Ruqayah B. Khayrattee Has Won Inspirational Women Achiever Award

Ruqayah B. Khayrattee Has Won Inspirational Women Achiever Award

• June 20, 2023

Ruqayah B. Khayrattee: A great example of quiet humility

Ruqayah B. Khayrattee is the Chief Editor of This Week News Mauritius. Her childhood was fraught with a serious illness to the extent of crippling her school life. For a couple of years, she dangled between life and death. She crawled, tumbled countlessly but never gave up. It’s been 15 years since she founded her weekly newspaper, now converted to an online media, thanks to her parents who believed in her cherished ambitions. She has bent over backward to help society, especially regarding the problem facing women and children.

Mother of two kids – a lovely boy and a cute little girl – Ruqayah devotes herself to various activities such as sports, cooking, reading and socializing while spending the rest of her time doing what she does best: writing, a dream that came true.

In order to inculcate her self-confidence to better manage her fragile health situation, Ruqayah launched the weekly newspaper in 2006 with the support of some friends in the profession. This opened up unlimited avenues for her, meeting with important personalities no less than the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.

In 2014, she seized the opportunity of technological development and set up an online version of the media. She currently runs the online news website informing her audience about current issues of general importance ranging from economic, social, political, environmental importance to sports and leisure.

Her specialty is to provide independent, well-balanced, newsworthy, reliable, well researched and credible online content. She gives voice to those who otherwise would be confined to their cocoons and sufferings in silence in the face of the inequalities in life. She brings their grief to the ears of the appropriate authorities for eventual intervention. She never trades ethical values which form the basis of a successful media.

Ruqayah prides herself on being flexible and adaptable. She believes that the best way of planning for the future is to make the most of the present. She is intent upon thriving for her continuing professional development through innovation and productivity as well as acquiring and refining new skills with a view to consolidating her portfolio of multi-tasking experience.

She has always been bent on the concept of freedom from any influence. She wanted to earn her living independently and without the rigid framework of an office and a boss. In the course of time, she realized that she could be the light with the potential of changing the lives of others in significant ways.

Ruqayah had no entrepreneurial background. Her parents were in the government service. With her childhood health problem, she gradually gained experience. She got her full capacity practice sports and educate herself in a manner to bring her to the level of having her own newspaper enterprise thanks to her efforts and perseverance to succeed in life. Being a wife and a mum is no easy task; yet, she managed to keep a balance with strict discipline and organization.

She recently started committing herself to the cause of women. She is pooling resources around a women’s group with a view to finding ways and means to alleviating the pains and suffering of vulnerable women, gender issues and relationship problems leading to divorce and broken families. With her news media and innovative approach, she intends to arouse awareness on such issues and offer a platform where women have a voice in bringing about change for a better society.

From an uncertain life expectation to a nearly fulfilled entrepreneur, despite odds and challenges, her journey has been a rewarding one. She has a feeling of accomplishment and that’s her biggest satisfaction: She is her own boss. She takes full control of her business and her personal life, at her own pace. Thus, with ample opportunity to enjoy quality life.

Being a woman entrepreneur is, to say the least, challenging. Taboos associated with your commitment coupled with gender issues and unwarranted and unsolicited remarks make it all the more complicated. Patience and perseverance are the key, one has to be prepared to face whatever comes one’s way. Embrace failures, there will be many along the way, learn from them and adjust the sail where necessary.

Last but not least, Ruqayah B. Khayrattee believes that the Women Excellence Award is a reward for her perseverance and the sacrifice of her parents and their trust in her capacity although the world almost gave up on her, saying she wouldn’t survive. She seizes this opportunity to thank Women Icon powered by Times Women for giving her the opportunity to highlight her worth. I wish them success.