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Former Union Minister and actor Smriti Irani recently represented India at the prestigious TIME100 event. The event, which celebrates the world's most influential people, saw Irani delivering a heartfelt speech about her journey from humble beginnings to political prominence. She also spoke about her initiative SPARK: The 100K Collective, which aims to empower women entrepreneurs with the skills and opportunities they need to grow. Irani began her speech by recalling her father's struggles. She said, 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. 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. Irani revealed what prompted her to start the SPARK initiative. She said, 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. The initiative is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the British Council. She further explained, So we decided we will reach out in 300 cities, 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. Irani also urged global leaders to bridge the gender gap in business and speak up for the voiceless.
