Tribute to Unsung Women Heroines responsible for bringing positive changes in the society

When the world tells you to shrink, expand.

You are so cheerful,

You are so boring and dull,,

You are so arrogant,

You are exaveggant using much scent,,

You are so much ambitious,

Be in your limits stay cautious,,

Don't laugh and smile much,

You are so obnoxious to touch,,

Why so much of rules and norms for females,

To overcome this, let's read some motivational tales,,

1. Lakshmi Sehgal

She was sister in law of Vikram Sarabhai. Very Intelligent lady at that times she had received an MBBS degree from Madras Medical College in 1938 and her diploma in gynecology and obstetrics. After personal life break down, she continued to serve Indian Diaspora medically at Singapore. As soon she came to know that Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was keen to draft women into Azad Hind Fauj or Indian National Army, Lakshmi decided to join hands with him to attack the British in India and free the country. She helped in training other women for the ‘Jhansi ki Rani’ regiment. Lakshmi was arrested by the British in 1945 and was prisoned in Burma until 1946.

Post-independence, she resumed her medical practice with a focus on refugees and marginalized sections. She also became a strong voice for women's issues, workers’ rights, etc. 

2. Sucheta Kriplalani

• Academically bright, after completing her education she later became a professor of Constitutional History at Banaras Hindu University. Her father instilled patriotism in Sucheta since her childhood. She had operated from the forefront at the Quit India Movement in 1942 and was arrested by the British. She actively worked for women's upliftment and was one of the few women who were part of the Constituent Assembly of India. On 14 August 1947, she sang Vande Mataram in the Independence Session of the Constituent Assembly before Nehru’s famous ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech. Shy yet stubborn in her ideas, Sucheta Kriplani is fondly remembered for her honesty, intelligence, and hard work. 

3. Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay

Kamaladevi was a social reformer and a brave advocate of Indian cultural and artistic autonomy. Widowed two years after being married at the age of 14, Kamaladevi went ahead to pursue her studies and joined the prestigious Queen Mary’s College in Madras (now Chennai) for higher studies. At a time when widow remarriages were considered taboo, she rebelled against society and married Harindranath Chattopadhyay (Sarojini Naidu’s brother). A strong feminist, she had convinced Gandhi ji to give women equal opportunity to be at the forefront of the Dandi March.In the 1940s, when the World War broke out, she began a world tour to make other countries aware of India’s condition and garner their support for the country’s freedom. 

Her work for the upliftment of society and for giving impetus to Indian art and culture continued post-independence despite opposition from various power centers. Her immense contribution to the handloom industry fetched her the nickname ‘Hatkargha Maa.

4. Jhalkari Bai - Jhalkaribai was a female soldier who was crucial in the 1857 Indian Rebellion.

She was an active participant in the women’s army of Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi.

She eventually rose to become a key adviser to the reigning monarch, Rani of Jhansi. She assumed the queen’s identity during the height of the Siege of Jhansi and fought on the front lines for the queen, enabling her to safely leave the fort. She was pregnant at that time when Britishers killed her identifying her as a Rani Lakshmi Bai. At that time, she led the army of Rani Lakshmi Bai and convinced all females of Jhansi to participate in the struggle against Britishers with all the metals and financial aid they can. 

5. Savithribhai Phule - Savithribhai Phule

Savitribai Jyotirao Phule was a Maharashtrian poet, educator, and social reformer. She and her husband Jyothioba Phule in Maharashtra significantly contributed to the advancement of women’s rights in India. She, with her husband has emphasized on girl's education and despite many casteism and financial challenges, she opened her own school for women education. She is credited with founding the feminist movement in India. In Pune, near Bhide Wada, Savitribai and her husband established one of the first modern Indian girls’ schools in 1848. She campaigned to remove caste and gender prejudice and unfair treatment of individuals

6. Durga Bhabi - A revolutionary who joined the armed resistance against colonial rule was Durgawati Devi, also known as Durga Bhabhi.

As a Naujawan Bharat Sabha member, she assisted Bhagat Singh in fleeing Lahore after the 1928 murder of British police officer John P. Saunders. Rajguru pretended to be Durgawati and Bhagat Singh’s servant throughout the subsequent train ride. Later, she undertook an unsuccessful effort to kill Lord Hailey, the former governor of Punjab, in retaliation for the hanging of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev.

7. Tulsi Gowda - Padma Shri Tulsi Gowda is an Indian environmentalist known as the "Encyclopedia of the Forest" and by her tribe as the "tree goddess" because of her knowledge of the forest. She is known for her self-taught ability to identify the mother tree of every species of tree in the forest. Mother trees are significant because of their age and size with the most connected nodes in the forest. These underground nodes are used to connect mother trees with saplings and seedlings as the mother tree exchanges life giving nutrients. She is an expert in seed collection, extraction of seeds from mother trees to regenerate and regrow entire plant species. Born in 1944, into the Halakki tribal family in Karnataka, in a family of very modest means, Tulsi did not receive a formal education and lost her father at 2 years of age. She worked alongside her mother as a day labourer for 35 years until she was offered a permanent position at the Karnataka Forestry Department in recognition of her work towards conservation, and her knowledge of botany.

8. Avni Chaturvedi -

Avani Chaturvedi is an Indian pilot from Madhya Pradesh. She is the first woman of India to fly the fighter aircraft of the Indian Air force.

She and two of her coworkers, Mohana Singh Jitarwal and Bhawana Kanth, are the first female combat pilots in India. She was chosen to attend the Hyderabad Air Force Academy and graduated at the age of 25. She made history in 2018 when she became the first Indian woman to fly a MiG-21 solo. She received a promotion to Flight Lieutenant in 2018. President Ram Nath Kovind bestowed the Nari Shakti Puraskar on Avani Chaturvedi on March 9, 2020.

9. Dr. Ritu Karidhal Srivastava - Dr Ritu Karidhal, distinguished as one of the esteemed 'Rocket Women of India,' holds the positions of scientist and aerospace engineer within ISRO. Her illustrious career also encompassed the role of Deputy Operations Director for India's Mars orbiter mission, famously known as Mangalyaan.

10. Nigar Shaji - Nigar Shaji, the Project Director of India's first solar mission, Aditya-L1, has made a powerful statement about the absence of a glass ceiling at the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro). She was speaking at the India Today Conclave Mumbai. Shaji, who has been with Isro for 35 years, shared the support provided by the organization to its female scientists. Shaji, a native of Shengottai, Tamil Nadu, joined Isro in 1987 and has since held several prestigious positions. She was the Associate Project Director of Resourcesat-2A and headed the Satellite telemetry centre in Bengaluru before taking on her current role as the project director of Aditya-L1. The mission, launched on September 2, 2023, is India's first dedicated to studying the Sun.