Small steps make big changes 

Small steps make big changes 

Both big and small organisations across the globe are working for various causes like environment, women empowerment, education for the underprivileged and so on. Viman Nagar Women’s Club (VNWC) is one such organisation that has been undertaking various initiatives to bring about a change in society. 

VNWC is the brainchild of Bobby Karnani, who is the founder and president of the organisation. The other founder members include Minal Deshmukh, Madhu Hukmani, Indoo Agarwal, Sonali Saripalli, Geeta Jeswani, Keta Chheda, Rekha Yadav, Shalu Parihar and Anju Singh. VNWC, which is in its second year, was launched on September 10, 2017. It consists of around 11 founder members and more than 5,000 members. 

Karnani says, “For the past 14 years, I have been running my fashion boutiques  in Viman Nagar. However, I feel that a lot of talented women who are doing amazing work in their chosen fields do not have a platform to showcase their skill. Also I believe in the power of unity — when you come and work together, it makes a lot of difference. So I thought why can’t we make some kind of a club where the women can come and share their ideas and experiences. From there, we thought of bringing together all the women of Viman Nagar on a common platform where we could share each other’s work and help each other, and also contribute towards saving the environment. This was the thought behind starting Viman Nagar Women’s Club.”

Adding more, Jeswani, who manages the social media account of VNWC, says, “With the help of VNWC, I have come to know a lot of people and all the activities get easily coordinated through our WhatsApp group where we get instant replies. It is a great way of knowing things around.” 

Doing their own bit 
VNWC has undertaken various drives like sanitary pad distribution, cleaning and artwork drives, tree plantation and so on. These were undertaken to spread awareness of various social and environmental issues. Karnani says, “Walking around your neighbourhood if you feel the area needs to be safe and clean for your kids to play and elders to take a walk, you have to work towards it. So we started taking small steps. For instance, we planted trees, distributed sanitary pads among domestic help and so on. We aim at bridging the gap between the needy and the people who are willing to help.” 

Karnani, Jeswani and Saripalli, treasurer of VNWC, tell us more about the initiatives.


Talent hunt
The artwork drive is organised for children of various societies in Viman Nagar which help them explore their talent. It is generally conducted at Joggers Park in Viman Nagar. Telling us about it, Saripalli says, “We had spread the message of the drive through our WhatsApp group where around 3,000 ladies are connected. That was how we got kids from different societies on board. We segregated them in two groups based on their age and conducted drawing competitions.”

This drive is mostly conducted around Children’s Day. Till now, they have organised about five such artwork drives. 

Free Trees 
To fulfill the dream of Swachh Bharat, VNWC members embarked on this mission at Viman Nagar. This initiative was not just about picking trash but also about educating hawkers to maintain a dustbin near their stalls. Jeswani says, “Because of the stalls, we see many people littering the place by throwing waste. So we spoke to the stall holders and gave them big dustbins to collect the trash. Further, we cleaned the trees that had pamphlets and flyers pasted on them and repainted them. For the same, we received a good response.” 

She adds that since the drive, no flyers or advertisements have been pasted on the trees.  


Practising Yoga 
Minal Deshmukh is a yoga expert and conducts Yoga Diwas under VNWC. Telling us more, Saripalli says, “This session is specifically for women. Deshmukh teaches yoga and breathing exercises and also gives a few tips for maintaining good health. We conduct Yoga Diwas not only on International Yoga Day but also once in every two months. The intention is to take a step forward towards mental and physical wellbeing. At her session, Deshmukh touches upon every point important to maintain a balanced health in today’s age. For this initiative, we have two batches with 200 footfalls in each.” 


Women’s health  
For the past two years, VNWC has been organising pad drives every month. It was initiated with the intention of creating awareness of menstrual hygiene for which sanitary pads were distributed free of cost among domestic workers. 

This drive is conducted in apartment complexes with the help of their respective chairpersons and secretaries, and also in the neighbouring slums of Viman Nagar. Further, it is carried forward by the representatives of VNWC living in those societies. Jeswani says, “Gynaecologist Dr Geeta Borra accompanies us to give guidance on the benefits of menstrual hygiene. At times, we also provide medicines if necessary.” 


Planting saplings 
As part of World Environment Day initiatives, an extensive Plantation Programme was launched on February 25, 2018. VNWC involved students and administration heads of Symbiosis Institute and planted saplings along the road which were supplied by the municipal corporation. This was initiated to not only contribute to the environment, but also to take ahead and restore the eco balance with all seriousness. 

Saripalli says, “As part of this drive, we planted around 900 saplings. Till now, we conducted around four such drives, especially during the monsoon because it is easy to grow plants.” She adds that this drive was appreciated by the Forest Department officials. 

Plastic Warriors 
Speaking about the plastic drive, Karnani says, “We are associated with a group called Rudra Foundation that does the plastic drive every week in societies. We collect waste plastic from each home in a big box and send it for recycling. This way, VNWC controls the usage of plastic, leading towards a healthier environment.” 

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