Brands
Plates with purpose: ITC Aashirvaad turns Navratri feasts into care acts
MUMBAI: Food for thought, with a side of care. This Navratri, ITC Aashirvaad Soul Creations has launched ‘Nav creations,’ a festive initiative that transforms everyday vrat meals into acts of kindness.
At a time when families gather over wholesome vrat thalis and young kanyas are celebrated as symbols of purity, many girls remain outside the festive circle. ‘Nav creations’ steps in to bridge that gap, ensuring each order adds a touch of warmth to lives that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Here’s how it works, every order from the ‘Nav creations’ menu on Swiggy or Zomato comes with a festive card and a QR code. By uploading proof of purchase, customers earn 100 coins. Once 500 coins are collected, Aashirvaad Soul Creations serves a wholesome Navratri meal to a young kanya. To spread the joy further, contributors also receive a personalised ‘Nav creations’ digital frame to share online.
The vrat-special menu itself stays true to tradition, prepared without onion or garlic and using only sendha namak. From kuttu paneer pakodas with kali mirch dip, velvety vrat paneer curry, and fluffy sabudana khichdi thalis to soft sabudana parathas and rajgira pooris paired with comforting aloo subzi, each dish brings the festive kitchen to the table.
Available across Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune until 2 October, the menu is more than convenient festive dining. With ‘Nav creations,’ every plate becomes a prayer, and every order an offering of care.
Brands
Zomato film highlights bias faced by women delivery partners
International Women’s Day campaign shines light on everyday stereotypes
MUMBAI: A food delivery may arrive in minutes, but the journey behind it can still carry a few outdated assumptions. This International Women’s Day, Zomato has released a new brand film that shines a light on the subtle but familiar biases faced by women delivery partners during their daily shifts. The campaign nudges viewers to rethink a simple idea that still surprises many people: a delivery partner’s ability has nothing to do with gender.
Instead of focusing on training for delivery partners, the film flips the perspective and gently turns the mirror towards society. Through a series of everyday moments, from collecting orders at restaurants to arriving at a customer’s doorstep, women delivery partners encounter reactions that many recognise all too well. Curious glances, surprised expressions and questions that hint at disbelief follow them along the route.
In a playful cinematic twist, the delivery partners break the fourth wall to address these reactions directly, offering light-hearted responses that quietly challenge the stereotypes.
The campaign also reflects a broader shift in India’s gig economy. As of February 2026, Zomato has more than 3,500 monthly active women delivery partners who collectively deliver over five lakh orders every month.
Eternal chief sustainability officer anjalli ravi kumar said building an inclusive platform economy requires both opportunity and acceptance. She said that as more women step into roles across urban last-mile logistics, the ecosystem around them must evolve to ensure they can work with confidence and dignity.
She added that enabling women to participate safely and comfortably in such roles is essential if India is to move closer to the goal of 70 per cent female workforce participation by 2047 under the broader vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
Alongside the campaign, Zomato has been strengthening safety measures for women delivery partners. The company offers a 24 by 7 SOS emergency support system available in more than 800 cities, connecting partners to ambulance services, police and an internal response team when needed.
Women delivery partners also have the option to avoid certain delivery locations between 7 pm and 5 am if they feel unsafe. In addition, city-specific WhatsApp support groups in the top seven cities help women partners communicate easily, raise concerns and seek peer support.
For deliveries to hotels, lodges or guest houses, women partners can complete the order at the reception instead of going up to individual rooms. The delivery partner app also allows them to flag difficult or unsafe areas as black zones. More than 300 such zones have already been identified and temporarily marked unserviceable.
Through the film and these initiatives, Zomato hopes to spark a broader conversation about inclusion in the gig economy, one delivery at a time.
