Mumbai (Maharashtra): Women from all parts of Mumbai got together for a series of events under the banner of Adventure Women India EXPO 2022 with activities ranging from a beach clean-up, a flea market for entrepreneurs to an interactive day in the company of some of most famous and decorated mountaineers and explorers in the Worland the international Mountain film Festival of BANFF from Canada. Members of an inspiring community exclusively for women, Adventure Women India (AWI) got together to remove 212 kgs of garbage off the Mahim Reti Bunder. The collected plastic, cloth, rubber etc thrown on the beach by the waves was gathered and cleaned and sent for recycling. The effort was led by the Plogman of India, Ripu Daman Bevli who showed the enthusiastic ladies how to change their habits to be more eco-friendly. While speaking about the damages of single use plastics and the impact of consumerism he said,” Even if we end up wearing a dress of any piece of garment for years, do we ever wonder where it goes after we throw it away? There is a need to be aware of how fast fashion impacts environment and also to look for alternatives for single use plastics. I have taken a ‘Plastic Upwas’ and I have sworn to cut out or minimise use of plastics from my life.”
After the beach clean-up the action shifted to the Himalayan Fest organised by The Himalayan Club in association with AWI. Mountaineers and avid trekkers thronged at the Raje Shivaji Vidyalaya for talks by men and women who have been conquering peaks all across the world. The event was attended by the cream of the mountaineering world with likes of president of Indian Mountaineering Foundation, Dr Harshwanti Bisht gracing the occasion and some of the most famous and decorated mountaineers and explorers in the world. Wg Cdr Sudhir Krishna Kutty, honorary secretary of The Himalayan Club and an experienced mountaineer with the Mt Everest featuring multiple times in his list of conquered peaks, called this occasion a perfect opportunity for women of AWI to be inspired by the best in the world by watching the success stories of the adventure world and listing to their experiences.
A talk exploring the rise of the woman traveller was organised by AWI and moderated by senior editor of NDTV Anjilee Istwal. Minal Mathur, co-founder of AWI said, “This was most suitable platform for us to highlight the phenomenon of women now coming out on their own and making a mark in the travel and adventure space. With greater financial power being vested in women, they are grasping control of their lives and making their own travel and spending decisions. We at AWI have seen the Indian woman grow into an avid traveller and have enabled her to access the best options to travel in the most safe and secure manner.”
AWI also organised a flea market on the side lines of the Himalayan Fest which was primarily meant to help support the young female entrepreneurs of the Mumbai Chapter of AWI. These entrepreneurs offering products ranging from eco-friendly sanitary napkins to yummy goodies like brownies and organic Gir cow Ghee, displayed their products and connected with potential buyers and distributers. The evening ended with an international film festival with presentation of films and documentaries about mountain culture, sports, environment and adventure & exploration. This festival was curated by the BANFF Centre for Arts and Creativity from Canada. It is one of the world’s pre-eminent mountain festivals. Climbers, filmmakers, writers, and photographers from all over the world now recognize Banff as the key event in their mountain community; sharing stories with fellow mountaineers and armchair adventurers alike is a coveted privilege.
