Malleswaram, Bengaluru ✦ Women bringing a community together since 1951
MEWS emblemMEWSMalleswaram Enterprising
Women’s Society
MEWS · Est. 1951 · Malleswaram

Our story.
Our heritage.

Seventy-five years of women creating a place for enterprise, friendship and belonging in the heart of Malleswaram. Discover the people and moments that shaped MEWS.

1951 — 2026 · CELEBRATING 75 YEARS
Traditional Indian rangoli motif
Chapter one · The beginnings

Rooted in a neighbourhood.
Built by enterprising women.

Founded in 1951 by a gathering of seventeen women, the Malleswaram Enterprising Women's Society grew into a place where women could connect, contribute and cultivate a shared sense of purpose.

In her 2015 President’s message, Vimala Rangachar recalled starting the club in 1951 with her friend Shakuntala Ramachandra Rao. The founding circle, original notebook and historical accounts are preserved below.

A living legacy

MEWS has been shaped by generations of women, friendships and shared purpose.

Our founding circle · 17 members

The names behind
the beginning.

Transcribed from the original founder-members notebook. Photographs and individual stories will complete these portraits.

Some names are provisional where the handwriting is unclear. These are marked below. View the handwritten list ↗

01Photograph to follow
Founder member

Shakuntala Ramachandra Rao

A short biography will be added here.

02Photograph to follow
Founder member

Nalini Dhawan

A short biography will be added here.

Surname spelling to confirm

03Photograph to follow
Founder member

Leela Ramanathan

A short biography will be added here.

04Photograph to follow
Founder member

Lalitha Shivaram

A short biography will be added here.

05Photograph to follow
Founder member

Hira Chandran

A short biography will be added here.

Spelling to confirm

06Photograph to follow
Founder member

Desai

A short biography will be added here.

First name not recorded

07Photograph to follow
Founder member

Shaw

A short biography will be added here.

First name not recorded

08Photograph to follow
Founder member

Hemalatha Munshi

A short biography will be added here.

Spelling to confirm

09Photograph to follow
Founder member

Vimala Rangachar

A short biography will be added here.

10Photograph to follow
Founder member

Shree Mahalakshmi

A short biography will be added here.

Spelling to confirm

11Photograph to follow
Founder member

Lalitha R. Rao

A short biography will be added here.

12Photograph to follow
Founder member

Parimala R. Rao

A short biography will be added here.

13Photograph to follow
Founder member

Nagarathna R. Rao

A short biography will be added here.

14Photograph to follow
Founder member

Bhoma / Bhama

A short biography will be added here.

Handwriting to clarify

15Photograph to follow
Founder member

Malathi Pratap

A short biography will be added here.

16Photograph to follow
Founder member

Kamala Krishnaswamy

A short biography will be added here.

17Photograph to follow
Founder member

Leela Venkatram

A short biography will be added here.

Surname spelling to confirm

The women who shaped MEWS

A legacy carried by many.

Founders, office-bearers and members each added their own chapter. These are historical roles, recorded in the archives.

Our beginnings

Shakuntala
Ramachandra Rao

Listed among the founder members and remembered by Vimala Rangachar as a friend with whom she started the club in 1951.

Leadership across generations

Ammanni
Iyengar

Recorded as President in the 1982 and Golden Jubilee material. Later accounts credit her long leadership and contribution to MEWS’s development.

A founder’s recollections

Vimala
Rangachar

Her accounts preserve memories of MEWS’s beginnings. The 2015 publication records her as President of the society.

The original founder list and historical committee photographs are preserved in the gallery. Some handwritten names still await spelling confirmation.

Milestones

A journey
through the years.

1951

Seventeen women, a beginning

The society began in November 1951, with recreation, sports and cultural activities for women of Malleswaram.

View source page ↗
1963

A home for working women

The ladies’ hostel opened in January, extending the society’s work to accommodation for working women and students.

View source page ↗
1977

A place of our own

With members’ efforts and philanthropic support, the club and hostel moved from rented premises into MEWS’s own building, Bhooma.

View source page ↗
1982

Space for cultural life

The jubilee foreword recalls a fundraising performance by Vyjayanthimala Bali in 1982 and the development of Bhoomika Hall.

View source page ↗
1997–98

Continuing to grow

The Golden Jubilee foreword records the library’s rebuilding in 1997 and the construction of Sri Bhooma in 1998.

View source page ↗
2002–03

The Golden Jubilee publication

A souvenir gathered memories, photographs and accounts of the society’s first decades.

View source page ↗
2015

The Diamond Jubilee publication

The later souvenir documented classes, community service, the hostel and an annual Santhe supporting women entrepreneurs.

View source page ↗
With gratitude

A community
built together.

The publications honour Hirabai V. Bhandary and B. V. Bhandary for their role in the building-fund campaign. They also remember members, office-bearers and artistes who helped turn the society’s ambitions into a lasting home.

That collective contribution runs through the MEWS story: people giving their time, skills and support to something shared.

Read the tribute
Historical MEWS Bhooma building photograph
From the MEWS heritage archive · Bhooma building
A place to call our own

Bhooma: a home for generations

Much more than a building, Bhooma represents the countless gatherings, activities and enduring friendships associated with MEWS.

Photographs, celebrations and Golden and Diamond Jubilee publications preserve the story of the society and the people who made it a home.

Explore the heritage gallery ↗
The story continues

Heritage that lives on

Our history is the foundation of a lively present. Discover today's community activities and explore more photographs and memories from across the decades.

Our activities ↗Explore the Gallery ↗
A note on dates and sources

This history draws on the material shared from MEWS’s notebooks and publications. November 1951 appears in several accounts and is our working founding date. Other recollections mention 1952 or 1953. The Golden Jubilee publication is dated 2002–2003; the Diamond Jubilee publication is dated 2015, while one celebration photograph carries 2013–2014.

Two handwritten hostel accounts differ on the opening day, 25 or 26 January 1963. We use January 1963 pending clarification. Publication dates, event dates and photograph captions are retained separately.