For a woman, there is a growing misconception since the ages that women are weak and powerless. They are indeed better stay at home. Hail to this! It is not so at all. Women possess a very unique power within themselves – the Sankalpa-Shakti which is the power of will and determination. A woman possesses the unique and beautiful combination of both the power of the intellect and also the strength of inner will and emotions. There’s no doubt that our country India needs more women like Avani, Kiran Bedi, Bachendri Pal, Geeta Phogat and many others who can make us all proud.
Here, On International Women’s Day (March 8) with the theme for year 2019 is #BalanceforBetter, Let us take you through the 8 combative women of India who has shattered the glass ceiling, broke the myths and move forward –
Kiran Bedi – The First Woman IPS Officer
In this male-dominated society, Kiran Bedi has entered breaking all myths, and became the first woman to join the Indian Police Service (IPS). Born on 9th June, 1949, in Amritsar, Punjab, she became the first Indian to be appointed as United Nations civilian police advisor. She brought a huge reduction in crime rate and also launched a campaign against drug abuse, which evolved into the Navjyoti Delhi Police Foundation and for which she was also given the Asia Region Award for Drug Prevention and Control. In 2005, she won the Mother Teresa Memorial National Award for Social Justice, and many other awards have been achieved by her for her courage and honesty. She has stood by her principles always.
Avani Chaturvedi – The Woman Fighter Jet Pilot
”Give her wings and she will fly high!”
Avani Chaturvedi is that woman who has shattered the glass ceiling and flew high in the sky. Born on 27 October 1993, Avani 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 18 June, 2016. She was highly inspired by her elder brother and she also had a few hours of flying experience in the flying club of her college, which inspired her to join the Indian Air Force. In a country where it was a mindset that women are physically not suited to fly fighter jets and would potentially face problems while operating the flying machines, it was indeed a red letter day for the country when Flying Officer Chaturvedi took to the skies in a MiG-21 Bison. Avani’s remarkable achievement has put India on the list of the countries such as Britain, the United States, Israel, etc. where women are allowed to fly fighter jets.
Bachendri Pal – The Indian Woman Mountaineer
Bachendri pal was born on May 24, 1954. In the year 1990, she was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for her achievement as the first Indian woman mountaineer to climb Mount Everest. She was also awarded the National Adventure Award by the Government of India in 1994. Even though as she faced immense pressure from her parents to get married due to their financial inability, she managed to get rid of all the problems and was ready to climb the Everest. The climb to Everest wasn’t a cakewalk. While Bachendri’s team commenced its ascent in May 1984, they almost met with a disaster as an avalanche hit them, and half the members were injured then. But she was determined and continued her ascent. On 23 May 1984, afternoon 1:07 P.M, history was created and the summit of the Everest was reached.
Geeta Phogat – The Indian Woman Wrestler
Wrestling is for Mens! And Geeta Phogat is that woman who broke the myth and became the Indian Woman wrestler. Born on December 15, 1988, She has brought Gold in many games such as Commonwealth games (2010), FILA Asian Olympic tournament. She became the first Indian to qualify for Olympics (London 2012). The same year, she won a bronze medal at the World Championship, another first in the history of Indian female wrestling. Initially, she had a face multiple viewpoints of society because the profession requires lot of physical work, push ups, endurance training. But It was her father, who didn’t listen to the society, and encouraged her to join wrestling. Infact, her all sisters are currently in the same profession.
Zubeida Begum – The First Indian Actress
Zubeida Begum was born in 1926. She was the daughter of Respected Nawab Dhanrajgir Family. At the age of 12, She became the first Indian film actress to be featured in an Indian movie named “Kohinoor”. She stepped into the realms of cinema at a time when acting was not considered a very revered profession for women, let alone the royal background. Therefore, when she confessed her aspiration to become an actress, her father became infuriated and arranged her marriage with a man. She has a son from this marriage named Khalid Mohamed. It was, however, a very unhappy marriage that broke after the partition of India. Her love for films could be seen from her acting and many actress have learnt acting skills from her.
Roshini Sharma – The Indian Woman Biker
Roshini Sharma ‘The Woman Motor Biker was born in the year 1988. She rode her first bike at the age of 16, but she didn’t stop at just driving around traffic jams. The love for biking was meant to become an example and inspiration for every female rider in the country who have been underestimated. She travelled from Kanyakumari to Kashmir on her bike. The people she was most worried for, became her ultimate pillars of support and guidance. Be it the locals guiding the way or fellow bikers taking along, everyone played as a support. She had to face the changing weather across India, yet nothing could distract her or her determination and she successfully travelled across India, paving the way and showed us that it is a myth that women cannot travel alone and it’s unsafe.
M Vasanthakumari – The Woman Bus Driver
When Vasanthakumari first got behind the wheel at the age of 14, it was purely for the thrill of driving. But, more than a decade later, when M Vasanthakumari, said to be Asia’s first woman bus driver, decided to hit the road, it was the only way she could support her family. During the driving test, they asked her to drive along the figure eight formation. When she started, all the officials ran to safety thinking she may drive in a haphazard manner,” she reminisces. But she cleared all the tests and was appointed on March 30, 1993, by the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation. Life on the road has been relatively smooth with the support of policemen, transport officials, male colleagues and her family but she has never had it easy as she have not been given any concessions and drive along the same routes as men do. Her determination has inspired many women and take a stand.
Arati Saha – The First Indian Woman Swimmer
Swimming is a muscular activity, which is a Men’s job! But Arati Saha is the First Asian Woman who broke the judgment of society and became the very first woman to swim across the English channel (France to England). Born on 24th Sep, 1940, Arati started swimming at the early age of 4. She was very much trained by Sachin Nag. Her inspiration took wings when she saw Mihir Sen (The first Indian to swim across English channel) to try to cross the English channel. In 1959, she created the history to cross English Channel in just 2 hours 20 min. She has been a source of inspiration to many woman. Rashmi Sharma is the second Indian woman to cross the English Channel twice. She completed the 34 kilometer distance in a little over 13 hours, according to information received here.
