Maharashtra State Women’s Council centenary celebrations culminate with coffee-table book launch chronicling story of a welfare organisation with impressive staying power
The coffee-table book celebrates 100 years of MSWC’s existence
One of Mumbai’s oldest Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO), The Maharashtra State Women’s Council (MSWC) capped off its 100 year-celebrations recently. The outfit, which was started in 1919, and is currently 102 years old, launched a coffee-table book — Maharashtra State Women’s Council Centenary Book — celebrating 100 years of its existence.
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“We had a function in 2019 marking our 100 years, however, the pandemic put paid to all plans of events around that milestone. Though the outbreak has not ended, we finally launched our centenary book at our South Mumbai office at Town Hall on September 1,” said president Fatema Merchant.
Multiple projects
The book is a chronicle of the journey of MSWC. The uplifting catchphrase of their mission, ‘Empowering Lives since 1919’ is embodied through various projects under the MSCW umbrella. The organisation began as the Bombay Presidency Women’s Council, which today is the MSWC.
Merchant, who is the president of the organisation since the past two years, said, “Our book is a testimony to the years gone by. Even while marking a century, we also know that it is the present and the future that will define us. We have at least nine ongoing projects. One of these is Asha Sadan, which is a space in Dongri for abandoned children and destitute girls. There is Savera, which is a shelter for differently abled people in SoBo. This is for girls and boys and adults too. Here, we have weaving, yoga and dance classes, which work like therapy,” said Merchant, adding, “Because of the outbreak, guardians were unable to bring these people to Savera, which is located in South Mumbai. We moved some of these classes online.”
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Merchant also cited Asha Kiran as another Dongri project, “which is akin to a day care facility for street children.” One of the mainstays of the Council is, “volunteer members who are the drivers of the organisation and dedication, which is like the steering wheel giving this direction. Funds from Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives and individual donors comprise the fuel,” said the president. The MSCW has also moved with the times. One of the movers and shakers behind the project, Misbah Mitha said, “We also had an annual exhibition called Smart Mart that became a looked forward to fixture on the city’s burgeoning events calendar. It was a popular fund-raising initiative.”
Spirit shines through
Managing trustee Jayshree Kadambi, said, “We had marked 100 years in 2019 with a function at the Taj Mahal hotel. In fact, Taj has played host to so many of our fundraisers. This current book is the documentation of a century of service. The Coronavirus outbreak meant we could not release it earlier. It is a compilation of different landmarks for the MSWC. We have culled information and pictures from annual reports. The pandemic cut the speed of the efforts, as we could not go to the office as often as we should have. Designing and printing had to be done and it took a little longer because of the times we are in,” said Kadambi.
Immense sense of pride
The trustee claimed she felt an immense sense of “pride” at the launch and added, “I have two decades of association with the MSWC, and this was one among several memorable moments.” Kadambi claimed the organisation’s USP is its “transparency” and “we have at least 700 members out of which about 100 are very active.”
Kadambi, who is also chairperson of its Adoption project, said, “We are also looking forward to re-starting our Balwadi in Dharavi soon, which has been closed because of the outbreak.” In the end, trustee Ziya Maskati, 93, who had been working on the book, said it was a collective effort.
She added, “The book is a story not just about the organisation but about the people who make up MSWC. I believe funds/money will come, but it is the volunteers, the people power that is the life force of any welfare effort. In the book, even if rifling through it while idly sipping coffee and a biscotti, the reader will be struck by this human spirit that shines through.”
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