A mart with a heart

Members of Ruchika Club organised the Ruchika Fest at the Expo Hall in World Trade Centre on July 2 and 3. Ruchika Fest is a festive exhibition held pre-Rakhi, every year by Ruchika Club. It started off as a small event but has now expanded. A once-in-a-year affair, this exhibition offers a launch pad to first-time designers and creatives, and also helps raise funds for a number of charity programs. We have an array of stalls that showcase designer wear, lifestyle products, home decor products, and more. There’s also a buzzing food court with everything from international cuisine to the Mumbai rastawalla food.

The expo caters to a huge crowd who visit over the course of two days to shop and enjoy. We also host a number of stallholders, both first-timers and old-timers, who keep coming back to us thanks to the exposure they receive. It is a great platform for those who are foraying into the market to launch their products; they stand side-by-side with some established designers.  

The proceeds of the exhibiton is generated for charity. We support Sankalp Balgram, an orphanage in Lonavala which takes care of 125 girls. Ruchika Club looks after their  lodging, boarding, education, medical expenses and basic expenses. We also provide vocational training to them so they can support themselves once they leave the place. Apart from this, we also have two medical mobile vans which move in the interiors of Maharashtra and provide basic medicines.

Apart from another working women’s cell, there’s Ruchika Mahila Vikas in Lower Parel; here we provide vocational training, to the lower income group, so they can learn something new and add to their family income.