The We Women Want Conclave & Shakti Awards 2025, presented by NewsX and organised by iTV Network, concluded with discussions and recognitions focused on the role of women in India’s progress. Originally an extension of the We Women Want show, the initiative has developed into a platform addressing challenges, sharing solutions, and recognising contributions by women across fields.
The 2025 edition featured Chief Guest Smt. Rekha Gupta, Chief Minister of Delhi; Guest of Honour Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister of Culture and Tourism; and Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament and Keynote Speaker. In her address, Smt. Rekha Gupta said, “You don’t need to wait to be empowered, you already are. The time to lead is now.”
The on-ground event included panel discussions on diverse topics such as rural women in technology and entrepreneurship (Drone Didis and Lakhpati Didis), women’s safety and justice (War Against the Beasts with Asha Devi and advocate Seema Khushwaha), wellness (Women & Ayurveda with Dr. Upasana Vohra), entrepreneurship (Real Estate & Her and Women Mean Business), gender in parenting (Bringing Up Girls & Boys), and health (From IVF to Menopause). Other sessions featured women in politics (Breaking Biases with Priyanka Chaturvedi, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Supriya Sule, and Sushmita Dev), armed forces (Women in Uniform with Lt Gen. Sadhna Saxena Nair), arts and entertainment (Beyond the Mainstream with Shabana Azmi, The Sunny Story with Sunny Leone, and What Women Want with Ekta Kapoor).
The Shakti Awards 2025, instituted in memory of Smt. Shakti Rani Sharma, recognised over 80 women for their work across sectors. Reflecting on the event’s objective, Dr. Aishwarya Pandit Sharma, Chairperson of The Sunday Guardian Foundation, said, “The We Women Want Conclave & Shakti Awards 2025 is our declaration to the world — we will not wait to be invited into decision-making spaces, we will claim them, transform them, and build new ones. Every awardee here today has defied the odds, turned challenges into opportunities, and in doing so, has rewritten the narrative of what it means to be a woman in India. The We Women Want Conclave and Shakti Awards are not a once-a-year celebration; they are the start of an everyday revolution. We are here to prove that women’s progress is not just about representation — it is about leadership, ownership, and unstoppable influence.”
