The Atlanta Indian Women’s Forum (AIWF) hosted a program centered on leadership, empowerment, and sisterhood on March 22, 2026, at Jade Banquets.
Emcee Sree Ratna Kancherla emphasized the importance of women showing up for themselves and one another. Co-founders Suma Potini, Jyothsna Hegde, and Gita Vemparala highlighted the forum’s three pillars—leadership, empowerment, and sisterhood — as values woven throughout the day.
The ceremonial lamp lighting by chief guests Renuga Subramaniam and Madhu Sheth was accompanied by a soulful invocation by young vocalist Vaibhavi Mathapati. Subramaniam spoke about the evolving role of women in leadership and the importance of building supportive ecosystems. The keynote by Sandeep Ahuja, co-founder and CEO of Cove, highlighted her entrepreneurial journey and vision for transforming the architecture industry through artificial intelligence, empha- sizing the importance of community in building high-growth ventures—a theme she has championed on global platforms, including TEDx and the United Nations. The entrepreneurship panel, moderated by Kancherla, featured Asha Chaudhary, Anju Mathew, and Kanchana Raman. Panelists discussed the realities of building businesses—early risks, funding challenges, and scaling strategies— while reflecting on redefining success beyond financial metrics to include impact, fulfillment, and resilience, and on leadership traits such as adaptability, empathy, and decisiveness.
The leadership panel, moderated by Hegde, brought together Sweta Sneha, Priti Bandi, and Priti Bhatia. The discussion emphasized authentic leadership, self-awareness, and integrity, with panelists sharing personal stories of navigating professional and personal challenges.
The medical panel, moderated by Dr. Savitha Kootil and featuring Dr. Haritha Sishtla, Dr. Sumana Moole, Dr. Lalitha Medepalli, and Dr. Sonali Bora, provided practical insights into women’s health, emphasizing preventive care, early detection, and informed decision-making.
The afternoon session, emceed by Anandhi Rajan, began with a spotlight talk by Dr. Vanita Boswell, founder of The VALO Group. She spoke about fueling purpose sustainably, reframing burnout as the consequence not of caring too much but of carrying too much alone. She defined success as an internal, purpose-driven journey anchored in courage, clarity, contribution, and confidence—with self-love as its essential fuel.
The keynote by Moni Basu, an internationally renowned journalist and educator, traced her journey from Kolkata to global newsrooms. Drawing on her work with CNN and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and now at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, Basu reflected on reporting from conflict zones and the power of immersive storytelling to bridge cultures and bring truth to life.
The Breaking Norms panel, moderated by Vemparala, featured Reshma Mahendra, Aparna Bhattacharyya, and Judge Neera Bahl. Addressing domestic violence in the South Asian community, panelists explored prevention, the barriers that keep women silent, and legal realities—urging the audience to move from awareness to action with a message of resilience, collective responsibility, and hope.
Special honors were presented to Deepika Chalke, who has completed marathons across all 50 states, and Vani Ghanate, creator of the AIWF logo, with Veena Rao presenting the awards.
In a joint statement, co-founders Potini, Hegde, and Vemparala reflected: “What keeps us going is exactly what we saw in that room—women choosing to spend their day together, investing in each other. There is truly nothing else like it.”