Mid-Day

US First Lady Michelle Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry will honour the braveheart with the prestigious International Women of Courage Award for inspiring people to fight against gender-based violence on the International Women's Day tomorrow. "I always get teary eyed and have goosebumps whenever I recall the horrendous incident.

It was a deplorable incident and the girl was really courageous to fight against it till the end. "It's a great initiative by the US as it will give the incident it's requisite publicity. People in India are resilient and tend to forget things with time but such initiatives will enable us to freshen up our memory," Sonam said at an event here.

The Mumbai-based actress, who was in the Capital to announce the second edition of L'Oreal Paris Femina Women Awards 2013, criticised the security in Delhi.

"I have been in Delhi for the past six months and also have a long association with the place. I can walk on the roads alone in Mumbai at midnight but here in Delhi, it becomes unsafe even at 7:30 in the evening," she added.

Sonam believes illiteracy is the main reason behind such crimes. "Education and awareness are the two most important things in our society. So, we need to educate and encourage women first. Illiteracy is the biggest cause of such mindset," she said.