New Delhi, Aug 2 (IANS): Stressing that it is always women who are impacted first in face of terrorism and other disturbances, author and filmmaker Ashish Kaul, a Kashmiri Pandit, who has been conferred with the ‘Man of Excellence award by the Indian Achievers Forum , feels it is high time that the government initiates a direct dialogue with the women of Jammu and Kashmir.

"It is a matriarchal society which boasts of multiple women achievers since centuries -- be it military commanders or public policy experts. In most households, the women in that state ensure that the girl child gets equal opportunities and is not deprived of anything," he told IANS.

Adding that the state's collective history of 10,000 years have been vindicated by men in power or people who have managed to get a fractured mandate, the author of books including ‘Refugee Camp', ‘Didda The Warrior Queen of Kashmir' and ‘RakhtGulab' said, "The bedrock of any successful economy is the state of women -- be it Europe or the US," said Kaul, who is also a business leader with more than two decades of experience in Media & Entertainment, and FMCG sectors.

The award, which was conferred on him primarily for his contribution in the field of education and recreating the lost legacy of the glorious women of Jammu and Kashmir. His project, titled ‘Project Streedesh - The forgotten Legendary women of Jammu & Kashmir' is the first consolidated account of over 5000 years of history of undivided J&K, comprising a research film and a research monograph. The film ‘Streedesh' was released earlier this year on the occasion of Women's Day by Indira Gandhi Centre for The Arts (IGNCA).