PBC

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INDIAN WOMEN: RISING FROM THE RUBBLE TEAM: BUFFERING BRAINS
A Report on
INDIAN WOMEN: RISING FROM THE RUBBLE
A Report submitted in partial fulfilment of the subject ‘Professional Business
Communication’
to the subject in-charge,
Ms. Shirley Mathew
By
SAP ID NAME
60002190073 Nupur Doshi
60002190089 Rohit Jha
60002190095 Samyak Shah
60002190096 Sandeep Jala
60002190101 Shree Shah
60002190102 Shweta Chavan
60002190103 Siddharth Shah
60002190104 Sidhant Rawal
60002190105 Smit Chheda
60002190108 Sunil Talaviya
60002190110 Swapnil Raichandani
60002190063 Mokshesh Vora
Prepared for: Termwork

Date of submission: 11/11/21
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TABLE OF CONTENT
Page No.
Preface 6
Acknowledgement 7
Abstract 8
Introduction 9
1. Shantha Devi 13
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Achievements
1.3 Turning Point
1.4 Social Conflicts
1.5 Training and Journey
2. Jaswantiben Jamnadas Popat 16
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Origin
2.3 Strategy
2.4 Success
2.5 Role in Women Empowerment
2.6 Contribution to Social Service
2.7 Learning
3. Arunima Sinha 19
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Achievement
3.3 Family Background
3.4 Turning Point
3.5 Social Conflict
3.6 Training and Journey
4. Avani Lekhara 22
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Personal Information
4.3 Beginning of Journey and Struggles
4.4 Message from Avani and Lesson Learned
5. Sampat Pal Devi 25
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Achievements
6. Hema Das 26
6.1 Introduction
6.3 Success
6.4 Education
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6.5 Learning
7. Gita Gopinath 29
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Achievements
7.4 Turning Point
7.5 Career
8. Avani Charturvedi 32
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Success and Present State of Her Career
8.4 Career Highlight
8.5 Education and Perseverance
9. Indra Nooyi 35
9.1 Introduction
9.2 Family Background and Early Life
9.3 Achievements and Present Status
9.5 Business Strategy
10. Falguni Nayar 38
10.1 Introduction
10.2 Family Background and Early Life
10.3 Achievements and Present Status
10.5 Business Strategy
11. Shakuntala Devi 40
11.1 Introduction
11.2 Early life
12. Jayalalitha Jayaram 42
12.1 Introduction
12.2 Personal Information
12.3 Starting of Acting Career
12.4 Starting the Political Career
12.5 The Lesson Learned
13. Sirisha Bandla 45
13.1 Introduction
13.2 Success and Present State of Her Career
13.4 Social Conflicts
Survey Analysis 47
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Conclusions 49
Appendix 55
Webliography 56
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Preface
We are glad to present you this report on the topic “ Indian Women: Rising from the Rumble”
which was prepared by thorough discussion among the group. This topic was chosen because of
the fact that we in this modern society have to accept that women are no far behind than men in
any aspect in today’s scenario.
But there was a time when women had to struggle through a lot in various different aspects to
achieve their goal in life. Through this report we have tried to explain the difficulties various
women from different fields faced with achieving success.
It is a way to show our respect to these women and encourage the society to help other women in
our society to head towards their aim without discrimination. This is a chance for us to take a
stand and not let other people decide as to how an individual should walk through in their life.
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Acknowledgement
We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to Professor (Ms.) Shirley Mathew, our subject
in-charge, for her invaluable assistance and contribution in the preparation of this report. We'd
also like to express our gratitude to our principal, 'Dr Hari Vasudevan,' for allowing us to write
this report. We would also like to express our gratitude to 'Dr Amit Deshmukh' for his assistance
in the preparation of our report. We are also grateful to our families for their support and
cooperation, which enabled us to complete this report successfully.
Their patience and moral support throughout the writing process has been invaluable to us and
hasgave us confidence and energy to give our best to write this report.
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ABSTRACT
Indian women have evolved significantly over time. To acquire equal rights, they had to
overcome various barriers. There were numerous systems that hold back women, like polygamy,
the sati system, child marriage, female infanticide, and many others. Indian women were not
permitted to work. However, after many struggles and continuous effort, they have accomplished
tremendous accomplishments in every profession. They have made impossible work possible.
Not only women from metropolitan regions, but also women from rural places has also come up.
Shantha Devi a lady from small town developed her own business from scratch and encourage
women around her. The founder of the famous Lijjat papad, Jaswantiben Jamnadas, has a
remarkable story that has inspired numerous entrepreneurs. Sampat Pal Devi from a small village
of north India started a social organization ‘Gulabi Gang’ for women welfare and empowerment.
Indian sportswomen have made their country proud on numerous occasions. Avani Lekhara an
Indian Paralympian and rifle shooter and Hima Das known as ‘Dhing Express’ is a sprint runner
has won numerous medals. Arunima Singh is the world's first woman amputee to scale Everest
and all seven continent’s highest peak. She is the perfect example of having the power of will.
Indian women have their impact on every field. Even in the realm of defense, Indian air force
pilot Flight Lieutenant Avani Chaturvedi is the country's first female combat pilot and has
received several medals for her service. Indian women have demonstrated to the rest of the world
how capable entrepreneurs they are. Among the most successful entrepreneurs are Gita
Gopinath, Indra Nooyi, and Falguni Nayar. They have made an impact not only in India, but all
throughout the world. Shakuntala Devi, an Indian mathematician known as the ‘Human
Computer’, has broken numerous world records. Indian women are regarded to be excellent
leaders. Jayalaith Jayaram, the former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, is one of the best examples.
Sirisha Bandla is India's second woman to go to space, and she has made the country proud
around the world. One thing that all of them have in common is the amount of effort, devotion,
and hard work they put into anything they do. In comparison to previous eras, the status of
women has steadily improved. Today's women are fully engaged in fields such as politics, status,
military sectors, economic, service, and technology sectors. Furthermore, they have made
significant contributions in athletics as well. As a result, they have earned a respectable status in
both family and community.
TOPIC: INDIAN WOMEN: RISING FROM THE RUBBLE

TEAM: BUFFERING BRAINS
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“The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.”
-Ayn Rand
WHO IS A WOMAN???
Woman is a person who’s each and every action, every deed, every breath is just for her family
and ultimately the society, whatever she does it is good for the society in one way or the other.
She can work for 24/7 tirelessly and still have a smile on her face. It is said that if you give your
100% to a particular task you will get nice results at the end but this theory is not true for a
woman, in spite of giving her 200% for the betterment of her family and society the result she
gets are being ignored, insulted, beaten up and even disowned by the family and society. Some
men think that women can just do household chores but this mentality is an utter nonsense the
reality is that if a woman is determined to do something she can do it more easily, efficiently and
even better than what men can do.
Taking the exact dictionary meaning of woman, a woman is an adult female human being.
Statistically, being born as a female is ½ and being born as male is ½ but this is not the reality,
there are many people having a mentality that have a girl child is a curse and this mentality
makes people to do crimes like female infanticide.
The fact that a woman is a female human being may seem obvious but often are found to be
practiced inconsistently in the real world. There is a senseless myth sthat men are more oriented
to work outdoors, and woman are supposed to handle household affairs, is just very far-fetched,
ridiculous, absurd and the worst of all a practice.
This myth finds its origin in the pre-independence period, the status of women within the country
was in a deprived state. The major cause of this was, there was prevalence of male dominance.
Due to this, the position of women was undermined. The major responsibilities of the women
were dedicated towards the implementation of household responsibilities, and they were not
allowed to participate in the implementation of other tasks and activities, nor were they allowed
to express their ideas and viewpoints. In addition, they were overwhelmed by the practices of
polygamy, sati, child marriage, and female infanticide.
With the prevalence of the male dominance, there were constraints imposed upon woman in
terms of number of aspects, these include, acquisition of education, employment opportunities,
forced child marriage, sati and so forth.
Within the course of time, the position of women deteriorated during the medieval period.
During this period, the systems of purdah and jauhar were being introduced by the Muslim and
Rajput communities. The purdah system means that women were to remain within the curtain
and keep themselves covered, they put a veil over their face, especially in the presence of the
male members. Whereas the jauhar system was the one that women with their own consent,
immolate themselves, for their own as well as the protection of their wealth and property from
enemies. This is particularly if they belong to the defeated family of warriors. In both these
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systems, the liberty of woman was curtailed by the community. During this period, women
rendered an active participation in social, political, cultural, educational and religious fields. In
this period, the Bhakti movement also rendered a significant contribution for leading to
improvement as well as impoverishment in the status of women. This movement primarily
focused upon enhancing the status of women in society. During this period, the purdah system,
which was prevalent among the royal families, nobles and the merchant class of the individuals,
prior to the Muslim empire, began to have an influence upon the other classes of individuals too.
The major practices that have an unfavourable influence upon the lives of women have been
stated as follows:
POLYGAMY: The meaning of polygamy is having multiple spouses, i.e., having more than one
husband or wife at the same time. Polygamous marriages were common in pre-independence
India. There are two types of polygamy, i.e., one is polygyny, when a man marries more than one
woman and the other is, polyandry, when a woman marries more than one man. In ancient India,
the practice of polygamy was prevalent. But whether, they were acknowledged within the society
is still not known. This practice was prevalent among the warrior communities and the wealthy
merchant class. In ancient India, this practice was influenced by various factors, these were
opinion of the individuals, status symbol and social, moral and religious obligation. Marriage in
traditional Hinduism was primarily meant for progeny and implementation of duties and
responsibilities. Apart from the performance of household responsibilities, the spouses made
provision of support and assistance to each other. In the present existence, the laws for marriage
are well defined in terms of every religion. In accordance with The Hindu Marriage Act of 1955,
it is unlawful for a man to have more than one spouse. Islam is another religion that is practiced
by many individuals within the country. In the pre-independence period, the system of polygamy
did not prove to be advantageous towards enrichment of the family life of the individuals, hence,
it was later that Hindu priests restricted the number of wives to one.
SATI: One of the serious challenges that are experienced by all the activists and reformers was
the prevalence of the system of widow immolation or sati. In this system, the Hindu widows
climbed upon the funeral pyres of their husbands and get burned along with them. This system
was also prevalent in ancient India. The individuals and the communities possessed the strong
belief that if women would burn herself on the funeral pyre of her husband, then the sins of their
husbands and ancestors would get removed. When women were to perform this system, they
depicted confidence and did not show any apprehensiveness or vulnerability. Furthermore, it was
also strongly believed that she would attain heaven, on performing sati. During this period, the
condition of the widows was not in a good state and they experienced mistreatment. They
experienced social pressures and were regarded as a source that would bring bad luck. The
system of sati was abolished in Calcutta in 1798. It was a territory that was under the British.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy was a great reformer, who rendered a significant contribution for
improving the status of women. He struggled for the abolition of the system of sati, along with
assistance from Lord William Bentinck. A ban was imposed upon this system in 1829 in the
British territories of India.
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CHILD MARRIAGE: Child marriage was regarded as a serious concern that imposed negative
effects upon the overall quality of life of the individuals. Girls and women were the ones, who
suffered to a much greater extent as compared to boys, as a result of this problem. In
communities, where there has been prevalence of this problem, girls were usually discouraged
from the acquisition of education or get engaged in any form of childhood activities. From the
initial stage, they were trained in terms of implementation of household responsibilities and
taking care of the needs and requirements of the family members. The main reason was, they
were to get married at an early stage. Early marriage has a severe impact upon the growth and
development of children. During the middle of the 19th century, the activist started raising their
voice for the determination of the minimum age of marriage for the girls and boys. Due to the
efforts made by Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar and Keshab Chandra Sen, who conveyed that early
marriage not only deprives children from getting involved in all kinds of childhood activities, but
also imposes negative consequences upon their health conditions. These individuals, along with
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi made efforts to abolish the practice of child marriage and child
marriage restraint act was put into operation in 1929.
WIDOW REMARRIAGE: The conditions of widows were detrimental. They were required to
experience numbers of problems, which made their lives despondent. The major challenges and
problems that they experienced were, they were not allowed to participate in any social,
religious, cultural or political activities; they were not allowed to express their ideas and
viewpoints and did not have any say in the decision making matters; they did not have any right
to property and were deprived of number of rights and opportunities; they were not allowed to
take part in any functions and therefore opted for sati. The widows belonging to the upper caste
families were not affected by the norms and customs. Prohibition against widow remarriage was
observed among the upper caste communities. Laws were formulated that promoted widow
remarriage by the British and Hindus were the ones, who opposed these laws. The Hindus, who
possessed conservative viewpoints and perspectives were the ones, who believed that remarriage
of widows involved guilt and dishonour on earth and exclusion from heaven. Ishwar Chandra
Vidyasagar, Mahadev Ranade, and Dayanand Saraswati are the ones, who rendered a significant
contribution in the reform movement of widow remarriage. The efforts made by them resulted in
the enactment of the Hindu Widow Remarriage Act XV of 1856. There was less respect shown
towards the act by the individuals.
RIGHT TO PROPERTY: As far as right to property is concerned, there was ambiguity and
laws were also not implemented that would put emphasis upon the rights of women. When these
issues and concerns were not being resolved, then it became difficult for the widows to remarry.
Before the Hindu Women's Right to Property Act XVIII of 1937 and the Hindu Succession Act
XXX of 1956, came into effect, then the Dayabhaga and the Mitakshara laws put emphasis upon
the concept that widow could become a successor to her husband's property, on the death of her
husband, in case she does not have a male child or a grandson. The property that she has
succeeded to her husband can be retained by her, only during her lifetime. After the woman, her
property goes back to the nearest living legal representative of her late husband. The property
rights of the Indian women have evolved out of the continuing struggle between the status and
progressive forces. The property rights of the Indian women have been unequal and unfair.
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Improvements came about in their right to property, only with the implementation of laws. As it
has been stated that position of Indian women was not appropriate and they were deprived of
many rights and opportunities, hence, they were entitled to less rights, both in terms of quality
and quantity.
FEMALE INFANTICIDE: Female infanticide is referred to the killing of the girl child, after
she has been born. Right from the time of birth, the girl child was considered as a liability by her
parents. It was believed that she would only make demands and would yield no returns upon
investment. When the girls got married and went to their marital homes, then parents normally
possessed the viewpoint that they have to eventually get married, therefore, resources should not
be spend upon them. With the prevalence of this viewpoint, they are deprived from the
acquisition of education. The poverty stricken and marginalized families also deprive them from
obtaining other materials such as, good clothes, food etc. Hence, it can be stated that girls were
neglected at each state of their lives. At the time of marriage, huge dowry demands were made,
hence in order to prevent these problems, preference was given to male children. It was believed
that male children would bring cash, jewellery and other items as dowry. These are the major
causes that led to prevalence of the practice of female infanticide. The practice of female
infanticide was common among certain castes and tribes in India, especially in the north and
north-western states. This practice was particularly prominent among the communities, which
normally experience problems and difficulties in finding suitable matches for their daughters.
When the daughters were unmarried, it was regarded as a degradation and dishonour for the
family. The poverty-stricken families or the individuals, belonging to deprived and economically
weaker sections of the society normally did not possess adequate financial resources, hence,
fulfilment of the dowry demands is regarded as a major problem for them (Status/Position of
Women in Society, n.d.). In the year 1795, female infanticide was declared to be a murder by the
Bengal Regulation XXI. There were measures formulated by the British government to abolish
this practice. The Native Marriage Act of 1872, was passed by the efforts made by Keshab
Chandra Sen, which abolished early marriages, polygamy was regarded as an offence and widow
remarriages and inter-caste marriages were permitted. In 1901, the Government of Baroda passed
the Infant Marriage Prevention Act. This Act determined the minimum age of marriage for the
girls to be 18 years and for the boys to be 21 years. However, in the present existence, the act
remains primarily in the form of paper on account of various factors
“Fearlessness is not the absence of fear. It’s the mastery of fear. It’s about getting up one more
time than we fall down.” —Arianna Huffington
SHANTHA DEVI
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INTRODUCTION
It is said that when a woman thrives the entire society thrives, Shantha Devi is the best example
for this idiom. In the world where everyone has a mentality that women are born just to do
household chores, a woman who, with no formal education or experience, lifted an entire village
from poverty by empowering all the women around her. Shantha Devi is a vibrant, graceful
woman from southern part of India, who grew up in poverty and married into an even lower
situation. She tried everything that was possible for her to feed her two children but eventually
fell on hard times. Today a decade later she has a concrete house with all the utilities which are
unheard in rural regions. Shantha was compelled to make her own path from the limits of a
conservative rural India that prefers to keep its women at home. She has not only pulled herself
and her family out of poverty, but she has also assisted other women in her village and women in
neighboring villages do the same.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Shanta Devi now manages various business such as selling milk, making paper bags and boxes
and many more. Her family rose from the poverty and now living a stable life, there was a time
when her family would struggle for a nice two-time meal and they used to often sleep hungry.
Due to lack of money her two sons had to drop out of school as they were unable to pay the
school fees. All these situations were discouraging Shantha Devi in fact these situations made
her stronger. She made a firm decision that she will make both her children educated so that they
can live a happy life and not the poverty driven life which her family a living. Now because of
her sheer determination and dedication, her elder son is an engineer, he completed his education
and grown from an uneducated person to a technical officer at a reputed company. Shantha Devi
not only made her family self-sufficient but also encouraged other women in the village to work
hard and help their family to overcome the curse of poverty. Krishnaveni and Adhilakshmi are
two of the women who claim that their lives have been transformed beyond their wildest dreams
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by Shantha Devi. Krishnaveni is another inspiration for us as in spite of being set on fire by his
alcoholic husband she never lost hope and was firmly there to support Shantha Devi.
TURNING POINT:
Small steps launched her to an unbelievable journey from suffocating poverty to community-
wide impact. She gained experience working in an office and connecting with government and
business people while volunteering at a local government agency. It opened her eyes to a world
beyond her close family and neighborhood. Shanta accepted the salary-free work – which paid
nothing but bus fare – in the hope that it might lead to a better chance down the road and it was
successful. She overheard a new concept for a women's "self-help" group at the government
office. It was built on a microfinance model. In this example, each group member gives an equal
amount of money, which the bank then matches. The group can submit business ideas to the
bank, and if accepted, they can utilize the pooled cash to start a business and pay back the loan
over time with a portion of the profits. The rate of interest is heavily subsidized. She used that
opportunity to form a group of women collecting rupees 10 from each of them and finally
opening an account for the loan. This where Shanta Devi’s took a sharp turn.
SOCIAL CONFLICTS:
The implement the concept of “self-help” group which gave Shantha Devi new business ideas
and motivation was not that easy, she required a minimum 20 women to establish the group, each
woman should give ten rupees. It wasn't an easy task, given that the majority of the villagers
were poor. Shantha persuaded the women to participate after two years of persuasion and
creativity. She repeatedly knocked on the same doors, offering the women different methods to
make ends meet, such as selling a small amount of leftover rice for modest change, which could
then be used for their donation. Women were not given the freedom to work, she didn’t lose
hope and stive to start with something that would help the village to strike back at poverty.
But these were just the beginning of the obstacles she faced. In order for the fund to qualify for
the "self-help" loan, she had to open a bank account. But, she claimed, the bank wouldn't take
her seriously since she was a woman. She approached her former coworkers at the government
office and asked for assistance after six months of trying. She remembered, "They told I should
go to the bank with all the women and be stronger." "They told I should learn to deal with such
problems on my own.” Shantha's microfinance group was up and running a week later, now that
she had a bank account. Their first venture was to purchase cows in order to sell milk.
TRANING AND JOURNEY:

After the first business was placed in the field. Shantha's previous volunteer efforts in a
government agency paid off again. Her former coworkers informed her in 2009 that a Chennai-
based bag company was looking to outsource its packaging. Shantha delighted at the prospect to
provide more consistent and meaningful work for the women in her village. Her former
coworkers assisted her in communicating with the company, and she rented a place and got
started using the microfinance group approach. Shantha has hired more women to package bags
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over the years, and many of their lives have been changed as a result of their employment.
Shantha's passion became finding ladies who could benefit. Shantha would approach potential
hires in the local market or while walking down the street and try to persuade them to join the
organization. The packaging unit now employs 26 women. They package around 5,000 bags per
week in over eight hours.
Shantha's microfinance organization has become a role model for women in nearby areas. "After
seeing how successfully we handled it, the bank contacted us and requested us to assist in the
formation of organizations in the nearby communities," she explained.
Shantha provided guidance to women in neighboring communities, even assisting the illiterate in
filling out documents. She accompanied the groups to the bank to assist them in opening
accounts and refining their business plans. Shanta now trains women to manage their own
business and help them to find their path. Shantha now supervises the organization she founded,
more than 15 years after she began knocking on the doors of women in her hamlet to invite them
to join her first "self-help" group.
JASWANTIBEN JAMNADAS POPAT
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INTRODUCTION:
Pondering into the life of the Padma Shri award winner Shrimati Jaswantiben Jamnadas Popat
we feel that the quote Don’t let anyone define you, you define yourself is made by keeping her in
mind.
Jaswantiben Jamnadas Popat, the founder of the famous Lijjat papad, has a wonderful narrative
that will inspire many businesses. Jaswantiben Popat and her team of women not only developed
a fantastic business and a brand at a period when no one talked about entrepreneurship, but they
also created jobs for women. This year, the country bestowed the Padma Shri Award to 91-year-
old Jaswantiben Jamnadas Popat. Their company was originally known as Shri Mahila Gruha
Udyog Lijjat Papad, but it was renamed Lijjat Papad in 1962. Lijjat is a Gujarati word that means
'tasty.' The small papad business, which started with a loan of Rs 80, by 7 inspiring friends, now
employs 42,000 women and has over 60 locations. This papad is marketed all across the country
and exported to England, the United States of America, Singapore, Thailand, and The
Netherlands, and many other foreign countries.
ORIGIN:
Seven Gujarati women from Jabalpur founded Lijjat. The women lived in Girgaum's Lohana
Niwas, a complex of five buildings. They intended to start a business using their only expertise,
cooking, in order to create a sustainable income. Jaswantiben Jamnadas Popat, Parvatiben
Ramdas Thodani, Ujamben Narandas Kundalia, Banuben N. Tanna, Laguben Amritlal Gokani,
Jayaben V. Vithalani, and Diwaliben Lukka were among the seven ladies.
Chhaganlal Karamsi Parekh, a social worker and member of the Servants of India Society,
loaned the women Rs 80. They took over a losing papad-making enterprise owned by one
Laxmidas bhai, and purchased the essential ingredients as well as the requisite infrastructure to
make papads. They gathered on their building's terrace on March 15, 1959, and began making
four packs of papads. They began selling papads in Bhuleshwar to a well-known shopkeeper.
Even if the organisation lost money, the women had vowed from the beginning that they would
not contact anyone for donations or support.
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Their guide was Chhaganlal Parekh, also known as Chaganbapa.Initially, the ladies made two
types of papads, with the inferior one being sold at a lower price. Chaganbapa encouraged them
to prepare a standard papad and to never cut corners when it came to quality. He emphasised to
them the significance of running it like a business and keeping accurate records.
STRATEGY:
As a cooperative system, Lijjat grew. Initially, even younger girls were allowed to join, but the
minimum age for membership was later set at eighteen. Within three months, approximately 25
women were producing papads. Soon after, the women purchased business supplies such as
utensils, cupboards, and stoves. The organization's annual sales were Rs. 6196 in its first year.
The shattered papads were shared among neighbours.
The women had to stop manufacturing for four months during the rainy season the first year
because the rains prevented the papads from drying.They remedied the situation the following
year by purchasing a cot and a stove. The papads were maintained on the cot, with the stove
beneath them, so that the drying process could continue despite the rain.
SUCCESS:
For the years 1998–99 to 2000–01, Lijjat got the KVIC award for "Best Village Industries
Institution." "The Women Behind Lijjat Papad" received the "Businesswoman of the Year" title
at The Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence in 2002. At the awards ceremony,
Lijjat's President encouraged the Maharashtra and Punjab state governments to reconsider their
decision to remove the tax exemption on Lijjat's Sasa Detergent.
Lijjat had a revenue of Rs 3 billion and exports of Rs 100 million in 2002. It employed 42,000
employees across the country in 62 divisions. (2002) In 2002, the 62nd branch was established in
Jammu & Kashmir, with around 150 members.
Lijjat was named "Best Village Industry Institution" in 2003. It also won the 2005 PHDCCI
Brand Equity Award. On March 15, 2009, Lijjat celebrated its 50th anniversary.
ROLE IN WOMEN ENPOWERMENT:

The rise of the Lijjat is frequently considered as part of a greater picture of women's
empowerment. For member-sisters and their families, the organisation has made different
initiatives to encourage reading and computer education. On June 18, 1999, a literacy drive for
sisters began in Girgaum through literacy workshops. Later, the management committee decided
to implement such classes throughout all of the company's branches. Lijjat began awarding
Chhaganbapa Smruti Scholarships to the daughters of member-sisters in 1980.
The member-sisters used their organisation to promote the wellbeing of themselves and their
families. They established an educational and hobby centre for rural women at the Valod centre.
Orientation classes in typing, cooking, sewing, knitting, and toy making, as well as child welfare,
first aid, and cleanliness, were offered. With the support of the Lijjat, Valod branch, the first
pucca (tarred) road in Valod was created and inaugurated in 1979.
As part of the International Year of the Child celebrations in Mumbai in 1979, Lijjat collaborated
with UNICEF to host a seminar on "Child Care and Mother Welfare."Lijjat was represented by
Bhadraben Bhatt at a UNESCO-sponsored international workshop on "The role of women in the
absorption and spread of technological innovation" conducted in NITIE, Powai in October 1984.
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Lijjat was represented by Alkaben Kalia at the National Commission on Self-Employed

Women's national meeting on women.
CONTRIBUTION TO SOCIAL SERVICE:
The Lijjat member-sisters have participated in social service activities such as distributing
nutritious food to poor children, donating money to conduct community marriages, establishing
prize money to promote primary education, organising blood drives, health camps, and
plantation drives, and even making donations to government bodies on several occasions.
Rukminiben B. Pawar, Lijjat President, was honoured by the city of Mumbai in 1999 as an
exceptional woman in the field of social service.
LEARNING:
The pappad industry is no longer just a home success story. Crisps are also exported, particularly
to nations with a large Indian population. Detergents and bread production have also been added
to the company's portfolio. Some business schools have even commissioned research to better
understand this unusual firm, which is handled by volunteers. Each woman worker gets between
$2 and $5 a day, depending on her output, and receives additional perks as a business partner.
But it is not higher revenues that are driving this, but rather the empowering of Indian women
through literacy and financial independence. In a world where capitalism appears to have taken
hold, this is a unique socialist business model.
With the prevalence of the male dominance, there were

constraints imposed upon women in terms of number of aspects, these include, acquisition of
education, employment opportunities, forced child marriage, purdah system, sati and so forth.
The status of women in pre-independence India was primarily dependent upon their
upbringing and the society in which they lived
With the prevalence of the male dominance, there were
constraints imposed upon women in terms of number of aspects, these include, acquisition of
education, employment opportunities, forced child marriage, purdah system, sati and so forth.
The status of women in pre-independence India was primarily dependent upon their
upbringing and the society in which they lived
ARUNIMA SINHA
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INTRODUCTION:
Arunima Sinha is a mountain climber and sportswoman from India. She is the first female
amputee to climb Mount Everest, Mount Kilimanjaro (Tanzania), Mount Elbrus (Russia), Mount
Kosciusko (Australia), Mount Aconcagua (South America), Carstensz Pyramid (Indonesia), and
Mount Vinson. She is also a seven-time Indian volleyball player.
Arunima Sinha made a promise that many people would find difficult to grasp the day her leg
was amputated. Her goal from that day on was not only to prove her ability with a prosthetic leg,
but also to climb Mount Everest, the world's highest peak. Her aim was to summit all seven
continent’s highest peaks.
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PRESENT STATUS

In 2013, Arunima Sinha became the first female amputee to climb Mount Everest. She continued
conquering additional summits after Mount Everest. She has scaled all seven continents' highest
peaks. By the year 2014, she has climbed Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Mt Elbrus in Russia, and
Mt Kosciusko in Australia. In January 2019, at the age of 30, she became the first female
amputee to climb Mount Vinson, Antarctica's highest peak.
In 2015, she received the Padma Shri Award, India's fourth highest civilian honour. She has
received numerous awards. Malala Award, Yash Bharti Award, Rani Laxmi Bai Award, People
of the Year- Limca Book of Records (2016), Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award, First
Lady Award.
In November 2018 by the University of Strathclyde, a famous UK university at their graduation
ceremony, she was awarded an honorary doctorate. Arunima has written a book about her life
called “Born again on the mountain: How I losing everything and found it back”. She also
started a sports academy, Shaheed Chandra Shekhar Azad Viklang Khel Academy.
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FAMILY BACKGROUND AND EARLY LIFE:

Arunima grew up in Ambedkar Nagar, a small region in Uttar Pradesh near Lucknow. Her father
was an engineer with the Indian Army. Her mother worked for the health department as a
supervisor. Arunima is the eldest of two siblings, with an older sister and a younger brother.
When she was three years old, her father passed away.
Arunima was a national volleyball player and enjoyed playing football. Despite her exceptional
talent, she had never considered pursuing an athletic career. She aspired to join the paramilitary
force but was unable to do so. Finally, in 2011, she received a call letter from the CSIF.
TURNING POINT:
Arunima travelled for Delhi on April 12th, 2011 to get the incorrect date of birth on her CSIF
call letter corrected. She was riding in the train's general coach, the Padmavat Express. Soon
after, a group of thieves boarded the coach. They attempted to take her gold chain. They began
attacking Arunima after she resisted their attempts. She was taken up by the goons and thrown
from the train. She was hit by an approaching train and fell on a train track. Another train passed
over her leg before she could move. What happened next was far worse.
Arunima spent the night bleeding on the train tracks. That night, 49 trains travelled through
that spot. Some local boys took her to the hospital the next morning. Her leg was amputated to
save her life as she suffered major leg and pelvic injuries. Because there was no anaesthetic,
Arunima felt every second of the surgery. The hospital was lacked even the most basic
essentials. She was taken to the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences for further treatment on
April 18, 2011. She stayed there for four months.
SOCIAL CONFLICTS:
The train tragedy made the news when Arunima was struggling for her life in the hospital.
Different segments of society exploited the incident for their own Publicity. Some even referred
to it as a failed suicide attempt.
The police investigation into the incident cast doubt on her version of the tragedy. According to
the cops, she was either trying suicide or had an accident when crossing the railway tracks.
Indian Railways was ordered to give her compensation of 5,00,000 rupees. The Sports Ministry
also offered her compensation.
When Arunima decided to climb Mount Everest, she informs her doctors regarding her plans and
whenever she tried to tell anyone about her idea, she was either laughed at or told that trauma
negatively impacted her mental health.
TRAINING AND JOURNEY:

She made the decision to climb Mount Everest while still receiving treatment at the All-India
Institute of Medical Sciences. She got inspiration from Yuvraj Singh, a cricketer who had
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successfully battled cancer. She excelled in the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering for 18-months
mountaineering course in Uttarkashi.
Before climbing Everest, she climbed smaller but no less dangerous mountains, had a few near-
death experiences, and experienced mind-numbing, exhausting, and spirit-crushing agony. She
also met Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to climb Mount Everest. Then Tata Steel
provided her a sponsorship to climb Everest.
On May 21, 2013, she reached the peak of Everest. On the peak, she raised the flag of India and
placed some photographs of her idol, Swami Vivekananda. Arunima Sinha's next aim after
climbing Mount Everest was to climb all seven of the world's highest peaks. By 2014, she had
conquered six peaks: Asia, Europe, South America, Australia, Africa, and North America. On
January 4, 2019, she scaled Mount Vinson of Antarctica, the seventh peek and becoming the
world's first female amputee to do it.
AVANI LEKHARA
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INTRODUCTION:
Avani Lekhara is an Indian Paralympian and rifle shooter. She won a gold medal in 10m air rifle
standing and a bronze medal in 50m air rifle standing at Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Lekhara is
currently World No 2 in Women's 10m Air Rifle standing SH1 (World Shooting Para Sport
Rankings) and has competed in the 2018 Asian Para Games. She has been supported
by GoSports Foundation through the Para Champions Programme. She is also the first Indian
woman to win multiple medals in a single Paralympic Games. She has been given out of turn
appointment as Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF) by the Government of Rajasthan.
PERSONAL INFORMATION :
Avani Lekhara was born on 8 November 2001 and When she was just 11 she suffered from a
major car accident. Which left her waist down paralyzed. This accident left a great impact on an
11-year-old girl. However, her family especially her father motivated her to join sports. As sports
provide us with discipline and courage. It makes us much more confident and brings the right
kind of energy.
BEGINNING OF JOURNEY AND STRUGGLES:

Lekhara started her inspiring journey by training in archery. Where she builds true sportsmanship
spirits. However, she was very interested in Shooting. Especially after reading the autobiography
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of the gold medalist Abhinav Bindra,” A shot at History”. She got her inspiration from him and
so she went on with shooting. And, started her journey in 2015 considering Bindra as her Idol.
Since then, she has won many titles and championships and now she became the first one to
bring gold at the Paralympics in India. She has truly become an inspiration for not only disable
athletes and women but also for people around the globe.
However, she has also continued with her studies and is currently studying law in Rajasthan.
Avani suffered a major spinal cord back in 2012 but she never let herself down. But as it is
rightly said, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure
despite overwhelming obstacles.” – Christopher Reeve. She found her strength from her idol
Abhinav Bindra and she endures each obstacle in her life.
The story of Avani Lekhara, the champion shooter began at Jagatpura Sports complex back in
2015. And, she got her first international event in 2017 at the Para Shooting world cup in Al Ain
in UAE wherein she won a silver medal and after that, it became a movement for her to bag a
medal in every single event. She won another silver medal in the Para Shooting world cup in
Croatia in 2019. She, even grabbed a gold this year in the National Para- shooting championship
for women’s in R2 10 Mtr’s air rifle and SH1.
Apart from the R2 10 meters women shooting, Avani would also be taking part in 3 or more
events at the Paralympics. These events include Mixed R3 – 10m air rifle prone SH1, Women’s
R8 – 50m rifle 3 positions SH1 and Mixed R6 – 50m rifle. prone SH1. Besides shooting Avani
loves watching films, cooking, listening to music, baking, and spending time with her family.
After her victorious win in the 10 mtr’s shooting at the Paralympic. The president of India, Shri
Ram Nath Kovind congratulated her for such a triumphant win. He took to Twitter and tweeted,”
Another India’s daughter has made us proud today and has created a history”. After which he
congratulated her and tweeted that, “India’s elated by such a stellar performance and India’s
tricolor fly high on the podium due to your efforts and hard work”.
In an Interview, Avani Lekhara said, “I can’t describe this feeling in words and I feel on top of
the world”. Lekhara’s focus and determination helped her to fire her way to the top of the
podium in 10 meters of women shooting at the paralympic. She said the trick was to focus on
each shot at a time and shuttle out everything else.
Although, Lekhara had already sustained a spinal cord injury in her car accident back in 2012.
But she finished with a world record-equalling total of 249.6 that also became a new highest
record in the Paralympics.
The 19-year-old from Jaipur, who got introduced to the sports by her father in 2015. She was
delighted to become the first woman athlete to win a Paralympic gold for India. And also
thanked her idol, Abhinav Bindra as it was only because of him that she got the inspiration to
train in the shooting.
She said I am so happy that I could be the one to contribute it. And, hopefully, there are lot more
medals to come. The 19-year-old has never looked back after firing her first shot some six years
ago. And enjoying every bit of precision while working up her way towards the glory.
She said, it feels very homely when she picks up a rifle. It makes her feel that she belongs to that
discipline. It feels a connection with the rifle and the discipline is all about focus and
consistency, she added.
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She recalled starting her journey in sports, in the summer of 2015 when her father took young
Avani to the shooting stadium. And helped her with some shots which went quite decent.
Shooting became her hobby and afterward due to her focus. Today she’s one of the World’s
champions in the shooting, breaking new heights of records.
As it truly said” Disability is just a perception” and people with focus and determination can
overcome any challenge and any fear. Avani Lekhara is one such inspiration who has overcome
the perception of disability with her very own hard work.
MESSAGE FROM AVANI AND LESSON LEARNED:

A life changing accident taught Avani how “time” can be a healer, along with patience and and
an attitude to not give up. She believes that she could achieve what she has today breaking
boundaries and accepting reality.
She says “I don’t compare myself with anybody.” I just know that my competition is only with
me. I can’t take someone else as my competator and try to beat their score because at the end of
the day, I am standing there (at the shooting point) alone and I have to control myself, my
feelings, my emotions, whatever good or bad I am feeling.
SAMPAT PAL DEVI
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Sampat Pal is an Indian social activist from the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh, North
India.She is founder of the Gulabi Gang, an Uttar Pradesh-based social organisation, works for
women welfare and empowerment. Sampat Pal founded the Gulabi Gang to further the cause of
women's rights. It developed into an organised women's movement with as many as 270,000
members spread over several districts in Uttar Pradesh. The women wear Gulabi (pink) saris and
arm themselves with bamboo sticks, which they use whenever they come up against violent
resistance.
Pal described her early life in an autobiography written with the collaboration of the French
journalist Anne Berthod. According to a BBC report, Banda district is a “highly caste-ridden,
feudalistic and male dominated society. Dowry demands and domestic and sexual violence are
common. Locals say it is not surprising that a women's vigilante group has sprung up in this
landscape of poverty, discrimination and chauvinism“.
One day when Sampat Pal Devi, a simple woman living in a village in Northern India, saw a man
mercilessly beating his wife. She pleaded with him to stop but he abused her as well. The next
day she returned with a bamboo stick and five other women and gave the rogue a sound
thrashing.
The news spread like wild fire and soon women started approaching Sampat Pal Devi in droves
requesting similar interventions. Many women came forward to join her team and in the year
2006 she decided that the sisterhood needed a uniform and a name and thus the pink sari was
chosen, to signify the womanhood and understated strength.
The Gulabi Gang kept a watch on all community activities and protested vociferously when they
saw any manifestation of injustice or malpractice. On one occasion, when Sampat Pal went to the
local police station to register a complaint, a policeman abused and attacked her. She retaliated
by beating him on the head with her lathi. On another occasion she dragged a government
official out of his car to show him a crumbling road that was in need of urgent repair. After all,
what cannot be endured must be cured!
HIMA DAS
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INTRODUCTION:
Hima Das is an Assamese sprinter who competes for India. Das is like a refreshing shower in a
land where sprinters are in short supply. At the IAAF World U20 Championships in Tampere,
Finland, on Thursday, the 21-year-old became the first and only Indian athlete to win a gold
medal in a track event. Hima Das became the first Indian woman athlete to win a gold medal at
the World Under-20 Track and Field Championships, clocking 51.13 seconds at the Ratina
Stadium. Das is also the current Indian national record holder in the 400-meter dash, with a time
of 50.79 seconds set at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games in Indonesia. Hima set a new record earlier
this year when she won five straight international gold medals in just 20 days.
FAMILY BACKGROUND:
Hima Das was born to Ronjit and Jonali Das in Kandhulimari village, near Dhing, Assam, where
she grew up. Her father and mother are also farmers. She is the eldest of five children.
Early Life & Struggle:
Her date of birth is January 9, 2000. She has liked playing football with males on a regular basis
since she was a toddler, revealing her independent and determined attitude. Her goals were never
thwarted by the traditional notions that girls are expected to hold. She was adamant about
pursuing a career in football because of her passion for the sport. Her dream to play for the
Indian Women's Football team, however, was unfulfilled in her case. She was a Jawahar
Navodaya Vidyalaya student. Nippon Das, her Physical Education instructor, noticed her talent
and encouraged that she train for sprinting. That was the beginning of her running career. Also
see: Court Ordered Rounak Ali Hazarika has been sentenced to a ten-day police remand. Her
family's financial situation was never favourable. As a result, her family had a difficult time
assisting her in pursuing her job. She competed in both the 100-meter and 200-meter races at the
district level, and much to the coach's astonishment, she won both events by clinching gold. In
the early stages of her running career, the coach did not anticipate such a stellar performance.
Page 26
She also lacked adequate running shoes for the race, so she wore a pair of inexpensive shoes and
still came in first. This incident exemplifies her unwavering drive from the start. The coach
agreed to cover all of her expenditures in order for her to compete in future events. Since her
early career advancement, no amount of hardship or suffering has been able to deter her. The rate
at which she began to achieve her objectives accelerated. The humble beginnings from which she
ascended to such lofty heights are inspiring.
Adapting to metropolitan culture is never easy for a child, especially a girl from a tiny town.
Hima had a slight setback as well, but Mr. Nipon Das was a continuous motivator who helped
her get over this difficult period. Hima was treated as if she were her own daughter, and he
provided her with all she required. Hima was advanced to state level athletics and received the
acclaim she deserved as a result of her consistent training and motivation. Hima began her new
life by succeeding in athletics at the state and even national levels. She competed in sprint events
such as the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, 400-meter dash, and 4x100-meter dash. She was
adamant about improving her finishing time, and it paid off handsomely. In April of this year,
she set an Indian U-20 record by running 51.32 seconds in Gold Coast. Her dedication and
relentless hard work paid off when she was chosen to represent India at the 2018 World U-20
Championships.
SUCCESS:
The list of Hima Das’ records in July 2019:
● July 2, 2019: Hima Das bagged 200m gold in Poznan Athletics Grand Prix in Poland in
23.65 seconds.
● July 7, 2019: Hima Das won 200m gold at the Kutno Athletics Meet in Poland in 23.97
seconds.
● July 13, 2019: Das won 200m gold at the Kladno Athletics Meet in the Czech Republic in
23.43 seconds.
● July 17, 2019: Das won a gold medal in the 200m race at Tabor Athletics Meet Czech
Republic in 23.25 seconds.
● July 20, 2019: Das won a gold medal in the 400-metre event in Nove Mesto, Czech
Republic, in 52.09 seconds.
The list of Hima Das’ records in 2018:
● At Asian Games in 2018, Hima Das won a silver medal in the 4×400-metre mixed relay
● In July, 2018, Das won the 400 m final at the World U-20 Championships 2018 at
Tampere in Finland by clocking 51.46 seconds
● She also set an Indian U20 record of 51.32 seconds to finish sixth in the Commonwealth
Games 400m final in Gold Coast in April 2018
Conferred with Arjuna Award by the President of India on 25 September 2018.
Hima Das was appointed as a government servant in the Assam Police Service cadre as a Deputy
Superintendent of Police by the Assam Public Service Commission on February 20, 2021,
without having to take the Combined Competitive Examination.
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After winning an international tournament, an athlete like Hima Das receives a sum ranging from
$30,000 to $60,000. All training and competition expenditures are covered by the government. In
addition, the Assam government awarded her 1.60 crore INR in recognition of her outstanding
accomplishment. Following her victory in the Asian Games, she was given an additional sum of
20 lakh INR.
EDUCATION:
She was initially interested in playing football and attended Dhing Public High School and
afterwards Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya after passing the admission exam in 5th year. She used
to play football with the boys at her JNV school and had always aspired to be a football player.
She did not, however, see any opportunities for herself in India's women's football scene. She
later switched to sprint running after receiving coaching from a JNV physical education teacher.
Das finished her 12th grade exams in May of this year. She is currently pursuing her bachelor's
degree in Assam's Cotton University.
LEARNING:
The whole nation has recognized an 18-year-old teenager hailing from Dhing village in Assam
who succeeded in achieving the impossible. She has set an example for all the teenagers that it
does not matter where you come from but it only matters how far you are willing to go
GITA GOPINATH
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INTRODUCTION
Gita is on leave of public service from the economics department of Harvard University where
she is the John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and Economics. She is also a co-
director of the International Finance and Macroeconomics program at the National Bureau of
Economic Research and has worked as the Economic Adviser to the Chief Minister of Kerala.
Gopinath was appointed as Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund in October
2018. In an interview with Trevor Noah on The Daily Show, she named the worldwide recession
of 2020 as "The Great Lockdown."

In 2018, Gopinath was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the
Econometric Society. Foreign Policy named her one of the Top Global Thinkers in 2019. In
2017, she received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Washington. She
was named one of the top 25 economists under 45 by the International Monetary Fund in 2014
and was chosen as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2011. In 2019 she
was awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, the highest honor for a person of Indian origin, by
the President of India.
FAMILY BACKGROUND AND EARLY LIFE

Gita Gopinath was born on 8 December 1971 in Calcutta, India in a Malayali family. She is the
younger of two daughters of T.V. Gopinath and V.C. Vijayalakshmi. Her family is related to the
late A. K. Gopalan.
Gopinath studied at Nirmala Convent School in Mysore. She received a B.A. degree from Lady
Shri Ram College for Women of the University of Delhi in 1992 and an M.A. degree in
economics from Delhi School of Economics, also of the University of Delhi, in 1994. She further
completed an M.A. degree at the University of Washington in 1996. She earned her
Page 29
TURNING POINT
She was barely even seven when her enthusiastic father arranged vegetables on a table in groups,
to help her understand the concept of multiplication. Today, what she brings to the table will
impact the world economy.
The appointment of India-born Gita Gopinath as International Monetary Fund’s chief economist
has made Indians proud. The 46-year-old’s journey from a middle-class Mysuru girl to a world-
class economist is a saga of hard work, focus and grit, breeding intellectual leadership.
Her parents’ residence in Mysuru is teeming with people, as her well-wishers troop into the
verandah overlooking the well-manicured lawns. Gita’s father, T.V. Gopinath, gets emotional
recalling his daughter’s journey. “It is no small achievement. We are grateful to god,” says
Gopinath, who heads Raita Mitra, a farmers’ collective. He is home from his farm in Bilikere
village near Mysuru city to handle the stream of visitors.
Gita’s mother, V.C. Vijayalakshmi, who ran a very popular playhouse for 35 years, says, “My
daughter is only my baby, although the world sees her as a celebrity today. In spite of her tight
schedule, she calls me every evening. What more can I ask for?”
Currently, the John Zwaanstra professor of international studies and economics at Harvard
University, Gita was born on December 8, 1971, in Calcutta, during the Bangladesh war. “In
1980, we came to Mysore. Gita was nine, and joined Nirmala Convent in class four. I had quit
my job to take care of my ailing mother,” says Gopinath.
While both their parents are from Kerala, Gita and her elder sister, Anita, picked up many
languages as the family lived in Calcutta and Hyderabad before settling down in Mysore. “I was
apprehensive whether my children, who spoke Hindi and English, would be able to pick up
Kannada,” says Gopinath. “Both of them learnt Kannada in three months. Gita speaks Kannada,
and all her friends are Kannadigas. She had little knowledge of Malayalam till she accepted the
Kerala government assignment,” says Gopinath, referring to her 2016 appointment as Kerala
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s economic adviser.
CAREER
In 1992, Gopinath got her B.A degree in economics from University of Delhi. In 1994 Gita
Gopinath got her first master's degree at the Delhi School of Economics. In 1996, she got her
second master's degree in economics at University of Washington. In 2001, Gita Gopinath got
her Ph.D. in economics in the field of international macroeconomics and trade at Princeton
University. She joined the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business as an assistant
professor.
In October 2018, Gopinath was appointed chief economist of the International Monetary Fund.
Gita Gopinath is the John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and of Economics at
Harvard University. She is co-director of the International Finance and Macroeconomics
program at the National Bureau of Economic Research, a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve
Bank of Boston, a member of the economic advisory panel of the Federal Reserve Bank of New
York, Economic Adviser to the Chief Minister of Kerala state (India), a co-editor at the
American Economic Review, and a co-editor of the 2019 edition of the Handbook of
International Economics.
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In June 2021, Gopinath was appointed to the World Bank–International Monetary Fund High-
Level Advisory Group (HLAG) on Sustainable and Inclusive Recovery and Growth, co-chaired
by Mari Pangestu, Ceyla Pazarbasioglu, and Nicholas Stern.
AVANI CHATURVEDI
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INTRODUCTION
Flight Lieutenant Avani Chaturvedi (born 27 November 1993) is an Indian pilot
from Rewa district, Madhya Pradesh. She was declared as the first woman combat pilot along
with two of her cohorts, Mohana Singh Jitarwal, and Bhawana Kanth. The trio was inducted into
the Indian Air Forcefighter squadron in June 2016. They were formally commissioned by
then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on 18th June 2016, to serve the nation.
SUCCESS AND PRESENT STATE OF HER CAREER

Avani Chaturvedi was selected to train at Hyderabad Air Force Academy and had completed the
training at the age of 25. After completing one year of training there, Chaturvedi became a
fighter pilot in June 2016. Once Chaturvedi completes Stage III training at Bidar in
adjoining Karnataka next year, they will be able to fly fighter jets like the Sukhoi Su-
30MKI and Tejas.
In 2018, Chaturvedi became the first Indian woman pilot to take a solo flight in a MiG-21. In
2018 Avani was promoted to the rank of Flight Lieutenant.
Chaturvedi is posted in Indian Air Force No. 23 Squadron Panthers in Suratgarh, Rajasthan.
In 2018, she was honored with the doctorate degree from Banasthali Vidyapeeth.
On 9 March 2020, Chaturvedi was awarded with Nari Shakti Puraskar by President Ram Nath
Kovind.
FAMILY BACKGROUND
She hails from Rewa district in Madhya Pradesh.
Avani was born on 27 October in 1993. Her father, Dinkar Chaturvedi, is an superintending
engineer in Water Resource Department of Madhya Pradesh government and her mother is a
home maker. She completed her schooling from Deolond, a small town in Shahdol district of
Madhya Pradesh.
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Avani's elder brother, who is an officer in the Indian Army, inspired her to join the Indian Air
Force. She also had a few hours of flying experience in the flying club of her college Banasthali
University, which further inspired her to join the IAF (Indian Air Force).
Avni Chaturvedi married Flight Lieutenant Vineet Chikara in November 2019.
Vineet Chikara, son of Sub-Inspector Dayanand Chhikara in Haryana Police, Ward-10 resident
of Samalkha, is a flying lieutenant in the Air Force.
CAREER HIGHLIGHT
Chaturvedi likes to play chess, table tennis and to do sketching, painting. She was inspired by
Army officers in her family and a brief flying experience of few hours in the flying club of her
college inspired her to join the IAF.
Flying Officer Avani Chaturvedi has created history by becoming the first Indian woman fighter
pilot to fly solo.
Chaturvedi flew a MiG-21 bison in her first training solo sortie, in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
She is one of the three in the first batch of female pilots, besides Bhawana Kanth and Mohana
Singh, who were inducted in Indian Air Force fighter squadron on June 18, 2016.
Speaking to ANI, Air Commodore Prashant Dixit said, "It is a unique achievement for Indian Air
Force and the country."
Only selected countries, such as Britain, the United States, Israel, and Pakistan, have allowed
women in the role of fighter pilots.
It was in October 2015 that the Government took the decision to open the fighter stream for
women. Meanwhile, combat roles in the Army and the Navy are still off-limits for women, due
to a combination of operational concerns and logistical constraints.
On December 16, 2017 two women from the second batch to enter the fighter stream of the
Indian Air Force were commissioned after graduating from the Air Force Academy, Dundigul.
It was only in 1992 that the armed forces began recruiting women to streams, other than the
medical stream.
EDUCATION AND PERSEVERANCE

Avani grew up amongst the army officers in her family, which inspired her to get into the Indian
Air Force.
After completing her schooling, she moved to Rajasthan to pursue her engineering in
Computer Science from the Banasthali University.
While pursuing her B.Tech. (CSE) at the Banasthali University, Avani was a Core Team
Member of Mayukh (Annual Tech Fiesta of University).
As a part of B.Tech. (CSE) internship programme, Avani underwent a 6-month internship as an
Associate Software Engineer at Ranosys Technologies Pte Ltd.
After her B.Tech. (CSE), she worked as a System Engineer at the IBM for more than 3 years.
Avani's dream to become a fighter pilot, took her to one year of rigorous training at Air Force
Academy at Dundigal (Hyderabad).
In October 2015, India's Defence Ministry took a decision to allow women in the Air Force as
part of the 5-year experiment.
In July 2016, Avani Chaturvedi, along with Mohana Singh and Bhawana Kanth, became the first
women to be commissioned as Flying Officers in the Indian Air Force, after completing their
initial basic training at the air force academy in Telangana. They are part of an experiment by the
Government of India to induct women officers as fighter pilots.
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In February 2018, Avani Chaturvedi became the first Indian woman to fly a fighter aircraft solo
when she flew a MiG-21 Bison. Avani undertook the sortie from IAF's Jamnagar base on 19
February 2018.
For decades, perennial monologues by men about pregnancy, practical ‘ineptitude’ and
menopause have denied women a spot in a gamut of high-pressure professions, including the
armed forces. “There is a strong belief that combat, by nature, is a male occupation; that the
army is a male space and combat the most masculine of all aspects of war," wrote senior social
scientist and historian, Prem Chowdhry in her paper titled, ‘Women in the Army’, published in
Economic and Political Weekly in August 2010.
Chaturvedi has worked hard in destabilising that belief. She underwent six months of intensive
training at the Air Force Academy in Dundigal, Hyderabad, before she was inducted into the IAF
fighter squadron. “The best part of being a pilot is that you are flying an aircraft—it is a machine.
The aircraft does not know who is sitting behind it, so the machine will behave in the same way
it would behave with a male pilot," the 24-year-old said.
How did her male counterparts respond to her presence?
“The first day, I think it was quite new to them, as it was for me," she said. But the men soon
exhibited a great sense of camaraderie. “I have a great bond with all my classmates. Every flight
—every landing, every take off—is different. There are days when you’ll have a bad sortie, and
you will feel bad about it. On these days, when I’d go back and speak to a classmate, I’d learn
that, oh, the same thing happened to him also a few days ago. That’s when I feel that I’m not the
only one, and that it’s human to make mistakes."
Today, the number of girls wanting to become fighter pilots has increased. “Initially, this was not
the case, because no one had ever dreamt of it," said Dr Verma. “Earlier, most of my students
prepped for working in commercial airlines, but today, my girls look at Avani as a role model."
INDRA NOOYI
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INTRODUCTION
Indra Nooyi, an American business executive and former chairperson and chief executive officer
(CEO) of PepsiCo, was born on October 28, 1955. She is a member of the Amazon and the
International Cricket Council boards of directors. She has constantly been included among the
top 100 most powerful women in the world.
In 2014, she was ranked 13th on Forbes' list of the world's 100 most powerful women. In 2015,
she was ranked second on Fortune's list of the world's most powerful women. In 2017, again she
was named the second most powerful woman in business on Forbes' list of The 19 Most
Powerful Women in Business.

Indra Nooyi was born and raised in Madras, which is today known as Chennai. She belonged to a
normal middle class, conservative Brahmin family with a strong commitment to learning and
education.
Indra was not only focused towards studies but also used to play cricket, play guitar and climb
trees.

Indra Nooyi is without a doubt a living influencer and an inspiring individual who has
continually boosted India's status.
● President of India Pranab Mukherjee presented her with the honour at the Rashtrapati
Bhavan on December 14, 2013.
● Nooyi was chosen chairwoman of the US-India Business Council in January 2008.
(USIBC). The USIBC Board of Directors is led by Nooyi, who is one of more than 60 top
executives who represent a cross-section of American industry.
● She was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences' Fellowship in 2008.
● U.S. News & World Report named Nooyi as one of America's Best Leaders in 2008.
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● In July 2009, Nooyi was named CEO of the Year, by the Global Supply Chain Leaders
Group recognised
● Brendan Wood International, a consultancy firm, named Nooyi one of "The TopGun
CEOs" in 2009.
● For the years 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2017, Fortune magazine ranked Nooyi as
the most powerful woman in business.
● In the All-America Executive Team Survey from 2008 to 2011, Nooyi was nominated to
Institutional Investor's Best CEOs list.
● Irene Rosenfeld, the CEO of Kraft, has pushed PepsiCo's Indian American chairman and
CEO Indra Nooyi to second place as the most influential woman in US industry after five
years on top.
● NDTV named Nooyi one of the "25 Greatest Global Living Legends" in 2013.
● CEOWORLD magazine named Nooyi one of the "Best CEOs In The World" in 2018.
● In 2019 Nooyi received the Bower Award for Business Leadership from the Franklin
Institute Awards Program.
● The League of Women Voters of Connecticut awarded Nooyi with the Outstanding
Woman in Business award in February 2020.
● The National Women's Hall of Fame inducted Nooyi in 2021.
Nooyi stepped down as CEO and as chairman of the board of PepsiCo in 2019. Nooyi joined the
International Cricket Council Board of Directors in June 2018 as the organization's first
independent female director and she has been a member of Amazon's board of directors since
February 2019.
Nooyi gifted an undisclosed sum to her alma mater, Yale School of Management, in 2016. She
made history as the school's largest alumni donor and the first woman to endow a deanship at a
premier business school. During the COVID-19 crisis, Nooyi and her husband Raj contributed
187,000 Scholastic books to Connecticut's alliance school districts as part of the Partnership for
Connecticut.

In Madras Nooyi studied at the Madras Christian College of Madras University. She majored in
science at the university and graduated with several bachelor's degrees in mathematics,
chemistry, and physics in 1974. She later went to the Indian Institute of Management in Calcutta
to get a post-graduate diploma in business. She enrolled in Yale University in the United States
in 1978 to pursue a Master's degree in Public and Private Management, which she received in
1980.
When Nooyi was studying in yale, she had nobody to help her. There were no support structures
in place for international students. The first few weeks were quite difficult for her. Nooyi rapidly
adjusted to her new life, but for the next two years she battled to make ends meet. Despite
receiving financial aid from Yale, she had to work as an overnight receptionist to supplement her
income.
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Nooyi worked the entire summer job in a sari as she couldn’t afford to buy clothes. Because she
couldn't afford a business suit, she wore her sari to interviews at prestigious business-consulting
businesses that hired business-school students.
BUSINESS STRATEGY
Nooyi became a senior vice president of corporate strategy and development at PepsiCo in 1994.
She became the company's president and chief financial officer in 2001. Nooyi oversaw a
massive reorganisation that involved the company's restaurants, which included KFC, Pizza Hut,
and Taco Bell, being spun out into Tricon Global Restaurants. She also managed the purchase of
Tropicana Products in 1998 and a merger with the Quaker Oats Co. in 2001 as part of the
company's aim to expand into healthier drinks and foods.
In October 2006, Nooyi was named CEO, and the next year, she was also named chairman of the
board. Nooyi was the first woman to manage PepsiCo in the company's 42-year existence and
one of only 11 female CEOs of Fortune 500 businesses.
Under Nooyi, PepsiCo's goal of creating a well-balanced consumer-products company with less
reliance on sales of its trademark soft drinks was kept. She also pursued international expansion
with enthusiasm. PepsiCo's revenues climbed from $35 billion in 2006 to $63.5 billion in 2017
during her tenure.
FALGUNI NAYAR
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INTRODUCTION
Falguni Nayar (born 19 February 1963) is an Indian business woman who was a former
investment banker at Kotak Mahindra for 19 years. Currently, she is the founder and CEO of the
beauty and lifestyle retail company Nykaa.

Nayar was born and raised in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Her father was a businessman who ran a
ball-bearings business. Her mother used to assist her father in business. Her brother is a doctor.
She is a graduate from Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics and a postgraduate from
the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad.

The Most Powerful Women in Business 2017 by Business Today
Woman Ahead (2017) by Economic Times Startup Awards

In Madras Nooyi studied at the Madras Christian College of Madras University. She majored in
science at the university and graduated with several bachelor's degrees in mathematics,
chemistry, and physics in 1974. She later went to the Indian Institute of Management in Calcutta
to get a post-graduate diploma in business. She enrolled in Yale University in the United States
in 1978 to pursue a Master's degree in Public and Private Management, which she received in
1980.
When Nooyi was studying in yale, she had nobody to help her. There were no support structures
in place for international students. The first few weeks were quite difficult for her. Nooyi rapidly
adjusted to her new life, but for the next two years she battled to make ends meet. Despite
receiving financial aid from Yale, she had to work as an overnight receptionist to supplement her
income.
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Nooyi worked the entire summer job in a sari as she couldn’t afford to buy clothes. Because she
couldn't afford a business suit, she wore her sari to interviews at prestigious business-consulting
businesses that hired business-school students.
BUSINESS STRATEGY
Falguni Nayar founded Nykaa in 2012 with the vision of building a multi-brand omnichannel
beauty-focused retail business. By empowering customer choices and enabling brands to reach
the breadth and depth of the country, Nykaa has emerged as India’s leading beauty retailer
playing a critical role in developing the beauty market in India.
Today, heading a team of over 1600 Nykaa-ites, Falguni has built a beauty and lifestyle retail
empire with a portfolio of 1500+ brands, including its own private label, available online and
across 68 stores in India. Nykaa’s revenue exceeded Rs. 1200 crores in revenue in FY19 and is
on track to exceed Rs. 2000 crores in FY20. Nykaa has ventured into new verticals like Nykaa
Fashion - a fashion first, style led curated fashion platform.
After graduating from IIM Ahmedabad, Falguni started her career in consulting with A.F.
Ferguson & Co. She then spent 18 years at the Kotak Mahindra Bank, helming several
businesses and was the Managing Director of Kotak Mahindra Investment Bank, and was
director at Kotak Securities – the bank’s institutional equities division.
Falguni has received many accolades throughout her career. She was awarded the ‘Woman
Ahead’ award at the Economic Times Startup Awards 2017. In the last year alone, recognising
her contribution to the Indian beauty industry, Falguni was awarded the Businesswoman of the
Year at the Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence 2019. She was also listed as one
of Asia's Power Businesswomen 2019 by Forbes Asia and named Businessperson of the Year
2019 by Vogue India. Most recently, she was awarded EY Entrepreneur of The Year 2019 –
Start-up Award by Ernst and Young. She is on the board of several companies, including ACC,
Dabur, Endurance Group and Tata Technologies.
In 1985, Nayar worked as a consultant in the management consulting company A F Ferguson &
Co.
In 1993, Nayar joined the mergers and acquisitions team at the Kotak Mahindra Group and spent
19 years in various roles at the company. In 2005, she was appointed as managing director of the
company and exited in 2012 the organisation with the same post.
In April 2012, at the age of 50, she founded Nykaa with a seed capital investment
SHAKUNTALA DEVI
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INTRODUCTION:
Shakuntala Devi was an Indian mathematician, writer and mental calculator, popularly known as
the "Human Computer". Her talent earned her a place in the 1982 edition of The Guinness Book
of World Records. However, the certificate for the record was given posthumously on 30 July
2020, despite Devi achieving her world record on 18 June 1980 at Imperial College, London.
Devi was a precocious child and she demonstrated her arithmetic abilities at the University of
Mysore without any formal education.
Devi strove to simplify numerical calculations for students. She wrote a number of books in her
later years, including novels as well as texts about mathematics, puzzles, and astrology. She
wrote the book The World of Homosexuals, which is considered the first study of homosexuality
in India. She saw homosexuality in a positive light and is considered a pioneer in the field.
Early Life:
Devi travelled to several countries around the world demonstrating her arithmetic talents. She
was on a tour of Europe throughout 1950 and was in New York City in 1976. In 1988, she
travelled to the US to have her abilities studied by Arthur Jensen, a professor of educational
psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. Jensen tested her performance at several
tasks, including the calculation of large numbers. Examples of the problems presented to Devi
included calculating the cube root of 61,629,875 and the seventh root of 170,859,375. Jensen
reported that Devi provided the solution to the above-mentioned problems (395 and 15,
respectively) before Jensen could copy them down in his notebook. Jensen published his findings
in the academic journal Intelligence in 1990.
In 1977, at Southern Methodist University, she gave the 23rd root of a 201-digit number in 50
seconds. Her answer, which was 546,372,891, was confirmed by calculations done at the US
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Bureau of Standards by the UNIVAC 1101 computer, for which a special program had to be
written to perform such a large calculation, which took a longer time than for her to do the same.
On 18 June 1980, she demonstrated the multiplication of two 13-digit numbers –
7,686,369,774,870 × 2,465,099,745,779. These numbers were picked at random by the
Department of Computing at Imperial College London. She correctly answered
18,947,668,177,995,426,462,773,730 in 28 seconds. This event was recorded in the 1982
Guinness Book of World Records. Writer Steven Smith commented, "the result is so far superior
to anything previously reported that it can only be described as unbelievable."
Shakuntala Devi explained many of the methods she used to do mental calculations in her book
Figuring: The Joy of Numbers.
Personal Life/Politics:
Devi returned to India in the mid-1960s and she married Paritosh Banerji, an officer of the Indian
Administrative Service from Kolkata. They divorced in 1979 due to personal problems. In 1980,
she contested the Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate for Mumbai South and for
Medak in Andhra Pradesh (now in Telangana). In Medak she stood against the former Prime
Minister Indira Gandhi, saying she wanted to "defend the people of Medak from being fooled by
Mrs. Gandhi"; she came ninth, with 6,514 votes (1.47% of the votes). Devi returned to Bangalore
in the early 1980s.
In addition to her work as a mental calculator, Devi was a notable astrologer and an author of
several books, including cookbooks and novels. She started with writing short stories and murder
mysteries, and had a keen interest in music.
JAYALAITHA JAYARAM
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INTRODUCTION:
Jayalalitha Jayaram is the general secretary of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
(Anna DMK) and the Chief Minister of the state of Tamil Nadu. He is one of the few ex-
eminent superstars who not only earned a reputation in the field of cinema but has also been
important in the politics of Tamil Nadu. She was a popular actress before entering politics and
has worked in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada films as well as a Hindi and an English film.
She was the first woman to become the Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative
Assembly in 1989. At present, Jayalalithaa has solid control in the current politics of Tamil
Nadu. In 1991, she became the Chief Minister of the state for the first time. In 2011, the public
elected Jayalalithaa as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for the third time. He started many
welfare projects in the state. In her early term, Jayalalithaa carried out development works such
as water harvesting projects and industrial sector development plans.
PERSONAL INFORMATION:
She was born into a Brahman family near the southern Indian city of Mysore. Her father died
when she was young, and her mother, a film actress, moved the family first to Bengaluru and
then to Madras. Her family’s poor financial conditions forced her to quit her studies after
completing secondary school. Although she had acted in a film while still in school.
STARTING THE ACTING CARRER:

Jayalalithaa started her acting with Shankar V Giri’s English film “Apistle”, but she did not get
any recognition from this film. In 1964 Jayalalithaa’s first Kannada film ‘Chinnada Gombe’ was
released. This film was highly appreciated by the critics and the public also liked it. After a year
he acted in the Tamil film ‘Venira Adai’ and soon after that he also entered Telugu cinema. Over
the next few years, she became an iconic artist due to her impressive acting in Tamil films. MG
on cinema screen Their pairing with Ramachandran was very successful and the audience also
liked the pair immensely. In the last years of his film Safar, he also worked with renowned actors
like Jaishankar, Ravichandran and Shivaji Ganesan. In 1968, he acted in the Hindi film Izzat in
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which Dharmendra was the lead actor. His film career slowed down a bit in the 1980s. His last
film was ‘Nadhiya Thedi Vandha Kadal’ after which he decided to join politics.
STARTING THE POLITICAL CARRER:

It is unclear to what extent MGR may have mentored Jayalalitha politically, but she joined the
AIADMK in 1982 and quickly rose through the party ranks. In 1983 she was made the
propaganda secretary of the party, and a year later she won a seat in the Rajya Sabha (upper
chamber of the Indian parliament). Following the death of MGR in late 1987, the AIADMK
underwent a split, with MGR’s wife, Janaki Ranachandran , and Jayalalitha each heading
competing factions of the party. The rift was healed in a few years, however, after the two groups
had merged back together and Janaki Ramachandran had left politics. Jayalalitha became the
leader of the party.
In Tamil Nadu Jayalalitha’s AIADMK faced a bitter rival in the Dravidian Progressive
Federation (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam; DMK). In 1989 Jayalalitha was elected to the state
legislative assembly, where she led the opposition to the then-ruling DMK. An incident in the
chamber, where she was allegedly physically and verbally assaulted by DMK members, steeled
her resolve to bring the AIADMK back to power. In the 1991 state assembly elections, the party
won an overwhelming victory, and Jayalalitha began her first term as chief minister, heading a
coalition government with the Indian National Congress (Congress Party). Her tenure was
controversial, however, marred by allegations of corruption and misappropriation of official
funds. In 1995 an extravagant wedding that she had organized for her foster son, alleged to have
cost millions of dollars, sparked harsh criticism from the media.
The AIADMK lost the 1996 state assembly elections, and the DMK government, back in power,
filed some 40 corruption cases against Jayalalitha between 1996 and 2001. She was even
imprisoned for a month in 1996, after a raid by authorities seized a large quantity of jewellery,
clothing, and shoes from her home. In 1998 Jayalalitha brought the AIADMK into the national
coalition government of the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance
(NDA), attempting to exploit the indispensable position regional parties had assumed in national
coalition politics. After her unsuccessful attempt to pressure the NDA to dismiss the DMK
government in Tamil Nadu, however, she withdrew AIADMK support from the NDA in 1999,
which led to the collapse of that government.
In 2001 the AIADMK again won the Tamil Nadu assembly elections. Jayalalitha, however, was
initially barred from returning to the post of chief minister because of a pending court case
against her for allegedly acquiring property illegally. The state’s High Court soon acquitted her
of the charges, and she began her second term as chief minister in March 2002. That tenure, less
controversial than the first one, included a range of administrative measures that her government
initiated, which included banning the sale of lottery tickets and restricting the sale
of tobacco near educational institutions; authorities in the state also hunted down and in 2004
killed the notorious bandit, poacher, and smuggler Veerpan.
Jayalalitha again sided with the NDA in the 2004 national parliamentary elections, with
disastrous results, as the AIADMK lost every seat it contested in the Lok Sabha (lower chamber
of the Indian parliament). The AIADMK also lost the 2006 Tamil Nadu assembly elections, in
which the party had been forced to ally itself with smaller state political parties. The AIADMK,
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in alliance with a number of leftist parties for the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, did gain back most
of the seats it had lost five years earlier, Jayalalitha being one of the winners.
That alliance served her well again, as the party was victorious in the 2011 assembly elections,
and she returned for a third term as chief minister. Jayalalitha continued to be dogged by more
corruption charges stemming from her first term, however, and in September 2014 she was
convicted on some of them and sentenced to four years in prison. She relinquished her post to O.
Panneerselvam (or Paneerselvam), who had served as chief minister in 2001–02 when Jayalalitha
was not able to hold the office.
THE LESSONS LEARNED:
1. An iron lady
She was called the iron lady – so strong she never showed herself depressed during any of the
problems she faced.
Whatever problems, being upset or depressed is only going to make it worst. Get on your feet
and fight them as strong as you can.
2. An empowered woman
In a traditional state of gender bias, as a woman she has surely had a very tough time fighting all
men in her way to reach a place where even her rival of the opposite gender fell at her feet.
If you are a woman, you have no excuse to overcome the gender bias. The whole nation may
come against you but as a woman you are stronger than all of them combined.
3. A bold fighter
She never bothered about what others had to say about the decisions she made. Most of the times
she never even responded to any allegations made against her party, her government or herself.
A beautiful leadership quality we must possess. Nothing else can help you lead better than
dealing with the allegations without affecting the task at hand.
4. A human
She has had a lot of allegations against her on corruption, being arrogant, making people fall on
her feet, taking drugs, etc. She was still a baby like anyone else when she was born. She made a
history in 68 years.
Embrace humanity. Everyone we meet is going through a hell of problems we have no idea
about. What someone is today was not the same when they were born. What someone is today, is
because of how the society treated them and what the society taught them during their journey in
life.
SIRISHA BANDLA
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INTRODUCTION
Sirisha Bandla’s age is only 34 years. Sirisha Bandla was born in 1987 in Andhra Pradesh.
After Kalpana Chawla, Indian-origin Sirisha Bandla will become the second Indian-born woman
to fly into space later this month. Sirisha Bandla will be one of the six space travelers aboard
‘VSS Unity’ of Virgin Galactic, scheduled to blast off to space on July 11 from New Mexico. As
part of the six-member crew alongside the founder of Virgin Galactic Richard Branson, Bandla’s
role will be that of a researcher experience.
The spaceflight will make the 34-year-old aeronautical engineer, who graduated from Purdue
University, the second Indian-born woman to go into space after Kalpana Chawla and the fourth
Indian to fly into space. A Telugu-origin woman by name Sirisha Bandla is all set to make
history as she is set to embark on a space mission. In the US private entities are gearing up for
space travel and Virgin Galactic is one of them. On July 11th 2021, Virgin Galactic begun its first
fully crewed rocket powered test flight.
SUCCESS AND PRESENT STATE OF HER CAREER

What is Virgin Galactic Unity 22?
Virgin Galactic Unity 22 was a sub-orbital spaceflight of the SpaceShipTwo-class VSS Unity
which launched on 11 July 2021. The crew consisted of pilots David Mackay and Michael
Masucci as well as passengers Sirisha Bandla, Colin Bennett, Beth Moses, and Richard Branson.
Bandla hoped to become a NASA astronaut but was ruled out on medical grounds due to her
eyesight.She previously worked for the Commercial Spaceflight Federation as an aerospace
engineer with Matthew Isakowitz. She later co-founded the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship in his
honor.
Bandla joined Virgin Galactic in 2015, where she works as the vice president of government
affairs. On Sunday 11 July 2021 Bandla flew on the Virgin Galactic Unity 22 test flight
alongside Sir Richard Branson, Dave Mackay, Michael Masucci, Beth Moses, Colin Bennett.
The rocket plane flew 85 km (53 miles) above Earth, thereby qualifying the crew as FAA
commercial astronauts. During the flight, Bandla conducted an experiment from the University
of Florida to investigate how plants react to the change in gravity. About her flight, Bandla's
grandfather, Dr Bandla Ragaiah, said: “From a very young age she had this ambition to explore
the sky, the moon, and the stars. Sirisha had set her eyes on space, and I am not at all surprised
that she is all set to realise her dream." During her spaceflight, she reached a height of 89.9 km
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above the Earth's surface. However, as she was not a member of the Flight Crew (as VF-01 was
an automated launch), she is classified by the Federal Aviation Authority as a Space Tourist.
Bandla started working at Virgin Galactic in 2015 and is currently vice president of government
affairs at the company.
FAMILY BACKGROUND
Sirisha’s parents Dr. Muralidhar Bandla and Anuradha Bandla have always been supportive of
her. Her father Muralidhar is an agriculture scientist. He moved to the United States for better
opportunities after Sirisha was born in India. Currently, he works with the US Embassy in India.
At present, everyone is trying to know about Sirisha Bandla. Because of Sirisha Bandla, the
women power of the country has been promoted more.
Sirisha’s grandfather Bandla Ragaiah, an agricultural scientist and is a resident of Janapadu
village of Piduguralla in Guntur district. His mother is Bandla Anuradha. Sirisha Bandla’s
favorite pastime is playing the cello. And during her high school, Sirisha Bandla often
participated in debate competitions. And since childhood, he was very much interested in the
subject of mathematics.
SOCIAL CONFLICTS
In the latest edition of The Interview, Indian-American astronaut Sirisha Bandla speaks to
Hindustan Times and talks about the gender bias that she thinks exists in the aeronautical field.
She talks about stars, describes how she gradually fell for the space environment and how space
exploration became a passion for her. On July 12, the 34-year-old aeronautical engineer became
the third Indian-American woman to fly into space when she joined British billionaire Richard
Branson on Virgin Galactic’s first fully-crewed successful suborbital test flight from the US state
of New Mexico.
Sirisha Bandla currently works on Government Affairs and Business Development for Virgin
Galactic and its sister company, Virgin Orbit – supporting both LauncherOne and SpaceShipTwo
programs. Previously, Sirisha served as the Associate Director for the Commercial Spaceflight
Federation (CSF), an industry association of commercial spaceflight companies. At CSF, Sirisha
worked on various policies with the aim to promote the commercial space industry and make
commercial spaceflight a reality. During her undergraduate time at Purdue University, she led a
team in the NASA-supported Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program in which
she flew onboard the ZERO-G aircraft.
EDUCATION AND PERSEVARENCE

Sirisha, an aeronautical engineering graduate from Purdue University, is currently working on
Government Affairs and Business Development for Virgin Galactic and its sister company,
Virgin Orbit supporting both Launcher One and SpaceShipTwo programs.
Sirisha Bandla is a prominent member of the Telugu Federation of North America (TANA), the
oldest and largest Indian-American organization in North America. Sirisha Bandla graduated in
aeronautical engineering from Purdue University. And then after that he also earned a Master of
Business Administration degree from Georgetown University. Sirisha Bandla has faced many
difficulties in her life time.After completing his graduation, Bandla landed a space policy job at
the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF).
SURVEY ANALYSIS
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CONCLUSION:
Women’s empowerment can be defined to promoting women’s sense of self-worth, their ability
to determine their own choices, and their right to influence social change for themselves and
others.
It is closely aligned with female empowerment – a fundamental human right that’s also key to
achieving a more peaceful, prosperous world.
In Western countries, female empowerment is often associated with specific phases of the
women’s rights movement in history. This movement tends to be split into three waves, the first
beginning in the 19th and early 20th century where suffrage was a key feature. The second wave
of the 1960s included the sexual revolution and the role of women in society. Third wave
feminism is often seen as beginning in the 1990s.
Women’s empowerment and promoting women’s rights have emerged as a part of a major global
movement and is continuing to break new ground in recent years. Days like International
Women’s Empowerment Day are also gaining momentum.
But despite a great deal of progress, women and girls continue to face discrimination and
violence in every part of the world.
Traditionally we have been taught to be competitive with one another, because there was such a
scarcity of jobs at the top. It’s so clear that strategy doesn’t work. The truth is that raising each
other up and channeling the power of collaboration is truly how we’ll change the equation. We
need to reverse the stereotype that women don’t support other women. There is research that
shows women in particular benefit from collaboration over competition. Study after study shows
women who support women are more successful in business.
As we have seen above in many examples sought above that women trying to rise up into
leadership face cultural and systemic hurdles that make it harder for them to advance, such
as unconscious bias. The study suggests that a way to overcome some of these hurdles is to form
close connections with other women, who can share experiences from women who have been
there, done that—from how to ask for what you’re worth to bringing your unique talents to
leadership. After all its one’s knowledge which will help others to grow and vice-versa.
Created in a collaboration between the UN Global Compact and UN Women, the Women’s
Empowerment Principles are used to empower women in the marketplace, workplace and
community.
The seven Principles are:
● Principle 1: Create high-level corporate leadership for gender equality
● Principle 2: Treat all people fairly at work, respecting and supporting non-discrimination
and human rights
● Principle 3: Ensure the health, wellbeing and safety of all workers, whether male or
female
● Principle 4: Promote education, training and professional development for women
● Principle 5: Implement supply chain, marketing practices and enterprise development that
empower women
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● Principle 6: Champion equality through community initiatives and advocacy

● Principle 7: Measure and report publicly on progress to create gender equality
Also, it is these successful and determinant women in our society who are helping other women
to come out of their mask and voice their opinion and take a stand. It is due to them that even
women who are afraid to start something new in this fast-paced moving world are now trying
hard to pursue their dream.
Today, it is our responsibility to pay it forward by empowering all women to embrace
opportunities and possibilities beyond the limits of their imagination. That within lies the power
to reclaim your power, strength, and vulnerability to stand in your truth and propel yourself
towards what you want for your life. By planting the seeds, women collectively can stand strong.
Here are some ways women leaders inspire the next generation.
Refusal to stay in a box
Behind every successful woman is a tribe of other successful women who have her back. Women
who came before us, fought for our freedom and laid the foundation that provides us the platform
to honour the truest expression of ourselves today – Coco Chanel forward thinker revolutionized
societal expectations around fashion and relationships, Eleanor Roosevelt First Lady of the
United States, independent and outspoken on the rights of women and other humanitarian
causes, Indira Gandi the first female prime minister of India strongly advocated for women’s
rights and advanced India on the international stage and Oprah Winfrey had the longest-running
daytime talk show on television, broadcast in 145 countries around the world and established her
leadership academy for girls. These extraordinary women paved the way for modern movements
and created pathways that altered the course of history for all women.
Breakthrough and rise
With so many obstacles on the road to gender equality, women must uplift each other despite
culture’s habit of trying to pit us against each other. Women must propel each other forward
instead of holding each other back. By harnessing the collective energy of women, you can
inspire future and aspiring women leaders.
One project that has brought this to life is the Girl Child Empowerment Trust in Zimbabwe to
engender active participation in the upliftment of the girl child, raising awareness of issues
impacting girls and creating a common platform for communicating their needs. There is a
fundamental understanding that empowering African women and girls in the spheres of
economics, education, human rights, and politics has significant advantages, both for the women
and their families and their culture.
Be the leader you always were
Page 50
Leadership always starts with you. As women, you must delve deep into your reflection to truly
witness self-love and empowerment. Sustainable success will not come from fitting into anybody
else’s mold, its imperative to live your own life and lead like the woman you are. One cannot
lead others, if you cannot lead yourself.
Embracing your feminine energy
As more women enter the C-suite or start their own companies, investing in embracing your
feminine energy by trusting intuition, amplifying compassion and embodying patience, leads to a
more holistic business. Traditionally women have been encouraged to emulate masculine
leadership qualities to climb the corporate ladder however when women step into their true
identities with openness, transparency, owning emotions, being clear about values,
vulnerabilities and fears, modern audiences embrace the humanness when it comes to leading.
Want to lead like a woman, know your leadership journey
When women are fully aligned with their values, you preserve your energy, create flow states
where you become a force for positivity. Conscious and inclusive leaders have stories about how
they achieved their success. Sharing the story and your vulnerabilities hold power by connecting
authentically with your people, customers, and investors.
Influencing relationships
When it comes to the workplace, women bring tremendous executive social skills that increase
team work, they work more egalitarian and focus on bringing out the best in their people.
Women encourage a high level of self-awareness and are conscious of the health of their
teams. Psychology today supports due to women’s neurological make-up, women are more
empathetic and as a result more likely to be better at tapping into their senses about how others
are reacting.
Women who tap into their expansive thinking tend to expand strategy to a longer-term view.
Women see possibilities through new ideas and innovative thinking, value empathy and
collaboration which is part of their hard-wiring. Women leaders express competition differently
by influencing relationships rather than hunting for the kill.
Queen Bee phenomenon
Unfortunately, the “queen bee” phenomenon surfaces within organizations as senior-level
women distance themselves from junior women to be more accepted by male colleagues. When
women snub other women, fail to support each other and communication breakdowns, these
environments permeate and stain the fabric of the organization.
To breakthrough cultural experiences of competition rather than collaboration, creating a
dedicated space, such as women-owned lunches to share challenges and celebrate success are
opportunities within male-dominated industries. When you bring groups of people together, you
appreciate that problems are not specific to you but in fact, are collective challenges. Being
Page 51
together creates an improved flow of information and a sense of unity that we are in this
together.
Invest in women
Every time a woman brings her personal style confidently, you signal to other women that it is
okay. If you want to uplift other women, lead by example. Women bring different flavors to the
table and when you recognize excellence in other women, and yourself, you strengthen the
capacity to let others shine through you.
Sponsorship is a phenomenal way to capture achievements, create a culture of support,
recognizes and celebrates people and as an advocate, you can link them with opportunities on
their behalf. It is an excellent way for future leaders to be brought to the attention of executives.
Normalize it
The stereotypes and bias surrounding women in specific industries or leadership roles need to be
broken down. We aren’t born with prejudice; it is a learned behaviour which means it can be
changed. If you tell a girl they can’t do something they will believe it, tell them they can, and
they will believe that too. It’s important to inspire the next generation of women by telling them
they can and by encouraging them in whatever it is they want to do. Women also need to know
the value they bring as there’s so much to be said for the diversity and perspective they bring.
Companies make better products and better decisions if they have diversity.
Support other women
As mentioned above also, it is your job as women to support other women. It’s important to talk
about women in all industries and roles, support each other and intentionally inspire
others. Leading by example is powerful, but why not take it a step further and actively seek out
opportunities to mentor the next generation. Keep supporting each other to reach for the stars,
and don’t forget what has already been achieved by so many great women, so it’s important to
show girls that we are already here and paving the way.
Take time to develop female talent
To fill the pipeline toward senior leadership and to encourage more professional development, it
starts with the hiring, onboarding and training practices. According to CareerBuilder, 36 per
cent of U.S. employers lack a structured onboarding process for new hires. When you employ
anyone at your company, you should funnel them through a well-set-up system designed for
ongoing training, mentorship and development. As well or as part of this, you could pair
employees with mentors or sponsors who they will meet with regularly to discuss career
trajectory and answer any questions they have. This not only connects employees to ongoing
Page 52
professional development resources and opportunities, but it allows them the time away from
their desks to take advantage of those opportunities.
Talk about it early and often
While women have made an awful lot of progress when it comes to equal pay and representation,
there is still an awful lot of work to be done, and girls still need to be encouraged to work in
whatever industry they want and to become leaders if that’s what they want. We need to continue
to support girls and talk to them about this. And we need to do it early, and we need to do it
often. It starts when girls are in school and then as they continue their education, they need to be
armed with the tools they need to help them get to where they want to be – whether it’s books or
the opportunity to talk about their health, they need to know that help and support is there from
the start. It’s essential as well to let the future generations know about the fantastic work that has
been done before them and to let them know that they are not only capable but needed. The more
positive female examples we share, the more normal it will become. Let’s talk about this early,
and often with the next generation of women.
Empower women to problem-solve
If businesses can successfully hire, onboard, train, develop and retain talented women, this is a
great first step. However, there will need more to be done to encourage senior leadership
opportunities. It is likely that this will mean that other people in the company need to be made
aware and taught to ask women for their opinions and input. These are the kinds of steps that will
truly empower women to reach their full potential as leaders.
Lead by example
When it comes to leadership, this is up to you to show how it’s done. You cannot lead others if
you cannot lead yourself and because if that you need to be your own leader, don’t try and fill in
someone else’s shoes and do as they do, be yourself, the person you are and lead that way. Show
the other women who you are leading that it’s okay to be yourself and they will follow suit, and
even if they have different leadership styles when they eventually reach those roles, they’ll bring
something else to the table because they’ll have the courage and confidence to be themselves.
Embrace your feminine energy

In the past, women have been encouraged to emulate masculine leadership qualities in order to
climb the career ladder. However, when women ignore this advice and step into their true
identities and are themselves with openness, transparency, owning their emotions and being clear
Page 53
about their values, their vulnerabilities and their fears, modern audiences embrace the humanness
when it comes to leading.
Today, the world demands moments where the power of women’s voices must be heard. Women
must be invited to illuminate the world in their unique way. You all have the responsibility and
the capacity to stand in your power, embrace your vulnerabilities and amplify your strengths in
your approach to empower future generations of women.
Page 54
APPENDIX
1.According to you is women empowerment a myth or reality?

● Myth
● Reality
2.Are you aware of any female business tycoons in India?
● Yes
● No
3.Do you think women in India today are still subjugated to patriarchal norms?
● Yes
● No
4.According to you, are women as empowered today compared to the situation 10 years ago?
● Yes
● No
5.Do you think the gender pay gap is a justified?
● Yes
● No
6. Are you aware of any female led business startups in India?
● Yes
● No
7.According to you what poses the biggest threat to women empowerment.
● Patriarchy
● Religion
● Prejudice beliefs
Page 55
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312243-2016-03-08. India Today. March 8, 2016. UPDATED: August 14, 2017.
· https://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/photo-gallery-from-priyanka-chopra-to-bilkis-bano-here-
are-10-most-powerful-women-of-india-in-2020-2862547. DNA. December 17, 2020.
· https://www.thehansindia.com/featured/womenia/most-powerful-indian-women-of-2020-
breaking-stereotypes-664095. The Hans India. 28 December 2020.
· https://www.gqindia.com/get-smart/content/the-only-4-indian-women-to-feature-in-forbes-
list-of-worlds-100-most-powerful-women-2020. Gqindia. 16 December 2020.
· https://www.indiatimes.com/trending/social-relevance/most-powerful-women-india-2020-
photos-529787.html?picid=2050742. India Times. Updated on Dec 16, 2020
· https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/nirmala-sitharaman-kiran-
mazumdar-shaw-in-forbes-2020-list-of-100-most-powerful-women/articleshow/79629358.cms.
The Times Of India. December 8, 2020.
· https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/photos/india/forbes-2020-list-of-worlds-100-most-
powerful-women-here-are-the-indian-women-who-made-it-to-the-list-6213631.html. Money
Control. December 11, 2020.
· https://www.indiatimes.com/trending/social-relevance/meet-women-from-rural-areas-who-
inspired-millions-535828.html?picid=2083771. India Times. March 18, 2021.
· https://www.thebetterindia.com/168092/india-superwomen-heroes-wonderwoman-gender-
equality-spotlight/. The Better India. December 31,2018.
· https://theprint.in/india/nirmala-sitharaman-roshni-nadar-kiran-mazumdar-shaw-in-forbes-
100-most-powerful-women-list/563464/#:~:text=New%20Delhi%3A%20India's%20Finance
%20Minister,Forbes%20for%20the%20year%202020. The Print. 9 December, 2020.
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communities/amp. Your Story. October 12, 2018.
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achievements/. Seniority.
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were-first-in-their-field-bph05cliryf8. Momspresso. December 22, 2020.
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9, 2021.
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1

INDIAN WOMEN: RISING FROM THE RUBBLE TEAM: BUFFERING BRAINS

60002190073 Nupur Doshi

60002190089 Rohit Jha

60002190095 Samyak Shah

60002190096 Sandeep Jala

60002190101 Shree Shah

60002190102 Shweta Chavan

60002190103 Siddharth Shah

60002190104 Sidhant Rawal

60002190105 Smit Chheda

60002190108 Sunil Talaviya

60002190110 Swapnil Raichandani

60002190063 Mokshesh Vora

Prepared for: Termwork

TOPIC: INDIAN WOMEN: RISING FROM THE RUBBLE

TRANING AND JOURNEY:

JASWANTIBEN JAMNADAS POPAT

ROLE IN WOMEN ENPOWERMENT:

Lijjat was represented by Alkaben Kalia at the National Commission on Self-Employed

CONTRIBUTION TO SOCIAL SERVICE:

With the prevalence of the male dominance, there were

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PRESENT STATUS

FAMILY BACKGROUND AND EARLY LIFE:

TRAINING AND JOURNEY:

BEGINNING OF JOURNEY AND STRUGGLES:

MESSAGE FROM AVANI AND LESSON LEARNED:

SAMPAT PAL DEVI

The list of Hima Das’ records in 2018:

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PRESENT STATUS

FAMILY BACKGROUND AND EARLY LIFE

SUCCESS AND PRESENT STATE OF HER CAREER

EDUCATION AND PERSEVERANCE

FAMILY BACKGROUND AND EARLY LIFE

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PRESENT STATUS

EDUCATION AND PERSEVERANCE

FAMILY BACKGROUND AND EARLY LIFE

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PRESENT STATUS

EDUCATION AND PERSEVERANCE

STARTING THE ACTING CARRER:

STARTING THE POLITICAL CARRER:

SUCCESS AND PRESENT STATE OF HER CAREER

EDUCATION AND PERSEVARENCE

● Principle 6: Champion equality through community initiatives and advocacy

Be the leader you always were

Support other women

Take time to develop female talent

Talk about it early and often

Empower women to problem-solve

Embrace your feminine energy

1.According to you is women empowerment a myth or reality?

· https://owlcation.com/humanities/Greatest-Indian-Women-From-History. Owlcation. August

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