MUMBAI: Former Union Minister and pioneering figure for Indian television, Smriti Irani is owning a moment — and October stands as a shining testament to her dynamic journey where she is talking and making impact in the real world. From recently bringing Bill Gates to her show Kyuki 2.0 to representing India on the global stage at the prestigious TIME100 event, taking time out amid shoots, Irani’s presence has been nothing short of inspiring as she takes her initiative SPARK The 100k Collective , the supporting partner of the global forum to stage in New York.
At the TIME100 gathering, Smriti Irani took the stage representing India and her initiative — SPARK The 100k Collective , an initiative she launched to empower 100,000 women entrepreneurs across 300 cities in India and also, conducting its event in New Delhi recently. The 'Spark' initiative has worked to create a 360-degree ecosystem that rests on six key sub-
initiatives, focusing on providing relevant skill sets to women
entrepreneurs.
Her powerful speech and effort resonated with the global community at TIME forum and also reminded the world of her journey from humble beginnings to becoming one of India’s most influential voices.
In a moving moment, she reflected on her roots, saying:
“They say life comes a full circle and it has indeed for me tonight. Forty-two years ago on the streets of New Delhi, my father, a bookseller, sold second-hand Time magazines which he bought from a scrap dealer, all so that he could earn two dollars a day to raise a family of three girls. So tonight as I stand amongst you, I stand here because not only I have hard-working parents but also because somebody helped me get an education, somebody paid me a fair wage, somebody helped me become a political voice in my country.”
Representing the voices of millions of Indian women, Irani spotlighted the power and potential of India’s female workforce.
“There are 400 million women back home like me. Ninety million of them work in villages and every year have a turnover of 37 billion dollars in the small businesses they do. 1.5 million women in my country are elected to office in panchayats, what you all call town councils. Six million women go to work every day as frontline healthcare workers.”
Introducing her global vision through SPARK The 100k Collective , Irani shared her mission with conviction and hope:
“As somebody who has sparked a little collective, I come here to plant a seed. In India, two women, me included, wanted to reach out to 100,000 women in very small businesses. We wanted to help fellow Indians and not wait only for governments to come and rescue us. So we decided we will reach out in 300 cities, a 100,000 women to begin with, reach a million, create a hundred million dollar impact fund — and then somebody said, could you take this to 56 countries and we said hell yes. So I am here to plant a seed.”
Closing her speech, she made a heartfelt appeal to the leaders around the world:
“My only appeal is this — women control 30 trillion dollars of consumer spending in the world, but own only one out of three businesses and struggle with a 20% gap in pay. So while you have the courage to lead for your own dreams and your ambition, please find the courage to become the voice of the voiceless.”
With SPARK The 100k Collective, Smriti Irani isn’t just advocating for women — she’s igniting a movement. And as October draws to a close, it’s clear that this month, and this moment, truly belong to her — from her resurrecting Indian television, bringing real change in discourse and just another day, as she takes the global stage in New York.
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