This year the celebration of International Women’s Day (March 8) in Indore, organised by the Rotary Club of Indore Royals, RID 3040, in collaboration with the World of Women (WoW) community, a vibrant, leading women’s organisation in the city, meant to be a memorable public image initiative for Rotary, got an added zing thanks to the meticulous planning and execution of the event.
The initiative was conceived by Yatti Arora, president of RC Indore Royals, a club with 35 members. She says that its thumping success was made possible by the efforts and hard work of many Rotarians coming together as a team.
To begin with WoW itself is a very vibrant organisation of women from all age groups and various backgrounds, and it has a huge social media presence. Yatti is a board member of that community and is well aware of its far-reaching work for the local community. “In WoW we’ve undertaken various social drives such as coming together to do welfare work like distributing sweaters, books and organising entertainment galas for hearing challenged and other disadvantaged people during festivals such as Holi, Diwali etc.”
One important initiative that WoW encourages and promotes is its members helping each other in supporting and upscaling the business initiatives of fellow women in the local community.
This joint collaboration between Rotary and WoW to celebrate Women’s Day resulted in the organisation of a large-scale women’s conclave titled Aarohi 2026 in Indore “to celebrate womanhood, encourage leadership and women’s business ventures, promote wellness, and create a strong network of empowered women across communities,” says Yatti.
The conclave saw enthusiastic participation from over 300 attendees, including Rotarians from various clubs in Indore, Dewas, Bhopal, Sonkatch, Nagda and Ujjain, non-Rotarians, women leaders, entrepreneurs and professionals, making it a vibrant platform for learning, sharing and fellowship.
The conclave aimed to celebrate womanhood, encourage leadership and women’s business ventures, promote wellness, and create a strong network of empowered women across communities.
Yatti explains that the idea was to celebrate various facets that contribute to the success, happiness and wellbeing of women, including their economic enterprises. To encourage women’s entrepreneurship, the event also featured business and lifestyle stalls where women entrepreneurs showcased and sold their products. This initiative provided a valuable platform for visibility, networking, and economic empowerment. “There was a fellowship and networking session, where participants connected informally while exploring women-led entrepreneurial stalls showcasing products and services.” This segment encouraged community bonding and provided women entrepreneurs with visibility and business opportunities.
Asked about the kind of business ventures run by the women who participated in this conclave, the club president says these stalls were manned by women running various ventures in health and wellness, jewellery, handicrafts, and so on. “We had focused on giving stalls mainly to women who have less exposure to the market as they don’t have their own shops, and sell their products only from home through some promotions on the social media. So we gave them an opportunity to display their wares at a big event like this conclave so that they get a higher visibility and a diverse audience.”
On the kind of response or marketing opportunities such women got, Yatti says that “more than the financial outcome or what they sold, they were very happy with the kind of attention and interest their products got. They were so enthused that their work was appreciated, and they got a huge morale booster.”
Different sessions at the conclave were made interactive to encourage discussions focusing on personal development, emotional intelligence, physical wellness, and leadership skills. In a panel discussion titled Junoon Aur Jazbe Ki Jeet (voices of experience, stories of strength) noted women leaders such as Monika Punjabi, Ishani Maheshwari and Komal Chaturvedi shared their leadership journeys, described how they overcame challenges, and urged the women in the audience to pursue their aspirations with confidence and embark on their journey with determination and resilience, which were bound to bring them success. The session was moderated by Rtn Rakesh Jain.
We had focused on giving stalls mainly to women who have less exposure to the market so that they get a higher visibility and a diverse audience.
— Yatti Arora
president, RC Indore Royals
In his address, relationship coach Vikas Choudhary shared practical insight on building meaningful relationships and effective communication. An interesting personality development and grooming session was conducted by Unnati Singh (a global beauty educator), focusing on personal presentation and styling tips.
A session on Pranic healing and meditation was conducted by healthcare expert Bhairavi Thakkar from Mumbai. It focused on mental wellness, emotional balance, and helped the participants to understand energy healing and emotional balance. A powerful storytelling session by Bhavna Pujara titled The Women’s Story highlighted the strength, resilience, and influence of women in shaping families and communities.
Where women are present, a culinary experience is a must; and the conclave did not disappoint! Talented chefs from Hotel Sayaji, Indore, hosted an interactive chef workshop, where participants learned creative recipes and took home some useful cooking tips.
Women achievers from diverse fields of education, business, and social service — both Rotarians and non-Rotarians — were honoured for their remarkable contributions to society, leadership, entrepreneurship and community service with awards. “This recognition served as a powerful reminder of Rotary’s commitment to celebrating and promoting women’s achievements,” says Yatti.
This initiative significantly strengthened Rotary’s public image and community engagement. The club’s efforts to get more women members into Rotary will get a boost from this event that got wide coverage in the local media.
Inaugurating the conclave, DG Sushil Malhotra urged women to pursue leadership, service and personal excellence with focus and seriousness. He said such a mega event bringing together Rotarians and non-Rotarians on one platform was bound to boost Rotary’s public image. His wife Ruby, assistant governor Kiran Ghumman and event chairperson Suruchi Malhotra participated.
Elated at the success of the event, Yatti said this was her dream project and from the time she became club president she wanted to celebrate an event that would highlight women’s empowerment, even while boosting Rotary’s public image. “When I shared the idea to organise such a celebration on International Women’s Day to PDG Ritu Grover, a member of our club, she encouraged me a lot and said if we do it properly, it will be a blast.”
Yatti is grateful to her for not only giving her encouragement and support “but also energy and confidence. I am a junior Rotarian having been in Rotary just for five years, but this was a very big project and total support from our PDG Ritu meant so much to me. She was so supportive that for 15 days prior to the event, we were all working in her office, sometimes even till 11pm.”
Apart from key conveners including Abha Anand, Rajendra Jain, Sunaina Khanna, Vineeta Shirdhonkar and Rakesh Jain, all Rotarians, the president thanked sponsors and supporters including Hotel Sayaji Indore, Equitas Small Finance Bank, Srijan Legal Solutions and TVS Garud.
The organisers were happy that throughout the event, the audience remained actively engaged through fun games, lucky draws, and interactive segments, creating a lively and inclusive atmosphere. But it was not all fun and levity; “through meaningful dialogue, recognition and celebration, the conclave exemplified Rotary’s mission of creating opportunities, building connections, and inspiring positive change in society and bringing together Rotarians and non-Rotarian community groups. This initiative significantly strengthened Rotary’s public image and community engagement and is an example of how collaborative leadership and service-driven vision can create meaningful social impact and inspire communities to grow together,” adds Yatti.
Above all she is happy that her club’s efforts to get more women members into Rotary will get a boost from this very visible event that got wide coverage in the local media.