The history of Indian women is full of
pioneers, who have always stood up for their
rights and fought their battles despite restrictions and limitations.
They are the shining beacons of hope and have displayed exemplary
dedication in their respective fields. This Women’s Day, I want to share the
stories of 12 Indian women, who clearly deserve a standing ovation.
Ahilyabai Holkar
Punyaslok Rajmata Ahilyadevi
Holkar (May 31, 1725 – August 13, 1795) (ruled December 11, 1767 – August
13, 1795) of India ruled as a Holkar dynasty Queen of the Malwa
kingdom, India. Khanderao Holkar, Ahilyadevi's husband, died in the battle
of Kumher in 1754. Twelve years later, her father-in-law, Malhar Rao Holkar,
died. She inherited the throne and became the
queen of Malwa (present-day Malwa falls into western Madhya Pradesh and
south-eastern Rajasthan. She was one of India's
great women rulers. Her reign lasted for 30 years and she ruled with the
utmost compassion and pride. During her time, the region prospered and scaled
many new heights. She is often cited as the "philosopher queen" and
an "absolute ideal ruler." She even personally led armies into
battle. As a tribute, Indore's domestic airport and university are named after
her. Her war time exploits became
legendary. Ahilyadevi earned a reputation for administering justice fairly
during her rule without partiality or partisanship. She sentenced her only son,
found guilty of a capital offense, to death by being crushed by an
elephant.
Abala Bose
Abala Bose was
a British Indian social worker, Known for her efforts in the
advancement of women’s education and her contribution towards the alleviation
of the condition of widows. Abala Das born
in 1865; died in 1951. She attended Calcutta University; studied medicine in
Madras. She was married to physicist Jagadish Chandra Bose, in 1887.
Abala Bose was an early feminist and frequently
wrote about why women needed more education and stressed that women's minds
were just as important as men. Later in her life, she set up the ‘Nari Shiksha
Samiti’, a non-profit whose mission was to educate girls and women. She also
opened a home for widows and a rehabilitation center for women.
Cornelia Sorabji
Cornelia Sorabji (1866 - 1954) is the first
female advocate in India; first woman to study law at Oxford University. After received a first-class degree from Bombay
University in 1888, Cornelia Sorabji was admitted to Oxford in
1892, a milestone that predates the women’s suffrage movement in Britain. Here, Sorabji became the first woman to sit the
Civil Law exams but was not able to graduate as women could not be awarded
degrees until 1920. She returned to India in 1894. After a long struggle with
the authorities, she became legal advocate for women in purdah, whose religious
and cultural beliefs prevented them from speaking to men outside their family.
Anasuya Sarabhai
Fondly known as 'Motaben',
pioneering labour leader Anasuya Sarabhai (1885-1972) holds a unique
place in the history of India. Anasuya
Sarabhai completed her higher education at the London School of Economics. Then
she return to India, where she helped women by advocating for labour rights.
She founded the Ahmedabad Textile Labour Association, India's oldest union of
textile workers, in 1920, becoming the first female leader of a trade union in
India. On her 132nd birthday, Google India celebrated with a doodle remembering
her achievements.
Anandi Gopal Joshi
Anandi Gopal Joshi, considered by
some as India's first female doctor, was one of the earliest female physicians
in India. Anandi died at a tender age of
just 21. But before that, she became the first female physician and the first
Indian woman to obtain a medical degree in the United States in 1887. Her
condition was deteriorating while she was in the second year of studies. Yet,
she still completed her studies and returned to India. She was later diagnosed
with tuberculosis, which ultimately caused her death.
Justice Anna Chandy
Justice Anna Chandy (1905 - 1996), also known
as Anna Chandi, was the first female judge not only in India but the entire
British Commonwealth. She was also the first woman in India to become a High
Court judge. She achieved this feat in the pre-independence era in
1937. After independence, in 1948, she became a district court judge. After
serving 11 years at that position, in 1959, she was promoted to the high court
in Kerala. She wrote an autobiography, Atmakatha, that discussed her
achievements and inspired future generations. She founded a magazine
named Shrimati, which aimed to promote the cause of women’s rights.
Amrita Sher-Gil
Amrita Sher-Gil was a
prominent Indian painter, and one of the notable avant-garde women artists of
the early 20th century. Amrita Sher-Gil was born in 1913
and started painting at the age of eight. She is one of the pioneers of modern
Indian art and was known as India's Frida Kahlo. She died at the early age of
28, but her artwork is still praised and sold for top dollar. She received
recognition with her oil painting named Young Girls in 1932.
Begum Akhtar
Begum Akhtar was born on 7th
October, 1914 in Faizabad town of Uttar Pradesh. Her name was Akhtaribai
Faizabadi though she was much popular as Begum Akhtar. Begum Akhtar is known as "Queen of
Ghazals" in Indian classical singing circles. Most famous for ghazals, she
also composed them. She received
the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for vocal music, and was
awarded Padma Shri and later, Padma Bhushan, posthumously by
Govt. of India.
Begum Akhtar performed last in a
concert in Balaramapuram near Thiruvananthapuram. That day she felt
that her voice was not up to the mark and raised her pitch. This put much
stress on her and her health deteriorated. The situation became critical and
she had to be rushed to the hospital. She breathed her last on 30th October
1974, leaving many fans disappointed and heart broken.
Ismat Chugthai
Ismat Chughtai (August 1915 – 24
October 1991) was an eminent Urdu writer, known for her indomitable spirit and
a fierce feminist ideology. She is
addressed as the first Urdu writer who highlighted and wrote on female
sexuality, femininity, and women rights. She
is considered one of the four pillars of Urdu afsana along with
Saadat Hasan Manto, Krishen Chander and Rajinder Singh Bedi. She
also wrote stories for mainstream cinema. Some of her notable films include
Ziddi (1948), Aarzoo (1950), and Garam Hawa (1973).
Asima Chatterjee
Asima Chatterjee (1917 - 2006) became the first female
scientist in India when she received a Ph.D. in organic chemistry. She was the first woman to be awarded a Doctor of Science
by an Indian University - in 1944, by the University of Calcutta. She was also
the first woman to be elected as the General President of the Indian Science
Congress, a premier institution that oversees scientific research. Her
area of interest was natural products with special reference to medicinal
chemistry. She devoted her time extensively to developing
anti-epileptic and anti-malarial drugs.
Arati Saha
Arati Saha was an
Indian long-distance swimmer. Born in Calcutta, West Bengal; on 24th September,
1940. In 1959, just five days past her 19th birthday, she became the first and
fastest Asian woman to successfully swim across the English Channel in 16 hours
20 minutes. She is the first female sportsperson to be awarded
Padma Shri—the fourth highest civilian award in India—in 1960.
Kalpana Chawla
Kalpana Chawla was an American
astronaut, engineer, and the first female of Indian origin to go to space.
She was born in Haryana's Karnal on March 17, 1962. She flew to the
US to obtain Master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of
Texas in Arlington. Later, she settled in the US and became a
citizen. After finishing her PhD in 1991, she applied for NASA Astronaut
Corps where she kick-started her space journey.
She conducted her first flight in
1997 as a primary robotic arm operator and mission specialist. On her second
space mission in 2003, Kalpana Chawla along with other six crew members died
when the Space Shuttle disintegrated over Texas and Louisiana.
