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“The woman who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The woman who walks alone is likely to find herself in places no one has ever been before.” – Albert Einstein
This International Women’s Day we are celebrating all the women who dared to take the road less travelled. Not only did they set off on their remarkable journeys on their own, but they also paved the path for many more women for generations to come. These women are achievers, they are an inspiration, and the epitome of empowerment.
A lot of these famous women personalities of India are the first females to make history in their fields. They have been inspiring and motivating us by pushing boundaries in their field of work. So here’s a list of some of the most inspirational Indian women that everyone should know about.
8 Famous Women Personalities of India Throughout Our History
Here’s the list of some of the greatest women in Indian history who have made us proud throughout the years. They motivated us to do better and gave us the courage to follow our dreams and passions.
Anandibai Gopalrao Joshi
There’s a general stereotype in our society that says that the field of science and technology is most suitable for men. However, over the years, many women have broken these stereotypes brilliantly. Anandibai Gopalrao Joshi was one of the greatest women in Indian history who did the same by becoming the first Indian female physician in the year 1887.
Reita Faria Powel
Reita Faria Powel is one of the most famous female personalities of India who represented her country internationally. Reita was the first Indian woman to become Miss World in 1966.
Arati Saha
Another stereotype that our society has established is that women are not into sports. Well, guess what? They are so wrong and Arati Saha proved just that by becoming the first Indian and Asian woman to swim across the English Channel in 1959. She is also the first sportswoman to receive Padma Shri in 1960.
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa gave her entire life to social work. She established Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation for the betterment of young kids of our nation. In 1979, Mother Teresa became the first Indian woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Mother Teresa was the epitome of love and kindness and certainly one of the most inspiring ladies in India.
Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi defied all odds and became the first female Prime Minister of India in 1966. She was the first Indian woman to receive the Bharat Ratna Award in 1971.
Pratibha Patil
Pratibha Patil became the first woman President of India and served the nation from July 2007 to July 2012.
Kalpana Chawla
Kalpana Chawla was the first Indian woman who reached space in 1997. Due to some technical malfunctions, Kalpana Chawla lost her life before the rocket could land back on the Earth.
Sarla Thakral
Sarla Thakral became the first Indian woman to fly an aircraft. She was the first lady pilot to obtain an ‘A’ license for flying straight for one thousand hours.
11 Inspirational Indian Women That You Must Know About
Here’s a list of all those women who have inspired us to do better in our lives despite all odds. They have broken barriers and stereotypes and smashed patriarchy with ease and brilliance. Let’s take a look at all these wonderful women around us and celebrate their strength.
Indra Nooyi
Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi is the former Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson of PepsiCo. The company is one of the largest food and beverages companies in the world. Nooyi was ranked at number 11 on Forbes’ World’s 100 Most Powerful Women and number 2 on the list of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women in 2017.
Arundhati Roy
Arundhati Roy is the author of The God of Small Things and won a Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 1997 for it. Arundhati is a social activist, humanitarian, and environmentalist. Despite the backlashes and controversies, Roy has a massive fan base and is respected for her literary skills.
Mary Kom
Chungneijang Mary Kom Hmangte, better known as Mary Kom became an inspiration for women who want to make a career out of boxing. She is a five-time winner of the World Amateur Boxing Championship and an Olympic participant.
She has also won eight medals at all the AIBA World Boxing Championships since its inception in 2001. She’s also the first Indian female boxer to win a gold medal in the Asian Games in 2014. Mary Kom is undoubtedly one of the most famous female personalities of India and a true inspiration for many aspiring athletes out there.
Dr Manabi Bandopadhyay
Dr Manabi Bandopadhyay is the first transgender woman to become the principal of a college in West Bengal. She’s also the first trans woman in West Bengal to complete her PhD and become a lecturer. Despite all the backlashes, she prioritised her education over everything else because she believed that knowledge could help her break all stereotypes.
Kiran Bedi
Kiran Bedi became the first woman to join the Indian Police Service. She brought plenty of reforms that helped in women empowerment and she was later appointed as a Police Advisor to the Secretary-General of the UN in 2003.
Seema Rao
Seema Rao has broken several stereotypes by becoming the country’s first female commando trainer. Apart from that, she is also a doctor and has an MBA degree in crisis management.
Laxmi Agarwal
Laxmi Agarwal became the face of encouragement for all the acid attack survivors in India. She was merely 15-years-old when a man and his sister threw acid on her face. Instead of breaking and losing hope, she came out stronger and fought the injustice with bravery. She led campaigns and petitions against the uncensored sale of acid in the country. Her efforts were successful when the Supreme Court of India ordained the regulation of the sale of acid by the central and state governments.
Laxmi Narayan Tripathi
Laxmi Narayan Tripathi is the first transgender woman who represented Asia Pacific in the UN in 2008. She is one of the most renowned trans women in the country and has her own NGO, Astitva.
Roshini Sharma
How many times have you heard men make random comments like women cannot drive? Well, it is one of the most atrocious stereotypes that people need to get rid of. Roshini Sharma proved all those people who believed in this notion wrong and how! She became the first woman ever to ride a motorbike all the way from Kanyakumari to Kashmir.
Shila Dawre
There are certain professions that are associated with a specific gender. One such is our neighbourhood ‘auto wale bhaiya’. Local transportation drivers is a male-dominated profession in India. However, Shila Dawre broke those barriers and became the first woman auto-rickshaw driver in 1988. Currently, she wants to open an institution for all women who want to become auto-rickshaw drivers.
Arunima Sinha
Arunima Sinha became the first female amputee to climb Mount Everest, the highest mountain peak in the world. She was a national level volleyball player but was pushed from a running train by thieves in 2011. She did not let the barriers hold her back and created a world record as well as became an inspiration for all the people in the world.
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