2025
International Women’s Day 2025 Celebrated at ARCI – #AccelerateAction
ARCI observed International Women’s Day (IWD) 2025 on March 11, 2025, at the GSB Seminar Hall (GSBSH) in solidarity with the global theme #AccelerateAction and the UN 2025 theme “For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.” The event highlighted ARCI’s commitment to promoting gender equality, inclusivity, and empowerment of women in science and society.
The program was organized with the kind consent of Dr. R. Vijay, Director, ARCI, and witnessed enthusiastic participation from ARCI employees, project scientists, contract staff, and students. The celebration served as a platform to recognize the achievements and contributions of women and to inspire collective action toward a more equitable workplace and society.
The morning session commenced with a group photo and hi-tea, followed by the inaugural ceremony with lamp lighting. Dr. Malobika Karanjay, Presiding Officer, ICC, delivered the welcome address. Schedule of programs moderated by Ms. Swarna and Dr.Atira. Messages and addresses were delivered by Dr. R. Vijay, Director, ARCI (online), Shri D. Srinivas Rao, Associate Director, ARCI, and Dr. P. K. Jain, Associate Director, ARCI, emphasizing institutional support for women’s empowerment and gender equity.
Dr. Mamatha Raghuveer Achanta, Director of TARUNI–NGO and External Member, ICC, delivered the keynote address, sharing insights on women’s rights, equality, and empowerment.
The highlight of the event was the talk by Ms. Mangala Mani Nalli, Former Scientist, NRSC–ISRO, who served as the Chief Guest. Fondly known as the “Polar Woman” for being the first female ISRO scientist to live for over a year in Antarctica, she shared her inspiring journey and experiences, motivating participants to pursue excellence and resilience in their careers.
A Felicitation Ceremony was planned to honor ARCI Women Achievers and the distinguished guests for their outstanding contributions. The morning session concluded with a vote of thanks and the National Anthem, followed by a lunch hosted at the VIP Dining Hall, ARCI.
The afternoon session featured an interactive program exclusively for women employees, project scientists, contract staff, and students. The session provided an engaging platform for dialogue, sharing experiences, and fostering a supportive community among women at ARCI.
The celebration of International Women’s Day 2025 at ARCI reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to accelerating action toward gender equality and empowering women in science, technology, and beyond.
2024
International Women’s Day Celebrations at ARCI
Internal Committee (IC), ARCI., Hyderabad organized the International Women's Day (IWD) at ARCI 08th March, 2024,and it was celebrated with great enthusiasm and aplomb.
The IWD celebrations at ARCI commenced with an event called ‘Ideathon –Inspiring to Innovate’ organized in-line with the UN theme :“Invest in women, Accelerate progress”.”. This event aimed to encourage researchers and scholars to pitch their ideas for start-ups that would either be be "by her", "for her" or "with her".The event witnessed a great collaboration between men and women who formed 6 teams and pitched their innovative ideas. Ideathon was well-received by everyone and attractive prizes were given away to all the participant as a token of encouragement. It was the first of its kind event organized at ARCI. Dr. Zahoorulla S, Chief Innovation Officer ALEAP & Atal Innovation Centre, Hyderabad was invited as the expert to the event and he also delivered an insightful talk on ‘Various Schemes available for start-ups and Encouraging Entrepreneurship’
The Inaugural Proceeding of the IWD commenced after the Ideathon event. Ms. Priya A. Mathews, Member Secretary IC welcomed the gathering and Dr. Neha Hebalkar, Presiding officer IC, delivered the opening speech. Dr. Tata Narasinga Rao, Director, ARCI and Associate Director Shri. D. Srinivasa Rao also addressed the gathering and extended their best wishes on the Occasion of International Women’s day, to all the women working at ARCI.
Dr. Prabhjot Kaur, Co-Founder Estimoto Solutions Pvt Ltd., the Chief guest delivered a very insightful lecture on “Challenging fears towards better future: Perspective from Woman’s Life”.She also shared very inspiring anecdotes from her personal experience as a women and the challenges she faced as an entrepreneur and how to navigate the way forward. The talk was open to both the genders and was well-received.
The women achievers of ARCI for the year 2023-24 were presented with a memento by the Chief Guest and Director of ARCI. Mrs. V. Uma, Technical Officer E, was felicitated for her remarkable 33 years of service to ARCI. AIC also extended a warm welcome to Ms. K. S. Athira, who recently joined ARCI. The inaugural programme concluded with Dr. Neha delivering the Vote of Thanks.
An interactive cultural session for the women of ARCI was organized by the AIC in the later part of the day in which all the women participated whole-heartedly.