HINJEWADI, PUNE — August 2026 — This Durga Puja, Oitijhyo Sarbojonin Cultural Association is turning the spotlight toward the women who quietly shape the communities around them with 51 Nari Shakti — an initiative inviting women from Hinjewadi Phase 2, Hinjewadi Phase 3, Maan, Marunji and nearby areas to share stories that rarely reach a stage, but influence families, workplaces and neighbourhoods every day.

Some women lead from a stage. Others lead from a kitchen table, balancing careers, homes, ageing parents and countless responsibilities before the day has properly begun.

Some have rebuilt their lives after setbacks. Some have found their voices later in life. Others have carried their families through difficult periods without ever describing what they did as extraordinary.

This Durga Puja, Oitijhyo Sarbojonin Cultural Association wants those women to be seen and heard — not simply as symbols of strength, but as individuals whose journeys have shaped the people and communities around them.

"Do not just worship Shakti. Recognise her."

The initiative is designed around a simple idea: every woman has a story of strength, and not every story needs to involve a public achievement to deserve recognition.

51 Women. 51 Stories. One Oitijhyo.

The number 51 represents the starting point of a much larger conversation.

Durga is worshipped through many forms, and Shakti cannot be represented by a single image or definition. It can be found in the entrepreneur who started again after failure, the mother who returned to work after years away, the teacher who influenced generations of children, or the homemaker whose invisible labour keeps an entire family moving.

It can also be found in the young woman building an independent life in a new city, the daughter caring for ageing parents, the senior citizen beginning something new, or the girl still learning to trust her own voice.

Through 51 Nari Shakti, the Association aims to document and celebrate 51 women from the communities surrounding Hinjewadi. Each story will be different, reflecting different generations, professions, cultures and experiences.

Together, these stories will create a portrait of modern womanhood in a neighbourhood where people from different cities and backgrounds have come together to build new lives.

Read the full 51 Nari Shakti story on Oitijhyo Sarbojonin

Strength Rarely Looks Dramatic

The campaign is not limited to award winners, founders, senior executives or public personalities.

Success is certainly one form of strength. But strength can also look like starting over, caring for someone, overcoming hesitation, making an unpopular decision, pursuing an unfinished dream or simply refusing to give up.

A woman may have changed careers at forty. She may have raised a child alone, started a small business from home, returned to education or learned a skill she once believed was beyond her reach.

She may have moved to Hinjewadi without knowing anyone. She may have recovered from a personal setback, supported another woman through a difficult period, created something meaningful in the middle of an ordinary life or quietly held her family together through a challenging year.

The story does not have to be extraordinary. It simply has to be real.

That is the spirit behind 51 Nari Shakti.

From Being Visible to Being Heard

Women are already deeply visible during Durga Puja.

They organise cultural programmes, coordinate children, manage costumes, prepare bhog, welcome visitors, decorate venues and handle countless details that keep celebrations running smoothly.

But being visible does not necessarily mean being recognised.

For Oitijhyo Sarbojonin Cultural Association, Nari Shakti is intended to be more than a decorative theme alongside the celebration. It is about creating space for women to speak, participate, lead and have their experiences remembered.

The 51 stories will provide women with an opportunity to share their journeys in their own words.

One woman may speak about ambition. Another may speak about sacrifice. Someone may talk about motherhood, reinvention, friendship, identity or courage. Another may describe the difficult decision to begin again after years of putting herself last.

No two journeys will look alike.

And that difference is exactly what makes the collection meaningful.

A Growing Neighbourhood Needs Shared Stories

Hinjewadi Phase 2 and Phase 3, along with Maan and Marunji, have become home to people who arrived with different ambitions and circumstances.

Some came for a career. Others came after marriage. Some built businesses, started families or moved to the area seeking a second chance.

Behind apartment doors, office entrances, schools and local businesses are women carrying experiences that their own neighbours may never hear.

One woman might lead a corporate team during the day while caring for an elderly parent at night.

Another may have paused a successful career to raise a child and now be preparing to return to professional life.

Someone may be building a business from her dining table. Someone else may be experiencing her first Durga Puja away from the city or family she once called home.

In a rapidly growing locality, it is possible to live close to hundreds of people without truly knowing their stories.

51 Nari Shakti aims to change that — one story at a time.

Whose Stories Are We Looking For?

There is no single definition of a Nari Shakti story.

Oitijhyo Sarbojonin Cultural Association is inviting stories from women across generations, professions and backgrounds, including:

• Working professionals and entrepreneurs
• Homemakers and caregivers
• Artists, teachers and community volunteers
• Students and first-generation graduates
• Senior citizens with decades of lived experience
• Women who changed careers or rebuilt their lives
• Women creating social impact
• Women whose everyday courage often goes unnoticed

The campaign recognises that every journey does not have to end with a trophy, promotion or public achievement.

Some stories may be joyful. Some may be difficult. Some may be quiet and deeply personal. Others may inspire another woman who has been waiting for the right moment to take her own first step.

The goal is not to find one definition of strength. It is to discover the many ways strength exists within the community.

More Than a Festival Campaign

51 Nari Shakti is intended to go beyond a traditional festival activity.

The purpose is not simply to collect photographs or publish flattering introductions. The initiative seeks to create a living record of the women shaping the community around Oitijhyo Sarbojonin.

The stories may be presented through written profiles, short videos, social media features, stage conversations and a special installation during Durga Puja.

Visitors will have the opportunity to encounter not only the traditional image of the goddess, but also the voices of women living around them.

It could be the neighbour who helped another family through a crisis.

It could be the colleague whose personal journey nobody had ever asked about.

It could be the mother whose dreams continued even as her responsibilities grew.

Or it could be a young woman preparing to become the first person in her family to enter a new profession.

This is Shakti in its most human form.

Every community has powerful women. It is time we learned their names.

51 Is Only the Beginning

There are far more than 51 stories within Hinjewadi and its neighbouring communities.

The number is not intended to establish a limit. It is a beginning.

Fifty-one women will represent hundreds more whose experiences remain untold, undocumented or simply unheard.

Nari Shakti has no single age, profession, language, appearance or definition. It can be bold or gentle, public or deeply private. It can be found in moments of achievement as well as moments of survival, responsibility, compassion and reinvention.

The word Oitijhyo speaks of heritage. But heritage is not only something inherited from the past. It is also something communities choose to create for the future.

Through 51 Nari Shakti, Oitijhyo Sarbojonin Cultural Association hopes to build a tradition where women are not celebrated only as symbols during a few festival days.

They are heard as individuals, respected as decision-makers, remembered as community builders and recognised for the strength they carry throughout the year.

Share or Nominate a Story

A woman can share her own story, or a family member, friend, colleague or neighbour can nominate someone whose journey deserves to be recognised.

The story can be about what she overcame, what she created, what she learned, what she refused to give up, or what she would tell another woman standing at the same crossroads where she once stood.

Women from Hinjewadi Phase 2, Hinjewadi Phase 3, Maan, Marunji and nearby communities are encouraged to step forward and share their stories.

Share a story. Nominate a woman. Help the community recognise the Shakti that is already around us.

Submit or explore the 51 Nari Shakti initiative