There are many courageous Indian women who have defied the odds and achieved something really appreciable. This International Women’s Day, we present you a list of some really inspiring women who are doing an extraordinary job in their respective fields. Read on to know more about these amazing Indian women.
10 amazing Indian women you need to know about this International Women’s Day
#1 Sunitha Krishnan
Sunitha Krishnan actively campaigned for the underprivileged sections of the society. She taught dance to special children at a very young age, ran schools, for underprivileged children, and worked on a neo-literacy campaign for the Dalit community.
Ms. Krishnan was gang-raped by eight men when she was 15 years old. Overcoming this horrible incident, she went on to become a social worker and co-founder of Prajwala, a rescue and rehabilitation organization. Since two decades, it has been helping many Indian women, who are the victims of sex trafficking.
#2 Arundhati Bhattacharya
Arundhati Bhattacharya, the former Chairperson of the State Bank of India, had made it to the list of Forbes World’s Most Powerful Women, 2016. She is now a retired banker. Ascend, from the Harvard Business Review, published her interview titled “Arundhati Bhattacharya: The Making of SBI’s First Woman Chairperson” in 2018.
Ms. Bhattacharya is the first woman to lead an India-based Fortune India 500 company. She was appointed as the Chairperson of SWIFT India in December 2018.
#3 Kiran Mazumdar Shaw
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw has put the Indian biotechnology sector on the global map. This Bengaluru-based businesswoman founded Biocon in 1978 and since then, has turned the company from just a manufacturer of enzymes to India’s largest manufacturer of biopharmaceuticals. Biocon targets diseases ranging from diabetes to cancer. She is one of the many self-made businesswomen in India, but Ms. Shaw calls herself an “accidental entrepreneur.”
#4 Dr. Bharati Hemant Lavekar
Dr. Bharati Hemant Lavekar, the sitting MLA of Versova in Mumbai and one of the amazing Indian women, established TEE Foundation in 2009. This Mumbai based NGO focuses on issues like female foeticide eradication, sanitation, hygiene, women’s education, and gender inequalities by generating awareness amongst rural women. Dr. Lavekar also inaugurated a digital sanitary pad bank on 28th May 2017, which is celebrated as World Menstruation Hygiene Day.
The digital sanitary pad bank acts as a mediator between the donors and beneficiaries. The bank serves tribal women and they don’t have to provide any type of identification.
#5 Dr. Rukmini Rao
Dr. Rukmini Rao, who was married into a joint family at the age of 18, was unable to adjust in the new environment. She left her husband when she was 24. Even her second marriage didn’t last long. She started working with Gramya Resource Centre for Women in 1997 as there was a call for help to prevent the sale of a pair of twin girls. Dr. Rao, and her friend Ms. P. Jamuna, set up the organization to support NGOs, to understand gender issues and make relevant development interventions.
Many organizations around the world recognized her as a leader of the feminist movement in India.
#6 Dr. Tessy Thomas
Dr. Thomas could have been an IAS officer. But, an interview with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) happened and that changed everything. Dr. Thomas got through it and was asked to join immediately. Today, she is hailed as the ‘Missile Woman of India’ and ‘Agniputri ‘ for the deadly projectiles she has helped develop. The first woman to head an Indian missile project, she also received various prestigious awards like DRDO Scientist of the Year (2008), DRDO Performance Excellence Award, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for Excellence in Public Administration (2012), Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya Award (2016) and Outstanding Woman Achiever Award by WISE (Women In Science and Engineering).
#7 Indu Jain
Indu Jain is the chairperson of Bennett Coleman & Company, which one of the world’s most powerful media groups today. Ms. Jain oversees an empire of over $4 million. She is universally followed by politicians, business tycoons, and the rich and famous. Also known as the Indian Bill Gates, Ms. Jain is not only an entrepreneur, but also an educationalist, a spiritualist, a humanist, and a sponsor of art and culture. She has made an extraordinary mark in the largest media house, The Times Foundation.
#8 Seema Rao
Seema Rao, who is a doctor by profession, decided to give up the financial stability that comes with practicing medicine and chose to dedicate her life to train the armed forces. She spent most of the last two decades in scorching deserts, snow-clad mountains, and jungles, training young personnel. Ms. Rao has paved the path for more women to enter the male-dominated military.
#9 Laxmi Agarwal
In 2005, Laxmi Agarwal was just 15 years old when a man threw acid on her face. This incident damaged her face and other body parts. With courage and determination, Ms. Agarwal took up life’s challenges and managed to stand up on her feet. She even managed to put her culprits behind bars. Ms. Agarwal gathered 27,000 signatures on a petition to stop the sale of acid. She also filed a PIL seeking a new law, or amendments in the present law, which deals with these offenses, other than just compensation.
In 2013, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of her plea and created a fresh set of restrictions on the sale of acid. Ms. Agarwal also received the International Woman of Courage Award, from former US First Lady, Michelle Obama in 2014.
One of the most inspiring Indian women in the modern age, her story is now being made into a film and Deepika Padukone is portraying her role on screen.
#10 Medha Patkar
A fearless social worker and the protagonist of one of the most inspiring women stories in India, Medha Patkar is considered as the commoner’s leader for many years. Ms. Patkar, along with other activists, founded the National Alliance of People’s Movement (NAPM) and filed public interest litigations against private real estate builders. She initiated the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) that has been in operation for the last 32 years. Ms. Patkar had dedicated her life to social welfare from a very young age.
The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is #BalanceforBetter, which aims towards building a gender balanced world. And working towards the same, we believe that these stories of amazing Indian women will motivate many. On that note, here’s wishing everyone a Happy International Women’s Day.
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