women empowerment

“We must do whatever we can ensure young girls get an education, particularly those from difficult circumstances. If given a chance, these young girls will shine. This is what Kalpana would have also wanted,” says her father Banarasi Lal Chawla. #WomensDay #SheDared

"My father and some relatives weren't very keen about me competing in weightlifting. They would say ‘you’ll break our bones, who would marry you’. But my mother stood firm", says the legendary Karnam Malleshwari. #WomensDay #SheDared

"These women were stuck in the daily rigmarole of managing the kitchen, kids and the household. But now they were emerging as faces of a widespread change."

Women, who were once even scared to speak in the house, now step outside with a hope to learn something new every day in Tikamgarh district of Madhya Pradesh

Today, she is the guardian angel for over 1400 women from impoverished families and also educates over 1300 underprivileged children.

“He kicked me in the stomach and I started bleeding profusely. At 5 weeks, I lost my baby. At that moment I was dead inside. I decided I needed to live again, this time for myself.”

Apart from being felicitated by the Prime Minister in 2018 and former President Pranab Mukherjee, Sharma has been bestowed several state and national-level awards. She has also featured in the list of 100 impactful and influential women and represented India at the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum-SPIEF 2019 in Russia.

Godawari Dutta has taught around 50,000 people including students and artists from across the country in the last 35 odd years.

From facing a 15-hour storm on international waters, uplifting local communities to helping people lead a healthy lifestyle, here are five gritty and intelligent women winning battles

“Slowly, people started coming to me with particular needs and tastes. Some would want the pickle in olive oil, others liked it spicy, and so I began to customise.”