Sometimes, all it takes to feel less alone is a room full of women who understand. Built on the belief that women need spaces to connect beyond their everyday roles, Women Communitie Hyderabad, a women exclusive wing of Communitie Hyderabad, has grown from a personal experience of loneliness into a community of thousands. Co-founded by Ramya Vaidya, with Sathwik Maanthini, founder of Communitie, playing a key role in its journey, the platform brings women together through conversations on mental wellbeing and career transitions, sports, workshops and friendships, creating spaces where women can find their tribe. CE interacts with Ramya to know more about its initiatives, experience and more.
Tell us about Women Communitie Hyderabad.
Launched in late 2023 and fully functional by early 2024, Women Communitie creates safe, non-judgemental spaces through conversations, networking, sports. Today, it has over 15,000 social media followers and a WhatsApp community of over 10,000 across 25 subgroups. After returning from the States, I felt lonely and struggled to find like-minded women. A friend introduced me to Sathwik, founder of Communitie, and they discussed a women-focused platform. I began building it with two other women and Sathwik, eventually taking it forward. Sathwik, Mrudula and Gayathri now support it.
What gap did you notice among women in Hyderabad?
Women need a tribe where they can be themselves. Earlier, joint families and close-knit relatives offered belonging through sisters, cousins and aunts. Urbanisation and nuclear families have left many women lonely. Hyderabad had women’s communities, but I felt there was room for one bringing together women from different walks of life without asking them to fit a category. Entrepreneurs, students, artists, homemakers, professionals, women returning to work and those simply looking to meet people should all have a seat at the same table. Sometimes women just need to meet. Hyderabad gave me an opportunity to build something that feels like home.
What activities do you organise?
Our initiatives span wellness, workforce, wanderlust and sports: yoga, fitness, conversations about women’s health and emotional wellbeing, entrepreneurship, careers, skills, music, travel, arts, culture, retail experiences and social gatherings. We also hold women-only walks and discuss mental health, career breaks and life transitions. What connections or opportunities do you hope to create? The most valuable connections are often unplanned. Events have led to lasting friendships, collaborations and opportunities. Our WhatsApp community shares information and everyday conversations, with subgroups for STEM and careers, women-led startups and entrepreneurship. Opportunity is not only about business; it can mean finding people who understand you. We also host regular women-only sports meet-ups and have organised women-only league tournaments this year.
What experiences have been especially meaningful?
A mental health check-in stands out. It showed what women can achieve with support. Another was Hyderabad’s first women-only festival and flea, ideated, curated and executed by an all-women team. It brought together local women vendors, artists and creators. Amid the rush, I paused to see a space full of women smiling and enjoying one another’s company. Seeing women support other women was rewarding. Smaller moments matter, too: when someone says a workshop made her happy or that she has found a place where she belongs, we remember why we started.
What concerns do women bring to the community?
As a yoga therapist, I initially expected wellness conversations, but women discuss careers, entrepreneurship, relationships, health, mental wellbeing, motherhood, money, confidence, loneliness and returning to work. Talking often reveals shared experiences. The need is frequently not information but connection, encouragement or reassurance. We want every woman to know we are here to support, celebrate or simply listen.
How do you keep the community welcoming?
We do not expect everyone to think alike or be at the same life stage. Gatherings range from five women to festivals attended by 400–500. We host events for new mothers and empty nesters, professional networking, movie nights, walks, runs and workshops for different ages and sensibilities. What matters is ensuring women feel comfortable, seen and supported. Our subgroup conversations remain intimate.
What have you learnt, and what lies ahead?
A community cannot be manufactured. We can create a space and give people a reason to meet, but relationships belong to them. Sometimes eight women sharing an honest conversation can be more powerful than a room of a hundred. I hope Women Communitie grows without losing its intimacy or soul, offering more experiences and opportunities for women to discover each other and themselves — and a place where they genuinely feel they belong and connect.