A platform for women entrepreneurs

Bengaluru Sankethi Mahila Samaja Trust (BSMST) will be organising the sixth edition of ‘Sankethi Utsav’. It is conducted biennially to provide a platform for women entrepreneurs. “Formerly, we started the initiative to provide a platform for those who run small businesses at home. Since it has grown in strength, we thought of using the reserves for providing education, medical funds to those in need,” shares Savithri Ramesh, Trustee, BSMST.

This year, they are planning to sponsor patients suffering from chronic diseases with the funds they will earn. The event was started exclusively for the women of the Sankethi community, but as a trust, Savithri notes, they decided to extend it to the general public.

“It is open to everybody; anyone who wants to showcase their products has a place at our Utsav,” she adds. The two-day event will have around eighty stalls put up; pottery, saris, tools for gardening, clothes - the utsav will have entrepreneurs selling many such items.

Also, big companies like Jagadale Industries, Jyothi Institute of Technology, Ganesh Diamonds will be participating. The trust will also conduct an ‘aarthi thatte alankara’ competition at the event. The trustee reasons, “We believe that along with providing a platform for small-scale ventures, our traditions have to be recognised. So, we conduct competitions relating to our traditions.”

‘Sankethi Utsav 2017’ saw a footfall of 7,500 people, and the trust expects more than 10,000 people to attend the event this year.

About BSMST

The trust was formed in the year 2008 with an objective to bring the community of Sankethi together.

Now, it has over 500 members. BSMST has taken up many social initiatives; they provide donations helping senior citizens, for education and medical purposes. Currently, they are
working on building a website for an online directory.

Event details

‘Sankethi Utsav’ will be held on January 5 and 6, from 9 am to 8 pm at Sri Chandrashekar Bharathi Kalyana Mantapa, Pampa Mahakavi Road, Shankarapuram.

Singers Indu Nagaraj and Lakshmi Nagaraj will present a light music concert on January 5 at 7 pm.

The ‘Arathi Thatte Alankara Competition’ will be conducted on January 6 at 11.30 am.