture, encourage and sustain inclusivity in their workplaces.” As India’s first ever guide to implementing D&I culture at workplaces, the book provides a complete, starter-to-desserts detailing of D&I concepts and offers a precise explanation on the different strands of diversity along with the future of D&I thoughts. Written in an engaging, gentle, light-hearted way, Dr Rajesh demystifies the vast subject of Diversity and Inclusion for the business leader, the diversity enthusiast and even the young curious professional. Filled with interesting stories spanning different genres the book sequentially uncovers what Diversity and Inclusion means and how this can be absorbed by just about everyone. Published by SAGE Publications, The 99 Day Diversity Challenge is priced at Rs. 495 and is available for pre-order across ecommerce platforms like Flipkart, Amazon, Infibeam and book stores near you.