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| Source: Wikimedia Commons |
Shah Rukh Khan was one of the honorees at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland – which payed tribute to him with a ‘Crystal Award’ for his contribution to the society with a number of charitable causes, but specifically for “his leadership in championing children’s and women’s rights in India”.
Not many people may know this, but SRK’s humanitarian causes include his co-founded – ‘Meer Foundation’, which has extended help to various acid attack survivors and troubled children.
Receiving the honor alongside the likes of Cate Blanchett and Elton John, SRK, as usual, showed his humble and witty side while accepting the honor with a speech.
Expressing his gratitude, the Bollywood superstar said, “Extremely charged that I’ve had this amazing opportunity, this award, being recognized like this for minuscule work that I did, I’d like to do it with even more fervor. What is even more pleasant is that India is here in full power.”
Speaking on the various women who’ve been victims of acid attacks, the actor said:
“To disfigure a woman by throwing acid on her face is, to me, one the basest, crudest acts of subjugation imaginable. At the source of it lies the view that a woman does not have the right to assert her choice, to say to the advances of a man or a group of people. And yet, each of the women I met, I found within them, the courage to move on with their lives and to reject the idea of victimhood. What struck me most about them was this – what was done to them only made them braver and stronger and more able to free themselves to make the choices that everyone around them was telling them they could not make or should not make.”
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Extending a ‘thank you’ to the women in his life and making a strong point about ‘Consent’, Khan said:
“I want to thank my sister, my wife and my little daughter for bringing me up well and teaching me the value of requesting, sometimes imploring and begging a yes from a woman, instead of forcing it upon her.”
Watch his inspiring speech below:
And of coarse – with the combination of SRK and Switzerland, you couldn’t possibly have thought he was not going pull his “trademark pose” for the camera, from one of his day-outs during the trip:
Switzerland main aake yeh na kiya toh kya kiya…?! Loving being at the Davos, now to get ready for the Crystal Award Ceremony. #DavosDiaries pic.twitter.com/c95SwSR0v2— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) January 22, 2018
Congratulations SRK.
Hope the ones with power and ability continue to reach out to those in need.