By Sachin Murdeshwar

Mumbai: The 32nd edition of the highly acclaimed Women Entrepreneurs’ Exhibition organised by the Ladies’ Wing of the IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry opened today in the city. This much-awaited event on Mumbai’s social calendar presented a wide and varied canvas of exquisitely designed apparel, bespoke jewellery, lifestyle, personal care, gourmet products and home décor accessories, meticulously curated in accordance with stringent quality standards set by the IMC Ladies’ Wing Exhibition Committee. A special Wedding Lounge was a new addition to this very popular event, with a range of products and services to help create a dream wedding. In keeping with the IMC Ladies’ Wing’s tradition of philanthropy great attention also continued to be given to NGO’s serving worthy causes and a wedding registry that allows couples to choose worthy charities for their guests to donate to, in lieu of wedding gifts was also introduced.

Bollywood superstar Kajol was the guest of honour at the event. Chitrangda Singh showed her support to the cause of women empowerment and inaugurated the stunning wedding lounge, supported by a host of notable names from Mumbai society. Celebrity designers Rhea Pillai and Ramola Bachchan were among the first timers showing their products at the exhibition along with a host of talented women entrepreneurs. Participants were ably guided in their efforts by the President of the Ladies’ Wing of the IMC, Vanita Bhandari, Vice President Anuja Mittal, Surbhi Ghatlia, Chairperson of the Exhibition Committee, and her entire team. Special Advisor Kokilaben Ambani and an eminent advisory board of accomplished entrepreneurs, Ms. Anita Dongre, Ms. Avni Biyani, Ms. Deepali Goenka, Ms. Rashmi Uday Singh lent their valuable time towards ensuring the event was a great success.

The magnificent décor created by Larly Bahl highlighted President Vanita Bhandari’s chosen focus for the exhibition ‘Supporting Sustainability’. A stunning Tree of Life, formed the backdrop of the opening ceremony for the event, symbolizing the spirit of enterprise. When the seed of talent and ambition is planted in soil made fertile by passion and commitment, a tree grows tall and stately, spreading its branches far and wide, and bearing rich fruit. This central installation celebrates the wonder of entrepreneurship that the exhibition is all about while amplifying the theme of sustainability. “All the participants are great home-grown entrepreneurs with interesting and innovative products to offer. Their efforts to use more sustainable materials and eco-friendly packaging is truly commendable and an inspiration to us all,” says Avni Biyani, Concept Head, Foodhall.

“The exhibition began 32 years ago, with just 20-30 participants. It was held at the IMC building and has grown exponentially year after year to now being held at the Dome, one of the largest exhibition venues, not only in Mumbai but across India. 240 participants have been chosen out of 600 close competitors from across the length and breadth of the country and also from Dubai and Hong Kong, and there are several first timers as well” says Surabhi Ghatlia, Chairperson of the Exhibition Committee, narrating the history of an event that has drawn support from the biggest names in industry and grown consistently over the years to become one of the most coveted and prestigious platforms for home entrepreneurs across the country.

A heartfelt rendition of the national anthem and Rabindranath Tagore’s poem “Let my country awake” by the children from Salaam Bombay directed by Raell Padamsee’s Create Foundation at the inaugural ceremony was a call for unity and pride in the country that left a lump in the audiences’ throats as it was rendered so evocatively by these challenged children.

“NGO’s play a great role in nation building. Through the exhibition we bring attention and offer support to worthy causes like women empowerment, education and child betterment, career advancement and development of enterprise for women. Visitors can learn about and contribute to these causes by purchasing products from the stalls in the NGO segment,” says Ms. Anuja Mittal, Vice President of the IMC Ladies’ Wing, highlighting another consistent focus of the organisation.

President Vanita Bhandari’s mission as she takes the helm of the IMC Ladies’ Wing, is for women to take the next big step and be entrepreneurs on the world stage. “Not a day should be lost in the race towards gender parity,” says Vanita Bhandari. “As Hillary Clinton says, “Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world.”  We have an untapped reservoir of half-a-billion people in our country. Let’s tap it and see how the very face of India changes. Me: The Change-maker is our mantra for the year. Each one of us can make change happen in our daily actions, at home or at work or wherever we may be.”

“Becoming an entrepreneur is exhilarating, empowering and liberating. Let’s salute and support the entrepreneurs finding their wings with a little help from the Ladies’ Wing,” she says. “There’s no reason why a woman can be as good as a man in these areas. All she needs is help from experts and a little push out of her comfort zone,” she concludes.

The IMC Ladies’ Wing Women Entrepreneurs’ Exhibition 2019, takes place on August 21 and 22 at NSCI Dome, SVP Stadium.