Events Calendar

CII IWN Chandigarh Chapter × Young Indians Chandigarh | Six-Session Financial Literacy Series

Financial Fridays is a collaborative financial literacy initiative designed to help women develop greater awareness, confidence, and practical understanding of personal finance and wealth creation.

The six-session series brings together CII IWN Chandigarh Chapter, Young Indians Chandigarh, host educational institutions, and financial experts to create accessible learning opportunities for women and students.

The initiative is built around a simple but powerful idea: meaningful impact does not always require significant resources—it can begin with institutions and individuals sharing what they already have.

Collaborative Learning Model

The first two sessions of the series were hosted by educational institutions that opened their doors to the initiative and welcomed both their students and members of the participating organisations.

• Dass & Brown Experiential Learning School, Panchkula — hosted the inaugural session in July.
• Sri Guru Gobind Singh College, Sector 26 — hosted the second session in August.

The collaboration allowed the programme to reach a wider audience by bringing together women professionals, community members, and students in a shared learning environment.

The model demonstrated how partnerships between professional networks and educational institutions can extend the reach of financial literacy initiatives without requiring significant additional infrastructure or resources.

Knowledge & Mentorship

The sessions feature Vijender Singh Bachhal, CPA, CA, RV, who has generously contributed his expertise and time to the series.

The engagement has been particularly encouraging, with participants actively asking questions, staying back for discussions after sessions, and returning for subsequent sessions—reflecting a genuine interest in developing stronger financial awareness and capabilities.

The Team Behind the Initiative

The success of Financial Fridays has been supported by the dedicated efforts of the Thought Leadership Vertical of CII IWN Chandigarh Chapter, including:

• Minni L Pushpakar
• Shweta Nagpal
• Esha Mohindru
• Shivani Ghosh
• Deepika Thakral
• Pooja Dhunna

The team has worked across multiple aspects of programme execution, including registration and attendance management, participant coordination, refreshments, audio-visual arrangements, online participation, and member outreach.

The initiative has also received strong support from Sakshi Katyal, Chapter Chairperson, who backed the series from its inception, and Dr. Lipi Pathak, whose opening remarks helped set the tone for the August session.

What Makes Financial Fridays Different?

🤝 Collaboration Over Competition
The programme demonstrates how organisations can collectively create greater impact by sharing infrastructure, expertise, networks, and resources.

📚 Accessible Financial Learning
The sessions aim to make financial concepts more approachable and relevant, creating a space where participants can ask questions and engage openly.

👩‍🎓 Connecting Women & Students
By bringing community members and students into the same learning environment, the initiative encourages intergenerational financial awareness and knowledge exchange.

🌱 Learning Through Continuity
Rather than being a one-time awareness programme, Financial Fridays is structured as a six-session journey, allowing participants to progressively build their understanding.

Reflection

The first two sessions have reinforced the value of collective action and community-led learning.

When educational institutions make their spaces available, experts contribute their knowledge, organisations bring their networks together, and volunteers contribute their time and effort, the collective impact can go far beyond what any one organisation could achieve independently.

With four sessions still to go, Financial Fridays continues its journey towards creating greater financial awareness and confidence among women.

Programme Themes

• Financial Literacy
• Personal Finance
• Wealth Creation
• Financial Awareness for Women
• Financial Confidence
• Community Learning
• Women Empowerment
• Collaborative Leadership
• Intergenerational Learning
• Financial Independence

Attended a Hands-on AI Workshop organised by the CII IWN Chandigarh Chapter and conducted by Rocky Jagtiani, focused on moving beyond the conventional approach of learning AI tools and prompts towards understanding how AI can be applied to solve real-world business and professional problems.

As someone working in AI training, AI governance, responsible AI adoption, and AI consulting, the workshop offered a particularly valuable perspective. Rather than presenting Artificial Intelligence as a collection of tools or a set of prompts to memorise, the session consistently returned to a more fundamental question:

“What problem are we trying to solve, and is AI actually the right way to solve it?”

This problem-first approach was one of the most valuable aspects of the workshop.

Practical, Hands-on Learning

The session stood out for its strong emphasis on learning by doing. Participants brought their own real-world materials and challenges—including sales reports, financial data, contracts, and business problems—and worked through them using AI during the workshop.

This approach demonstrated how AI can move from being an interesting technology to becoming a practical productivity enabler when applied to the right problem.

The workshop focused particularly on:

• Identifying suitable AI use cases
• Applying AI to real business problems
• Working with business and financial data
• Analysing reports and documents
• Exploring AI-assisted productivity
• Using AI to support business decision-making
• Moving from experimentation to practical implementation

Key Takeaways

🎯 Start With the Problem, Not the Tool
One of the strongest lessons was that effective AI adoption begins by clearly defining the problem. Not every problem requires AI, and selecting the right technology should follow an understanding of the actual business need.

🛠️ Learn by Applying
Hands-on experimentation with participants' own data and challenges made the learning immediately relevant. Instead of hypothetical demonstrations, the workshop showed how AI can be applied to situations professionals encounter in their everyday work.

📈 Focus on Productivity and Outcomes
The emphasis remained on tangible outcomes—saving time, reducing manual effort, improving analysis, and enabling professionals to work more effectively—rather than AI for the sake of AI.

🧠 AI Requires a Change in Thinking
The workshop reinforced that meaningful AI adoption is not simply about learning new software. It requires a shift in how we approach problems, workflows, information, and decision-making.

Reflection

What made the workshop particularly valuable was the ability to observe how complex AI concepts can be translated into simple, practical, and immediately usable learning experiences.

Rocky Jagtiani's engaging delivery, clarity of explanation, practical demonstrations, and ability to connect AI concepts with real-world business situations made the session both intellectually stimulating and highly actionable.

For me, the session reinforced an important principle in AI adoption:

The goal is not to use more AI tools. The goal is to solve better problems with the right use of AI.

Key Themes

• Hands-on Artificial Intelligence
• AI for Business
• AI Productivity
• Problem-First AI Adoption
• AI Training & Upskilling
• Business Use Cases
• Data & Document Analysis
• Digital Transformation
• Responsible AI Adoption
• Future of Work
• AI for Entrepreneurs and Professionals

Participated in and contributed to the Industrial Immersion & Leadership Dialogue at the Badali Manufacturing Unit of Active Clothing Co. Ltd., an initiative driven by the Thought & Leadership Vertical of CII IWN Chandigarh Chapter in collaboration with Young Indians Chandigarh.

The programme offered a valuable opportunity to move beyond theoretical discussions on leadership and gain first-hand exposure to real-world manufacturing, operational excellence, people management, and business leadership.

The industrial visit provided an inside view of a large-scale manufacturing operation employing more than 3,000 people, producing a diverse range of products including sweaters and footwear for global brands such as Adidas. With approximately 70% of production dedicated to exports, the facility offered an insightful perspective on India's role in global manufacturing and supply chains.

Leadership Dialogue

The highlight of the programme was an engaging leadership conversation with Kalika Mehra, COO, and Avinisha Gupta, VP, Active Clothing Co. Ltd.

Their experiences of building and leading within a traditionally male-dominated manufacturing environment offered candid insights into the realities of leadership, credibility, decision-making, people management, and carrying forward a family-built enterprise.

Key Leadership Takeaways

📚 Learning Is a Continuous Journey
Leadership does not come with a point of completion. The strongest leaders remain curious, continue learning, and stay open to evolving with changing circumstances.

🗣️ Let Your Work Speak
Being underestimated can become an opportunity to demonstrate capability through results. A leader does not need to have every answer on day one—but must have the confidence, ownership, and commitment to deliver.

🏆 Credibility Is Earned
In a traditionally male-dominated sector, names and positions may influence initial perceptions, but lasting credibility comes from integrity, consistency, competence, and quality of work.

👂 Listen More, Speak Less
One of the most powerful leadership lessons was the importance of listening. Strong leaders create an environment where junior team members feel safe enough to challenge decisions, provide honest feedback, and point out when something may have gone wrong. Equally important is the humility to listen and accept that feedback.

🤝 People & Culture Come First
Sustainable business success extends beyond processes and operational efficiency. It is built on relationships, transparency, trust, and a culture where people feel valued and empowered.

Legacy Meets Innovation

A particularly inspiring aspect of the conversation was the approach to carrying forward a family legacy.

The objective is not simply to preserve what has been built by previous generations, but to build upon that foundation through innovation, greater efficiency, adaptability, and authenticity.

This perspective offered an important lesson in leadership succession: respecting legacy while remaining willing to evolve is essential for creating institutions and businesses that remain relevant across generations.

Reflection

The experience reinforced the value of learning directly from people who are navigating real leadership challenges every day.

Industry immersions such as this create a bridge between leadership concepts and real-world execution—allowing participants to observe how decisions, people, culture, operations, innovation, and business strategy come together in practice.

I am grateful to Shail Sachdev and Minni L Pushpakar for conceptualising this initiative, and to the entire Thought & Leadership Vertical of CII IWN Chandigarh Chapter, under the leadership of Sakshi Katyal and Dr. Lipi Pathak, for thoughtfully curating and executing the programme.

Key Themes

• Industrial Immersion
• Leadership Development
• Women in Leadership
• Women in Manufacturing
• Operational Excellence
• People & Culture
• Building Credibility
• Leadership Through Listening
• Innovation & Efficiency
• Family Business & Succession
• Legacy and Future
• Learning Through Industry Engagement

Contributed to the Rise & Lead workshop as part of the Thought & Leadership Vertical of CII IWN Chandigarh Chapter—an immersive leadership-development experience bringing together women leaders committed to personal growth, self-awareness, and meaningful impact.

The initiative was led by Shail Sachdev and Minni L Pushpakar, under the chairmanship of Sakshi Katyal and Dr. Lipi Pathak, and featured powerful perspectives from leadership coaches, facilitators, psychologists, and gender-parity advocates.

Key Conversations

Dr. Geeta Kumar, Leadership Coach, Facilitator, and Gender Parity Advocate, explored the often-invisible systemic patterns that can influence women's leadership journeys through the framework of the 4 Ds:

• Deter — discouraging women from pursuing opportunities or taking risks
• Diminish — undermining their authority, capability, or achievements
• Decorate — valuing women primarily for symbolic or representational roles
• Divide — creating competition or separation rather than solidarity

The discussion highlighted how these patterns can operate not only in workplaces but also within broader social and personal environments.

Nirupama Subramanian, Founder of Powerfulife Solutions, Leadership Coach, TEDx Speaker, and author of POWERFUL: The Indian Woman's Guide to Unlocking Her Full Potential, introduced her Six Feminine Powers Model—a framework drawing upon Indian feminine archetypes:

🪷 Kanya — The Good Girl
⚔️ Veera — The Rebel Warrior
💃 Apsara — The Charming Influencer
👑 Rani — The Noble Queen
🤱 Ma — The Nurturing Caregiver
📖 Rishika — The Wise Seeker

The central insight was that leadership power does not come from choosing one identity over another, but from recognising and consciously activating different strengths according to the situation.

Key Takeaways

1. Recognising Power Blocks
Understanding the subtle ways in which women can be deterred, diminished, decorated, or divided is an important first step towards challenging these patterns.

2. Embracing the Six Feminine Powers
Effective leadership can draw upon multiple dimensions of strength—from courage and influence to wisdom, nurturing, and authority. The opportunity lies in developing balance rather than conforming to a single leadership stereotype.

3. Awareness → Alignment → Action
The workshop offered a simple framework for intentional leadership growth:

Know yourself → Align with your goals → Take bold, consistent action.

4. Challenging Limiting Beliefs
The conversations encouraged participants to question beliefs such as “I need to be liked,” “I must be perfect,” and “I have to do everything alone”—and replace them with more empowering ways of thinking and leading.

5. Turning Self-Awareness into Leadership Practice
The workshop connected inner development with practical leadership capabilities, including building influence, developing networks, taking calculated risks, setting meaningful goals, and nurturing high-performing teams.

Reflection

The experience was more than a leadership workshop—it was an opportunity for reflection.

It reinforced the idea that leadership is not about becoming someone else; it is about recognising, owning, and consciously developing the strengths that already exist within us.

The closing reflection captured the spirit of the experience:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”

Rise & Lead was ultimately a reminder that women stepping into leadership is not only about individual advancement—it is about creating spaces where more women can grow, lead, support one another, and create meaningful impact.

Key Themes

• Women in Leadership
• Leadership Development
• Gender Parity
• Self-Awareness & Personal Growth
• Leadership Mindset
• Limiting Beliefs
• Influence & Executive Presence
• Power and Leadership
• Networking & Risk-Taking
• Women Supporting Women
• Thought Leadership

Attended an inspiring panel discussion on “Healing from Within: The Science of Functional Nutrition”, hosted by the CII IWN Chandigarh Chapter, exploring how nutrition, oral health, hormonal health, emotional well-being, and everyday lifestyle choices are interconnected.

Moderated by Ms. Sakshi Katyal, Chairperson, and Dr. Lipi Pathak, Co-Chair, the session brought together experts from functional medicine, dentistry, nutrition, and public health. The conversation moved beyond conventional approaches to wellness and explored the idea of the body as an interconnected ecosystem—where oral health, gut health, hormones, stress, nutrition, and emotional resilience can influence overall well-being.

Expert Perspectives

The panel featured valuable insights from:

• Dr. Priti Nanda Sibal, President, Indian Association of Functional Medicine, who emphasised the importance of prioritising self-care and personal well-being as the foundation for sustained empathy, effectiveness, and impact.
• Dr. Ramandeep Kaur Thind, Functional Dentist & Ozone Therapy Expert, who explored the mouth–body connection and the role of oral health in systemic well-being.
• Dr. Rajani Chinni, Co-founder, Origins Nutra and Head – Medical Affairs, Crius Life Sciences, who discussed informed supplementation and nutritional support.
• Ms. Sarika Goyal, Senior Drugs Control Officer & Licensing Authority, Hisar FDA Haryana, who delivered a special address on emotional resilience at the workplace.

Key Takeaways

One of the strongest messages from the session was that health is not transformed by quick fixes; it is shaped by consistent daily choices.

The discussion highlighted several practical areas of focus:

🌿 Nutrition & Micronutrients
The importance of understanding nutritional requirements and commonly discussed nutrients such as Vitamin D3, B-complex vitamins, magnesium, zinc, and Omega-3, while recognising that supplementation should be guided by individual requirements and appropriate professional advice.

The discussion also touched upon astaxanthin, iron status, and nutrition-based approaches to supporting overall health.

⚖️ Hormonal & Metabolic Well-being
The panel explored lifestyle and nutritional approaches relevant to women's health, including conversations around PCOS, seed cycling, cruciferous vegetables, beets, and balanced nutrition.

The broader message was to understand hormonal and metabolic health as part of an interconnected system rather than treating individual symptoms in isolation.

🦷 Oral Health & the Whole-Body Connection
A particularly interesting aspect was the emphasis on oral health and its relationship with systemic health. The discussion highlighted the complexity of the oral microbiome, the importance of regular oral hygiene, mindful chewing, and maintaining healthy oral practices.

🧘 Lifestyle, Circadian Rhythm & Sustainable Habits
The session also explored the importance of aligning eating patterns and daily routines with the body's natural rhythms, alongside mindful approaches to fasting and meal timing.

The emphasis was not on extreme interventions, but on developing sustainable, consistent habits that can be maintained over the long term.

💚 Emotional Resilience & Workplace Wellness
Ms. Sarika Goyal's special address brought an equally important dimension to the conversation—emotional resilience at the workplace.

In professional environments where performance, responsibility, and constant adaptation are expected, taking care of one's emotional well-being is not a luxury. It is an important part of sustaining effectiveness and maintaining healthy relationships at work.

A Thought That Stayed With Me

One of the most meaningful reflections from the session was the idea that:

“Self-care isn't selfish—it is your superpower for empathy and impact.”

The session was a reminder that personal well-being and professional impact are deeply connected. The better we understand our bodies, our habits, and our emotional needs, the better equipped we are to show up with energy, empathy, and purpose.

Key Themes

• Functional Nutrition
• Holistic & Preventive Health
• Nutrition and Micronutrients
• Gut–Brain–Body Connection
• Oral Health and Systemic Well-being
• Women's Hormonal Health
• PCOS and Lifestyle
• Circadian Rhythm and Mindful Eating
• Emotional Resilience
• Workplace Wellness
• Self-Care and Sustainable Lifestyle Choices

Reflection

The discussion reinforced a perspective that extends well beyond nutrition: wellness is an ongoing practice rather than a destination.

It was an enriching opportunity to learn from experts across disciplines, exchange perspectives, and reflect on how small, informed and sustainable choices can contribute to long-term well-being.

Attended the India–AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, bringing together policymakers, technology leaders, innovators, researchers, and practitioners to explore India’s evolving role in the global AI ecosystem.

The summit’s guiding theme, “Sarvajan Hitaya, Sarvajan Sukhaya” — For the benefit of all, for the happiness of all, offered a powerful lens through which to view India’s AI journey. It reflected a vision of AI that goes beyond technological advancement to focus on inclusion, public good, accessibility, and meaningful societal impact.

The summit highlighted a significant shift in India’s AI journey—from simply adopting emerging technologies to architecting an inclusive, responsible, and people-centric AI ecosystem. Discussions and demonstrations showcased how AI is moving beyond experimental applications and chatbots towards practical solutions for governance, public service delivery, enterprise applications, and societal impact.

A key focus was the 7 Chakras of the IndiaAI Mission, encompassing critical pillars such as compute capacity, datasets, AI skills, innovation, and safe and trusted AI. Together, these pillars reflect the importance of building a strong and sovereign AI ecosystem capable of supporting India’s long-term technological ambitions.

The summit also provided an opportunity to engage with India's growing innovation ecosystem, including a valuable interaction with Harkirat Singh, who was showcasing Noveum AI and its work in language intelligence and enterprise-scale AI applications.

Key Themes

• Sarvajan Hitaya, Sarvajan Sukhaya — AI for the benefit and happiness of all
• IndiaAI Mission and the 7 Chakras
• AI for Inclusive and People-Centric Governance
• Responsible & Trusted AI
• AI Governance and Public Policy
• Sovereign AI Capabilities
• AI Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• Enterprise-Scale AI Applications
• AI for Social and Public Good
• India’s Role in Global AI Governance

Key Takeaway

India’s AI journey is evolving from technology adoption to technology leadership and governance. As India moves towards the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, the principles of inclusion, responsibility, transparency, accessibility, and accountability will be essential to ensuring that AI serves society at scale.

The summit reinforced my interest in contributing to the evolving intersection of AI policy, governance, and implementation, particularly in the public sector.

A week-long learning experience focused on the applications of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in managing Digital Public Goods (DPGs), bringing together senior officers and public-sector professionals from diverse domains including the Armed Forces, Indian Railways, Forest Department, and other public institutions.

The programme, organized by the National e-Governance Division (NeGD), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) at IIT Kanpur, combined hands-on exposure to AI/ML technologies with discussions on AI governance, responsible AI, privacy, regulatory frameworks, and the practical challenges of deploying emerging technologies within public institutions.

The diversity of participants made the programme particularly enriching, providing an opportunity to exchange perspectives on real-world governance challenges, operational realities, and institutional constraints across different sectors.

A key takeaway from the programme was that technology alone does not transform public systems — informed, capable, and adaptive institutions do. Building institutional capacity and enabling meaningful collaboration across government, academia, and technology ecosystems will be central to India's responsible AI journey.

The programme also offered valuable opportunities for professional networking, knowledge exchange, and learning from distinguished faculty at IIT Kanpur.

Key Themes

• Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning in Government
• Digital Public Goods and Digital Governance
• Responsible & Ethical AI
• AI Governance and Regulatory Frameworks
• Privacy and Data Governance
• AI/ML Applications in Public Institutions
• Institutional Capacity Building
• Technology Adoption in the Public Sector
• Cross-sector Collaboration and Knowledge Exchange

Key Takeaway

The future of AI in public service depends not only on technological innovation, but on building institutions that have the knowledge, capacity, and governance frameworks to use it responsibly and effectively.

World Standards Day 2025 – Manak Mahotsav

Organized by: Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Northern Regional Office
Venue: Hyatt Regency, Chandigarh
Year: 2025
Representing: Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB)

About the Event

Attended the World Standards Day 2025 (Manak Mahotsav) organized by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Northern Regional Office at Hyatt Regency, Chandigarh, representing the Bhakra Beas Management Board.

The event, themed “Shared Vision for a Better World – Spotlight on SDG 17,” highlighted the critical role of standards in enabling collaboration, ensuring quality, and supporting sustainable development.

The discussions reinforced how standards provide a common framework for measuring progress and translating the Sustainable Development Goals into meaningful, measurable outcomes. In particular, the event emphasized the importance of SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals, and the role of standards in creating a shared language for cooperation across institutions, industries, and communities.

Key Takeaways

• Understanding the role of standards in sustainable development and SDG monitoring.

• Exploring how standardization enables quality, consistency, safety, and interoperability.

• Learning about the importance of partnerships and collaboration in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

• Gaining insights into the practical application of BIS standards in infrastructure and construction.

A particularly insightful technical session was “Curing Made Simple: Partnerships for Durable and Sustainable Concrete” by Dr. Poonam, Assistant Professor, CCET, which demonstrated how standards such as IS 456:2000 and IS 9103 can translate scientific knowledge and standardization principles into practical outcomes for durable and sustainable infrastructure.

The event was a valuable opportunity to engage with the broader ecosystem of standards, sustainability, innovation, and institutional collaboration, and to reflect on how robust standards can contribute to building a more reliable and sustainable future.

Celebrated the 51st Raising Day of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) on 15 May 2026—an occasion marking more than five decades of an institution that has played a vital role in the development of North India.

For over five decades, BBMB has contributed significantly to the region by supporting power generation, irrigation, and drinking water supply, serving millions of people across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh.

The occasion was also personally significant, marking a moment of reflection on my eight-year professional association with BBMB. Serving an institution with such a deep legacy of public service has been a meaningful part of my professional journey and offered valuable opportunities to contribute, learn, and grow.

The Raising Day celebrated not only the institution's achievements, but also the dedication of its engineers, officers, staff, and workforce, whose collective efforts continue to support one of India's important inter-state water and power management institutions.

A Guiding Principle

The celebration resonated strongly with BBMB's guiding principle:

“निज हित से राष्ट्र हित सदैव सर्वोपरि रहे”
The nation's interest is always above self-interest.

The principle represents the spirit of public service—placing institutional responsibility and the larger national interest above individual considerations.

Reflection

The 51st Raising Day was more than an institutional milestone for me. It was an opportunity to look back with pride and gratitude on eight years of service at BBMB, and to reflect on the values of responsibility, integrity, teamwork, and service that shaped an important chapter of my career.

As BBMB continues its journey, may its legacy of service, cooperation, and nation-building continue to inspire generations to come.

Jai Hind.