The IIT Bombay Research Park organised a virtual International Women’s Day celebration on
8th March 2022. The programme began with a power-packed panel discussion titled ‘She
Talks – Breaking Barriers & Power Structures’, where four incredible women shared the
experiences and challenges in their professional journeys. The panellists were Ms Poyni
Bhatt, CEO, Society for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, IIT Bombay; Prof. Rowena Robinson,
Professor & Gender Cell Convenor, IIT Bombay; Dr Trissa Joseph, Vice President R&D,
Everest Industries Limited and Ms Jyoti Goda, Director, Tejase Aerosense Pvt. Ltd.
The discussion highlighted the roadblocks women have been facing over the years and how
some systematic corrections can help bring a balance to fulfil their personal and
professional commitments. It was encouraging to learn about the Gender Cell at IIT Bombay
and its evolution over the years. The conversation concluded on a note that society has to
identify the biases faced by men and women and that Indian women can achieve
tremendous success despite the seemingly unbeatable odds against them.
Overall, the invaluable insights from the discussion will help individual women and everyone
around them navigate challenging situations better.
Following the panel discussion, there was a fun live quiz titled ‘Witty One Wins’, where four
students from within and outside IIT Bombay won some exciting prizes. The winners were
Mr Chirag S, Mr Ahmad Fahim, Ms Avani Venugopal and Mr Aman Singh.