Rajkala Devi Rajkala Devi is the first-ever woman Sarpanch of her village, Hingwahera in the Alwar district of Rajasthan. Having grown up confined to her home and without any formal education, Rajkala has indeed come a long way. In the past, men in her village discouraged women from attending panchayat meetings or from even voicing…
Sucheta Kadethankar 51 days, 11 hours and 40 minutes is what 33-year-old Sucheta Kadethankar took to cross the grueling 1000 mile (1623 km) stretch of the largest desert in Asia. The scorching heat of over 45 degrees and a dislocated shoulder didn’t stop Sucheta from realizing her dreams to become the first Indian women to…
Hirabai Ben Lobi Hirabaiben is a woman of strength in the true sense. Orphaned at a young age, Hirabaiben had to face a lot of hardships due to her family’s huge financial debt. But that did not stop her fighting spirit! Despite having a limited education, she spotted an real opportunity to generate a livelihood…
Jhoomi Devi Jhoomi Devi, a shy village woman, belongs to the Nibukia Ki Dhani village in Ajmer district of Rajasthan. Not too long ago, both Jhoomi and her husband travelled a distance of 50 kms to earn a meager sum of Rs 100, a quarter of which was spent on their commute daily. With this…
Sunita Kaseria Born in the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan, Sunita Kasera grew up in a middle class family who supported her education and encouraged her to become an independent woman. The traditional mindset in this part of the country can be very different, often disapproving of working women. After her graduation from Jaipur University, Sunita…
Mayatai Sorte Born in a small village in Maharashtra to a lower caste family, Mayatai Sorte was surrounded by poverty and the taboos of untouchability from the beginning. During her childhood her father got married for the second time and as a result both Maya and her mother suffered. Maya, herself got married at a…
Sindhutai Sapkal Married at the young age of 9 years to a 30-year-old man, Sindhutai Sapkal’s life has been anything but comfortable. A victim of domestic violence, Sindhutai had a difficult marriage and gave birth to three sons by the time she turned 20. Her husband left her when she was nine months pregnant with…
Chandralekha Chandralekha hails from a place where the birth of a girl is celebrated, but for all wrong reasons. In older times, girls in her village Nat Purwa (near Lucknow), were raised to be prostitutes and often, both the father and brothers fulfilled the role of pimps. Caught in this age-old tradition, Chandralekha was only…
Reva Dandage Many students in India succumb to suicides because of a rigid and competitive educational system, every year. Reva Dandage was a bright young girl with a promising life ahead until she failed to pass her Grade 12 final exams. While this failure made her question her capabilities, she never imagined that this would…
Jyotsna Sitling Jyotsna Sitling belongs to the `Lepcha’ tribal community of Kalimpong, West Bengal. Growing up, she loved plants and chose to study botany at the Darjeeling Government College. With a strong passion for ecological conservation, Jyotsna decided that forestry was her vocation. Soon after, she became the first Indian woman forester to join the…