Women are no more confined to the four walls of house. They are making a mark in every sector. Amidst the discrimination and the nay-sayers, some women have survived and even thrived. This Independence Day, we’re celebrating them.
Indira Gandhi
India’s first female Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, ruled with an iron fist – thereby earning herself the title of ‘Iron Lady of India’.
Serving as the Prime Minister of India for 3 consecutive terms, as well as a fourth term, Indira Gandhi evokes images of a strong and determined woman.
Gandhi is credited with supporting India’s nuclear weapons program which helped establish India as a formidable force. She is also known for boosting the Green Revolution, a program which enabled India to not only become self-sufficient to a large extent in terms of food supply, but also established India’s presence as a major food exporter.
Mary Kom
In a country where not too many women are encouraged to take up sports, Mary Kom is a shining example of how much women can achieve.
Magnificent Mary punched her way to glory overcoming hardship and inconveniences. She created a name for herself in the arena of world boxing. She is the only woman boxer to have won a medal in each one of the six world championships.
The petite pugilist has been awarded the Padma Bhushan (2013), Arjuna Award (2003) and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (2009). A product of determination, strong will and dedication, Mary Kom is an inspiration to thousands of female athletes in the country.
Indra Nooyi
The story of Indra Nooyi’s rise up the corporate ladder- from humble beginnings in Chennai to being the CEO of Pepsi Co is truly an inspirational one. She is known for her unique leadership skills and massive clout in the economic world and has been featured in almost every list of the world’s most powerful women.
Her life opens up a whole new world of possibilities for the average person and lets him know that a combination of hard work, determination and persistence definitely brings in outstanding results.
PT Usha
PT Usha is one of India’s best-known women athletes. Her extra-ordinary performance at the track earned Usha the titles “Queen of Indian Track”, “Golden Girl” and “Payyoli Express”. She became the first Indian woman to reach the final of an Olympic event.
Usha’s domination at the 1986 Asian Games held at Seoul will remain etched in the history of Asian athletics. She won four gold medals and one silver medal in the track and field events.
Interestingly, Usha created new Asian Games records in all the events in which she participated. For her achievements, Usha has been conferred the Padma Shri (1984) and Best Athlete in Asia Award (1984, 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1989). Usha became a trend-setter for women in India who took to excelling in sports.
Harshini Kanhekar
Harshini earned the title of India’s first female firefighter. Ambitious from the start, Kanhekar applied to Nagpur’s National Fire Service College (NFSC) fresh from university. Little did she know that this was an all-male college. Yet Kanhekar was determined to overcome the initial obstacle.
She wasn’t prepared to hear that ‘a girl cannot become a firefighter’. She went on to become the first and only woman in the college to graduate, initially receiving skepticism; later winning immense admiration. Her advice to all women is truly ahead of its time: ‘to break all barriers and create history for the nation.’
Puja Thakur
She became the first officer to lead the Inter-Service Guard of Honour that was inspected by US President Barack Obama.
Thakur who has served in the IAF for 13 and a half years, is an administration officer and is posted at its publicity cell, DISHA, at the Delhi Air Headquarters in New Delhi. She is a para jumper, and hails from Rajasthan.
She says she joined the Indian Air Force because of the life she wanted for herself.