At the Bihar Chamber of Commerce in Patna, the room filled early. More than 300 participants—professionals, entrepreneurs, and community leaders—gathered with a shared purpose: to listen, to learn, and to speak about what it takes for women to move forward with confidence.
Organised by District 322E, the Shambhavi Women Symposium focused on the realities shaping women’s lives—health and wellness, safety, rights, digital awareness, and pathways to livelihood and entrepreneurship. In a region where many women still face barriers to education and opportunity, these conversations felt both necessary and timely.
The eminent speakers reflected a wide spectrum of experience. PID Virendra Luthra spoke from a leadership perspective, while the renowned obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr. Shanti Roy, the first female doctor from Bihar to be honoured with the Padma Shri award in medicine, brought valuable insights from over five decades of service to women’s health. Another Padma Shri recipient, social activist Sudha Varghese, added depth to the conversation with her inspiring address.
Harjot Kaur Bamhrah IAS, Chairperson-cum-Member of the Board of Revenue, Government of Bihar spoke about governance and rights, and voices like Dr. Maya Shankar, retired professor of history and former Head of the Department of History at Patna Women’s College, entrepreneurs Sajia Qaiser and Usha Jha enriched the discussions with their perspectives.
Each session added a layer to the larger picture—how awareness leads to agency, how access creates opportunity, and how confidence grows when women see pathways that feel within reach. The discussions were direct, practical, and rooted in lived realities rather than abstract ideas.
District Governor Pradeep Khetan and Lions of District 322E were present alongside non-Lions, reinforcing that this was a shared effort. The symposium did not position empowerment as a distant goal, but as something built step by step—through information, support systems, and visible role models.