mumbai the powai bengali welfare association pbwa not only introduces mumbaikars to the joy of durga puja and gives nostalgic bengalis a taste of home but also reaches out to socially and economically disadvantaged groups thats what most visitors realize as they enter the pandal at the times powai sarvajanin durgotsavthe times powai sarvajanin durgotsav came into existence last year through a partnership between the times of india and pbwa in keeping with its primary objective of taking up social initiatives to make a difference in july 2007 pbwa initiated a movement called mission swayam siddha mss to empower economically and socially disadvantaged women who have remained dormant for lack of opportunities eleven years on their dreams are almost a reality with mss helping transform their lives in many waysthrough vocational training income generation marketing inhouse products under the mss brand name and imparting onthejob training currently working as a cluster of 20 women at a time mss has trained 100 women already over three hours a day five days a week sessions at hiranandani gardens powai pbwa has also been addressing the issue of water scarcity in talasari village in palghar district for the past two years by constructing a borewell today it also focuses on the kochaiborimal region comprising seven villages pbwa has also been providing books and stationery to the panchayat school and is set to launch an adult literacy campaign in these villages soon