17 May,2026 10:27 AM IST | Mumbai | Arpika Bhosale
Women comes together and play Mahjong at RTI Foods at Babulnath. PICS/SATEJ SHINDE
We are all guilty of it - when our mothers, sisters, and daughters dress up on a Sunday like clockwork and head out to meet their friends, we take a dig at them. They might be on their way to a kitty party, hobby class, or perhaps to a game of Bridge or Mahjong, but a jab is a must.
The lightest insult thrown at them is often "waste of time", all the way to more serious ones such as "waste of money". The worst of them all is "Wants to dress up even at this age": The Indian code-words that simultaneously call a woman old, unattractive, irrelevant, and attention-seeking.
Poonam Chandersy, Bijal Udeshi and Mevish
A few weeks ago actor, comedian Mallika Dua went on Instagram and pointed out how generations have grown up looking down on the kitty party, but as a woman in her mid-30s (Dua is 36), she now welcomes the company of women in her life. "What have we achieved by not joining the kitty?" she asks in her signature deadpan humour genre, "All we do is complain about f''kbois and look at brainrot content anyway. At least here I would get a bedsheet, an air fryer with a side of gossip," she adds.
Dua is exactly in the age group of women who have now begun to feel the need for a larger sisterhood outside their usual, more intimate circle. One of the comments on her aptly titled video, Justice for Kittie, reads, "Seriously, I have lamented this so many times over the last few years. So much unwarranted judgment on tip-top aunties having fun. I'm now this middle-aged lady FOMOing over kitty parties and taash parties."
In a 2021 research paper by Alisa Bedrov and Shelly L Gable - Thriving together: The benefits of women's social ties for physical, psychological and relationship health - concluded, "Women not only seek out social support more often than men but are also more skilled at providing responsive social support to others and are more sensitive in general."
Like Dua, we too have been wondering, whatever happened to kitty parties? Originally set up to foster community, kitty parties were also a financial support system for women who did not always have direct access to banking in earlier days. While that's changed with modern banking, we set out to learn if women are still reaching out and forging alliances with other women who are complete strangers. The answer might restore your faith in humanity.
Aayushi Pathak, 21, started @thehobbyhoardersgirlsclub.exclusively for women as a way to build community
Aayushi Pathak, 21, is finance student and part time accountant. She started the women-only @thehobbyhoardersgirlsclub.in Instagram page back in 2025 with one purpose in mind: "I always wanted to curate a community for women," she says.
Aayushi Pathak
The club is currently holding its "Hobby Hoarders Summer Retreat", where for Rs 1799, women can get together and indulge in hobbies such as wooden comb bedazzling, hand rave fan painting, book swaps, as well as get a goodie bag and craft kits. The entire programme lasts for three hours and Pathak loves the community she has built.
From girls as young as 14 to 45-year-old women, they enjoy each other's company. They recently had a watch party for the Devil Wears Prada 2 release, where they all booked tickets next to each other in the theatre. Other events include art gallery hopping.
Ayushi Pathak doing a hobby session with the women
But why organise this? "Growing up, I always felt like I didn't have enough female friendships who got me and my hobbies and made me feel like I was the only one... until I created this community and turns out there's over 3000 of us already," she laughs. Some of her male friends, though, have been asking if they can come too, because it looks fun. "I understand them, but this is a space where I want women to feel safe and be themselves, so we're unlikely to bring male members in," she adds with a lightness in her voice.
Mevish, a bubbly 24-year-old who works as the senior content executive at letsfigrr, and worked with Pathak and Kapadia in order to spotlight their initiatives featuring them on social media.
Quite young herself, Mevish has noticed more and more women coming together to create spaces in the city. "I think women are going out and finding a way to connect through a passion, be it crafts or mahjong or anything, and it's actually really heartening to see," she says. "In the last few years, the frequency has gone up and it's great because even though these events might be in Bandra or Andheri, women from all over the city, including Thane or Navi Mumbai, are participating in them," she says.
Mahjong maven NITA KAPADIA's playing circle keeps SoBo women's minds sharp
Mahjong groups and classes have taken India by storm, and Mumbai seems to be at the epicentre. Nita Kapadia, who has created the Mahjong handbook that is used across South Mumbai clubs, namely Willingdon Sports Club (is it across clubs or at this club?) is a force of nature.
Rajesh Daswani
On Wednesday afternoon, we visit the 60-year-old teaching the game at the back of RTI Foods at the Ratan Tata Institute in Babulnath. Kapadia buzzes over each table like a hummingbird. "It's not just a game you see. It's about coming out, meeting the girls. The additional advantage is that you keep your mind sharp," she says.
We look round and see Mahjong players turn up for the game, serious and focused. "Even though it's not a woman's game back in China, where the game was invented, in India, for some reason, men have misunderstood it to be a woman's game. It's not, but that's okay, we are having fun here," a player, Aban Bapasola, says with a smirk.
Nita Kapadia teaching the Mahjong class
Bijal Udeshi, a teacher at a Worli school, heads here thrice a week after work and lunch to play in the afternoon slot. "I love playing, catching up with everyone, and heading home," says Udeshi shyly. Many women have a cup of coffee or snack together before the game, or make plans for later.
Poonam Chandershy who flits between Goa and Mumbai twice a week, says coming to play a game here feels like coming home. "Even though I live in Goa, my work brings me to Mumbai quite a lot. So whenever I can, I book a table and come here. It's my second home," says Chandersy, who is the exact same age as Dua.
Among the 1200 members in the mahjong circle, there are three men, one of whom we happen to bump into. Rajesh Daswani has been playing Mahjong with the women for two years now. When we ask why not hang out with men instead, "Well, men talk about business or about women. So I am lucky, I guess, because there are mostly women here whom I get to meet and speak with," he jokes.
Kavita Gidwani, 72, was once part of eight different kitties
I really got into it around 2004 and loved every bit of it. At my peak, I was part of eight kitties," says Kavita Gidwani, 72. "Post-COVID, however, I've slowed down and now stay active in just one."
Kavita Gidwani
For Gidwani, kitty parties offer much more than the financial aspect they are associated with. "They give women a reason to step out, set aside routine responsibilities and nurture their social side," she says.
According to her, the real magic lies in the connections. "You meet different people, exchange stories and build lasting friendships." Gidwani believes, "A kitty party isn't just about the kitty - it's the joy of women coming together, with the real treasure being friendship."
You might have spotted this group's Bridgerton-themed kitty party in Bhopal on social media
Riya Jhalani (@girlgotdrama) is 33 years old and lives in Bhopal. Jhalani came onto our radar when she posted a video of a Bridgerton-themed kitty party with her girlfriends on Instagram. The women were rocking their fascinators and looking fabulous in tulle sarees that could definitely give the series' costume designers a few good ideas.
Riya Jhalani
Over a phone call, Jhalani tells us the kitty consists of 12 women, most of whom are married into families in Bhopal. "The kitty actually has only two women who are from Bhopal; the rest of us moved here after marriage. We met each other through our kids, who go to the same school," she says.
Even though the women are happy and thriving, they missed the kinship of womanhood. "When you get married and move cities, you lose your social circle, your family, it becomes lonely and that's why we decided to form this kitty," she adds.
Now the women don't just meet up for a kitty but attend each other's special occasions and gather during festivals too. "The women have become our extended family. The kitty has allowed us to build something together and we value it more because we know what it feels like when you don't have it," she says.
Zeb, a clinical psychologist, believes these spaces have come out of a necessity. "I think women are finding these spaces, women exclusive spaces, for the very first important reason is that they are not getting spaces for rest and leisure in general. I think in especially desi communities, resting women is something that is looked down upon. So, where does a woman go then for finding like, you know, just a place to be?" they say. Do women in her practice express being isolation, "Women will not use the word isolation. They might say family is not like before, so there is
no direct admission,but the need for connection is there," they add.
