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Shakti is a non-profit community for women by women.
The goal of Shakti is to inspire, support, and motivate each other.
In a world where women continue to break barriers and shatter stereotypes, this event aims to honor their journeys, uplift their voices, and empower them to reach new heights.
Shakti is a platform for women to come together and share experiences related to our struggles, achievements, strengths, and talents. Join us for a day filled with dynamic speakers, interactive activities, and empowering discussions. Whether you're a seasoned professional, an aspiring entrepreneur, a student, a mother, or a leader in your community, there's something for everyone at this celebration of womanhood.
We support and celebrate each other to grow together.
The 2019 inaugural event was a huge success with women from all walks of life coming together to share experiences and motivate each other.
In 2021 Shakti was hosted online due to the continued pandemic. It was very well attended.
We gathered in person in 2023 with more enthusiasm and energy to make Shakti a movement, not just an event.
In all events, we celebrated distinguished women in the community who are leaders in their own field or who have shown courage, grit, and resilience in facing adversities. These women are great examples of what perseverance can achieve.
For the previous events summary and pictures visit -
https://shaktisac.blogspot.com/p/events.html
Key Highlights of this year's Shakti -
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Inspiring panelists - Gain insights and motivation from influential women leaders who have paved the way for change and transformation.
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Motivating Discussions - Take part in group discussions to exchange ideas and gain insights.
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Interactive activities - Build connections with fellow attendees by participating in fun games
This year we are going to celebrate these distinguished women.
Sumiti Mehta
Board of Directors for NWPC and North Natomas JIBE
Bharati Sundararajan
Coordinator Chinmaya Triveni
Rasika Deshpande
Founder and Director
Nrityakala Dance School
Sumiti Mehta
Sumiti Mehta has a strong passion for education, community involvement and women's issues, being an active community leader for over a decade. She volunteers with various schools and nonprofits. Sumiti was the First Indian woman appointed to the YPCE (Youth Parks and Community Enrichment) Commission for the City of Sacramento.
Currently, Sumiti serves as one of the Board of Directors on the National Women Political Caucus (SAC) and North Natomas JIBE. She also serves on the NP3 School Board and several NUSD committees. Sumiti actively pursues writing in her spare time. She is the author of the memoir "A Campaign That Won Hearts and Not Votes" and a contributing writer for various women's and parent's magazines. Recently, Sumiti earned a Stanford University Certification in "Leverage Diversity and Inclusion for Organizational Excellence."
Bharati Sundararajan
Bharati Sundararajan has been a volunteer at Chinmaya Mission Sacramento for twenty-seven years. She recently retired as a physical therapist. She came to the US from Mumbai, where her parents had taken her as a young teenager to discourses on the Bhagavad Gita by Pujya Swami Chinmayananda ji. She was inspired by the spiritual insights that he introduced and his dynamic teaching style. She joined a Chinmaya study group for young people and has been a student of spirituality since then. She is grateful to Pujya Swami Chinmayananda ji for guiding her in her inner growth towards an integrated and harmonious life, and for providing a platform for cultural and spiritual education in this modern time. She is passionate about teaching across all ages, from school-age children to high school children to retired adults. She has been involved with the growth of Chinmaya Mission Sacramento over the years.
Rasika Deshpande
Rasika Deshpande is an established exponent of Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi art forms.
A Graphics Designer and performing artist by profession, she is the founder and director of Nrityakala Dance School in Greater Sacramento. Her dance career includes performances at Haridas Samaroh Mumbai, Siddhendra Yogi Festival, Vividh Kala Mahotsav, SPIC-MACAY, Sivapadam Hyderabad and Global Natya Festival Cambodia to name a few. She has received the prestigious title of ‘Singar Mani’ by Sur Singar Samsad, Mumbai. She is a graded artist at Doordarshan Kendra Mumbai and has performed extensively around the world.
Rasika received her training in Bharatanatyam from Kalashiromani Guru Meera Chandrasekharan under whose tutelage she completed her Masters (‘Nritya Alankar’) through Akhil Bhartiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya. She assisted in choreography for several dance dramas under her Guru at the institution.
She was mesmerized by the Kuchipudi form of classical dance and received her formal training in Kuchipudi from Guru Jaya Rama Rao and Vanashree Rao and later had the divine privilege to continue under the guidance of Padma Bhushan Guru Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam at Chennai.
