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{{Short description|Informal savings club}}
[[File:Kitty party 130 (6092890015).jpg|thumb|Guests at a kitty party|alt=A group of young women sit and stand around a sofa as they finish preparing their hair and outfits.]]

In India, a '''kitty party''' is a social event held as part of an informal [[savings club]]. It is a kind of [[party]] usually organized by women, and commonly held in the afternoon on a monthly basis.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last1=Biraia |first1=Pooja |last2=Modak |first2=Tejas |date=15 October 2011 |title=The new, revised kitty party |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/luxury/the-new-revised-kitty-party/article1-757617.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120919014438/http://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/luxury/the-new-revised-kitty-party/article1-757617.aspx |archive-date=19 September 2012 |access-date=2023-07-02 |website=Hindustan Times}}</ref>

== History ==
Kitty parties began in India during the early 1950s, in the aftermath of the 1947 [[Partition of India|partition]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Initially, the informal savings events were hosted at home by middle-class women in northern Indian states, such as [[Punjab, India|Punjab]] or [[Uttar Pradesh]], whose families were struggling to recover financially from the turmoil caused by partition.<ref name=":0" /> Alongside the financial aspect, kitty parties also created a valuable social outlet for women, many of whom were not culturally permitted to work or travel much outside the home.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Deepak |first=Sharanya |date=5 September 2018 |title=Inside India's Kitty Parties: Where Community, and Snacks, Crowd the Table |url=https://tastecooking.com/inside-indias-kitty-parties/ |access-date=2023-07-02 |website=TASTE |language=en-US}}</ref>

By the 1980s, the growth of [[consumerism]] in Indian society meant that kitty parties had evolved and were also becoming popular with wealthier women, who used it as a way to save for more expensive household items.<ref name=":0" /> Kitty parties continue to be popular in India today, and can be found in other South Asian countries and in parts of the world where [[Indian diaspora]] communities have formed, such as Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4Uyypm6T7ZsC&q=encyclopedia+of+women+and+islamic+countries+vol+2 |title=Encyclopedia of Women and Islamic Cultures: Family, Law and Politics |date=2003 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-04-12818-7 |editor-last=Suad |editor-first=Joseph |volume=2 |page=532 |language=en}}</ref> While the events are still primarily organized by groups of women, some modern variations have included couples and family kitty parties, which allow partners and children to participate,<ref name=":0" /> and the emergence of men's kitty parties.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Patowari |first=Farzana |date=19 September 2019 |title=Rise of Men's Kitty Parties in Bhopal |work=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/spotlight/rise-of-mens-kitty-parties-in-bhopal/articleshow/71198727.cms |access-date=2023-07-02 |issn=0971-8257}}</ref>

== Organization and entertainment ==
''Kitty'' refers to the amount collected at the party, every member contributing a certain sum of money each month. The kitty is handed over to one member of the group every month.<ref name=":2" /> [[Chit fund]]s operate along similar principles, and the chit-fund association of India has estimated there are thousands of Indian companies that include management of kitty party funds as part of their services, although these companies tend to be interested only in higher value kitty party funds.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chengalpattu |first=S. A. |date=2 November 2012 |title=One for the kitty |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/banyan/2012/11/02/one-for-the-kitty |url-status=live |access-date=2023-06-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127212134/https://www.economist.com/banyan/2012/11/02/one-for-the-kitty |archive-date=27 November 2020 |issn=0013-0613}}</ref>

It is usually held at a specified time each month, by a specific group of women. Every member of the group has to host a party at least once. The hosting member organizes food and other logistics.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/rahul-gandhi-delights-lucknow-kitty-party-66941| title= Rahul Gandhi delights Lucknow kitty party| agency= Press Trust of India| date= November 17, 2010 | website= NDTV.com| publisher= | access-date= September 19, 2023}}</ref> In most of India and Pakistan, it is usually simply referred to as a 'committee'.

At meetings, members may share personal stories, business tips, family recipes, or general "skills and hacks."<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Goyal |first=Darshita |date=30 May 2022 |title=Inside the Empowering World of Indian Kitty Parties |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/indian-kitty-parties |access-date=2023-06-15 |website=Refinery29 |language=en-GB}}</ref> Entertainment can include guest speakers, cooking demonstrations, themed costume parties, [[parlour game]]s, tarot card readings, and more.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Sunder |first=Kalpana |date=29 August 2020 |title=Kitty Parties: A Sisterhood of Savings Empowering Indian Women |url=https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3099285/kitty-parties-sisterhood-savings-empowering-indian |access-date=2023-06-15 |website=South China Morning Post |language=en}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}{{Financial services in India}}

[[Category:Parties]]
[[Category:Women's events]]
[[Category:Women in India]]
[[Category:Women in Pakistan]]
[[Category:Culture of India]]
[[Category:Pakistani social culture]]
[[Category:Informal finance]]
[[Category:Informal economy in Asia]]

Kitty party - Revision history

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