Book launching “Weaving My South Asian Tapestry” By Chandni Joshi

The event held on the occasion of Chandni Joshi’s launch of her memoirs “Weaving My South Asian Tapestry” at an Islamabad hotel this evening (16 Oct. 2026) turned into an emotional reunion and feminist conglomeration of a large number of Chandni Ji’s peers, close friends, former colleagues and diplomats, admirers and young activists, who were filled with awe, inspiration and joy while hearing stories of Chandni Joshi’s 60-year-long journey in the mainstream South Asian women’s rights movement and global networking and coordination at the United Nations’ gender platform. Chandni Joshi spoke about her early associations, hopes and challenges, setbacks and achievements in her long career in UNIFEM and afterwards.

Speakers reflected upon and celebrated Chandni Joshi’s pioneering work in several areas of gender, citizenship, policy advocacy, governance, macro level policy formulations and grassroots mobilisation of women, home-based wonen workers, the marginalised groups, along with establishing networks of rural and home-based women workers across South Asia. The speakers paid high accoldaes to Chandni Joshi being the most charismatic, kind, caring and compassionate person in the South Asian women’s rights movement, a living legend, the ‘mother goddess’ and ‘Mahadevi’ who devoted her life for women and is continuing to work for the salvation of women and poor from suffering, starvation and oppression.

Sristi Joshi Malla moderated the ceremony in an elegant manner with the dedication and commitment to the cause of women.