India’s First Missile Woman

Dr. Tessy Thomas is aptly called India’s Missile Woman. This Agni Putri’s journey from humble beginnings in Alappuzha, a municipality in Kerala, to being instrumental in developing what she calls “weapons of peace”, never ceases to amaze. Being handpicked by DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) – India’s equivalent to NASA – at the age of 25, to lead the organization’s largest missile program, AgniV, is no small feat. “It’s a field where we work on technologies that are the first of its kind; it’s the knowledge that matters and you need to be determined to learn,” she stresses. On being asked whether she faced any difficulties in a field dominated by men, she answers matter-of-factly, “Science has no gender.”

India’s First Specially Able Upsc Topper

“I can. I will. End of story.”lf lra Singhal’s story were to be narrated in a single line, this would be it. A story of extraordinary grit and determination. She is a reputed IAS officer today. A 60% locomotor disability and a skeptical society did not deter her. Despite having cleared the UPSC exam several times, Ira was refused a well-deserved position in the government. Instead of dampening her spirit Ira saw these failures as stepping stones to success. She challenged the government’s decision in court, and topped UPSC 2014, making her the first physically challenged individual to be a topper in the general category. She took up the daunting task of challenging the government’s decision in court and the indomitable fighter finally saw the light of day after four long years of litigation.

Promulgator Of Rajasthan Rich Legacy

Stories are a treasure house of culture and heritage. Kiran Kheruka does her bit by passing on these stories to the next generation, in an endeavor to keep the glorious culture of Rajasthan alive. By sharing the narratives of Rajasthan’s storytellers of the 1940s, Kiran enables her audiences to reflect on lost value systems and reveals connections that magically rationalize some of our present-day exertions. Her series, Culture with Kiran Kheruka, throws light on the ancient gets of Rajasthan, embedded with magical tales that not only entertain but educate as well. Through her folklore books, Kiran tells the world, stories of simple people imbued with age-old, intense wisdom. Kiran is committed to her philanthropic endeavors, providing education to the underprivileged. Her efforts ensure that our traditions are not lost in antiquity.

Oldest Female Practitioner Of Kalaripayattu

Kerala’s legendary Meenakshi Amma, is the very epitome of Kalaripayattu. Starting at the age of 7, in an era when women were not particularly encouraged to engage in such pursuits, at 83 she is the oldest female practitioner of this ancient martial art form. Gurrukkal, or teacher to 150 girls and boys, Meenakshi Amma has dedicated her life to teaching this dynamic art-form which instills fearlessness, discipline, and spirituality in those who are fortunate enough to learn.

World’s Only Female Mahout

“Passion is the genesis of genius.” Parbati Barua’s story breathes life into this aphorism. The only female mahout in the world, Parbati stayed true to her wild passion for the jungles. breaking all stereotypes. Despite the obvious hardships, The Elephant Princess devoted her life to taming elephants, and is often called to save villages from wild herds. Her recent story of taking the Kaziranga rogue bull under her care, leaves us all dumbfounded. For the braveheart who chose jungles over palaces, no accolade is bigger than the reward of the passion that renders her capable of saving the larger-than-life-animals whom she loves with all her heart and might. A Nature’s Warrior Jury Award is our humble opportunity to honor Parbati, who caught her first wild adult tusker at the age of 14. Let us salute Parbati, who lives each day as if it was her last.

94-year-old Nonagenarian athlete Bhagwani Devi Dagar hails from the Haryana village of Khidka. When she won the gold medal in the 100-meter sprint at the Tampere World Masters Athletics Championships, she demonstrated that age is no barrier. The elderly woman merely began competing in sports six months ago. “At age 94, when she took up ‘shot-put,’ that was the pivotal moment. Bhagwani Devi has won three gold medals in the past six months for Delhi, three gold in Chennai for the national team, and most recently one gold and two bronze in Finland at the World Master Athletics. Dagar finished first in the 100-meter dash in 24.74 seconds and took home two bronze medals in the shot put competition.

Bhagwani Devi is now getting ready for the World Indoor Master Athletics, which will occur in Poland the following year.

Surekha Yadav became India and Asia’s first female locopilot (train driver) for the Indian Railways in 1988. In April 2000, when it was initially established in the four major metro cities the then-railway minister, she was the first “Ladies Special” local train driver for Central Railways. She made history on March 8, 2011, International Women’s Day, when she became Asia’s first woman train driver to operate the Deccan Queen from Pune to CST Mumbai through challenging but beautiful terrain. At CST, the headquarters of the Central Railway zone, she was met by the then-Mayor of Mumbai, Shraddha Jadhav.

Surekha’s dream came true when she took the wheel of one of the Central Railway trains carrying the named female; she had received significant backing from the Mumbai-Pune Railway Pravasi Sangh (organisation) to operate this train. Ten years later, she carried out the same feat while driving an all-female crew from Mumbai to Lucknow. In 2011, the statement “Women don’t run railroad engines” was often repeated.

Gulabo Sapera, a famous creator of the dynamic and graceful Kalbelia dance motions that resemble the movements of a serpent, was born in the nomadic Kalbeliya community in 1973. She also came up with a unique song and Kalbelia-specific black ghagra-choli and dupatta with multicoloured piping. She has worked with French musicians to create several French-language music CDs, and a book and documentary have both been published on her. She has a street named after her in France. In the US, Canada, Japan, Chile, and France, Gulabo Sapera has a sizable fan base. She received the Padma Shri in 2016 in appreciation of her efforts to promote the Kalbelia folk dance internationally.

Due to Gulabo, the Kalbelia dance, which had previously received no acknowledgment, was included to UNESCO’s representative list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010. Gulabo Sapera has also starred in a number of Bollywood and Rajasthani movies, as well as the reality shows. Gulabo, a self-made lady, is an inspiration to all of us. She never had the chance to go to school, therefore she is now working to make her Kalbeliya community stronger and ensuring that their girls may receive a formal education. According to Gulabo, she wishes to leave her heritage to her pupils so that they can carry on the Kalbelia dance tradition. She runs a school in Pushkar, close to Ajmer, and one in Denmark.

In February 2011, Lt Col Mitali Madhumita became the first female officer in the nation to be awarded the Sena Medal for valour, which is granted to soldiers for displaying excellent bravery during operations in J&K and the northeast.

Madhumita also oversaw the army’s English Language Training Team in Kabul, but she was the first officer to arrive to the Indian Embassy in Kabil after the suicide bombing assault there in February 2010. Despite having no weapons, she raced over two kilometres to the scene, personally freed over 19 Army training team officers who were trapped beneath the debris, and then hurried them to the hospital.

Advocate, Attorney at Law and International lawyer

Karuna Nundy is an Advocate at the Supreme Court of India and an International lawyer. Her litigation practise includes focus on constitutional law, she is recognised equally for her work on commercial dispute resolution, tech and media law. She has been described as one of the world’s 100 most influential people by Time Magazine, a leading lawyer of the Indian Supreme Court by the BBC, listed by Business World as India’s Most Powerful Women .

Her commercial work includes wins for one of India’s largest Fintech Companies in a case against the six top Telcos. Landmark arbitrations in India and the United Kingdom, and corporate governance disputes for family owned as well as professionally run companies.

Ms. Nundy has lead a number of constitutional cases including the case to criminalise marital rape, on free speech overbroad criminal provisions that quell speech as well as on tech regulatiom. She has also worked on the “anti rape” laws of 2013, and advised the United Nations and the governments of a number of countries on women’s rights.

Ms. Nundy has an Economics Degree from St. Stephen’s College, and law degrees from the University of Cambridge and Columbia University. Qualified to practise in Inda and New York, she has advised the United Nations and Governments of other countries affecting 192 legal systems globally. She currently serves on the Columbia Global Free Speech Experts’ Committee, and also the High Level Panel of Legal Experts for Media Freedom headed by former CJI of England Lord Neuberger and Amal Clooney.