Mumbai: A City For Women

I have lived in Mumbai for almost a year now, and have found it to be quite a friendly city, especially for a woman living on her own. Mumbai is open-minded and welcoming to newcomers, and feels relatively safe to me; I can walk down the street after dark and get around easily. The Indian city also has a broad diversity of people. There is always something different going on and new events and interesting meet-ups to attend. I have been able to take full advantage of this and found it a great way to meet new friends and broaden my social circles.

Some great events in Mumbai for and about women are coming up and these include:

Women Entrepreneurs Summit

The Small and Medium Business Development Chamber of India seeks to empower Indian businesses and help them develop both in India and for global competition. To encourage and guide women who are establishing or have built their own businesses, it will hold the Women Entrepreneurs Summit in Mumbai in March. Being an entrepreneur can sometimes be lonely and very challenging, so this is a great opportunity for entrepreneurs from all industries to network and learn how to develop their business from experts.

Mumbai International Women’s Film Festival (MIWFF)

I love a good film festival! It is the best way to see a broad spectrum of innovative talent from the world of cinema in one place. This year for the first time, Mumbai will host the International Women’s Film Festival, elevating the little known world of women’s filmmaking to an international audience. Women in film are usually best known in front of the camera, but this Indian film festival highlights the talents of women as filmmakers. This isn’t a feminist event, but rather one that celebrates women in the arts.

MIWFF has three categories for short films, of which the first two are only open to female applicants. The Short Film category is open to films of less than 40 minutes; Documentary Film category allows the filmmaker to explain any topic of their interest. The third category is the Public Service Announcement, which like a long advertisement must be less than 90 seconds. So look out for May as the screens are taken over with a woman’s point of view.

ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup

The world of cricket is primarily a man’s domain, but from 31 January to February 17, the stadiums of Mumbai and Cuttack will be taken over by the Women’s World Cup. With a mixture of A and B class matches, there will be some great fielding across the three Mumbai stadiums that are involved. From MIG to Brabourne Stadium and the Mumbai Cricket Associations’ Bandra-Kurla Complex Ground, the matches span the length of Mumbai, providing easy access to spectators who want to see exactly what these women can do at this International cricket event.

I Can Women’s Half Marathon

Long-distance running is demanding and challenging and large marathons can be quite intimidating for anyone who is not an elite athlete.  This is one of the reasons that the I Can Women’s Half Marathon has been created as an event exclusive to women. This running event in India is aimed at raising awareness about social issues that are specific to women; includes education of the girls, women’s safety in public places and cervical cancer. With more than 2,000 runners expected to participate, any woman can join in.  For those like me, who don’t think they could run a half marathon, they can join in the Spirit Run (10 kilometres) or Fun Run (5 kilometres).

So regardless of whether you are sporty, interested in the arts or looking to build a business, there is plenty coming up in Mumbai for women over the next few months.

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