1. SEEMA RAO

In her two decades long career she has imported battle skills to over 20,000 soldiers of India’s elite around forces. Dr Seema Rao is India’s first female combat trainer. She is close to 50 now, but she is still strong as ever. In fact, she continues to beat men twice her size during the training. She is a true epitome of an iron lady with an even stronger will. She suffered spinal injuries, amnesia and even bankruptcy in her life. But that didn’t stop Seema from pursuing her dreams. She was rightfully awarded the highest civilian honor for ‘Nari Shakthi’ in the republic of India. She deserves this award and more for her bravery, courage and determination.

2. IROM SHARMILA

Irom Chanu sharmila also known as the “Iron lady” is a civil right activist, political activist and poet from the Indian state of Manipur. She began a hunger strike on 5 November 2000 which she ended on 9 August 2016, after 16 years of fasting. She refused food and water for more than 500 weeks. She has been called “the world’s largest hunger striker”. She protested against the Armed Forces Special Powers Act established by the Indian government, which accord the Indian armed forces unregulated powers of action. The exploitation of the power by the army, will lead to civilian massacres

3. KIRAN BEDI

Kiran Bedi joined the police services and became the first ever Indian women IPS officer. She had been retired at present. She was found hosting the popular TV series “Aap ki kachehri” in which she was settling the life disputes between people. She had become the beam of light for women across the country. Over the course of her career spanning over 35 years, she was able to bring in numerous changes, while being instrumental in mitigating the number of crimes against women.

4. SUSHAMA SWARAJ

Sushama was one of the most powerful women in Indian politics, she rose to the position of the Minister of External Affairs of India, becoming only the second woman to accept the role after the late Indira Gandhi. She initiated her career as an advocate in the Supreme Court of India.. At the age of 25 she became the youngest cabinet minister in India at, a record as yet unsurpassed. The public’s respect towards her has only grown since, as she has been influential in rescuing numerous Indian expatriates from positions of crises from across the world.

5. SHOBANA CHANDRAKUMAR PILLAI

The exemplar of grace and perfection, Shobana is a brilliant upholder of the classical Indian dance of Bharatnatyam. At the age of 13, she started acting in South Indian films and has a collection of more than 200 films in various Indian languages and English. She has gained the National Award for Best Actress two times. An admirable artist, she is a promoter of the self-assured modern woman who prioritizes her life’s calling above everything else. Hence, Shobana has remained single and went on to adopt a girl whom she named Anantha Narayani.

6. SAALUMARADA THIMMKKA

Saalumarda Thimmakka is an environmental activist who has planted over 8000 trees during a period of 65 years. She was born and raised in Karnataka. She was not able to go to school as she came from a poor background. She worked when she was young. Her story is that of grit and determination. She was unable to bear a child. With the support of her husband she found a solace in planting trees. The couple worked in the fields during the day. Today she stands as the source of inspiration portraying the significance of trees to millions across nations. She came to be known as Saalumarda as it means ‘rows of trees’ in Kannada. She is also known as ‘Vriksha mathe’ or mother of trees. She made it to the BBC’s list of 100 most influential women.

7. TESSY THOMAS

India’s Missile women Tessy Thomas. She is the first women scientist to lead a missile project in the country. She was appointed by APJ Abdul Kalam. She has written the test for becoming an IAS officer but fate had planned something else for this woman. The DRDO Defense Research and Development Organisation had their interview on the same date and she got through it. She has served as the Project Director for the Agni IV and V missiles, making her the first woman to lead missile teams in India. These are international ballistic missiles that have very high ranges and have the potential of carrying nuclear warheads. Dr. Thomas’ expertise on the solid propellant systems were critical in the development of the re-entry system of the missile, which served it to withstand great velocities and temperatures of 3,000° Celsius on re-entering the atmosphere.

8. AVANI CHATURVEDI

The Flying Officer Avani Chaturvedi of Indian Air Force climbed into a territory only open for men in India with her solo trip on a fighter jet. Chaturvedi took her first solo charge from Gujarat’s Jamnagar, in a MiG-21 Bison. She flew the Russian-made super-sonic fighter aircraft for about 30 minutes successfully, becoming the first Indian woman to have done that. Chaturvedi is from Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa district. It is not the only her being in the Army from her family; she was inspired by her soldier brother. Born on October 24, 1993, she also has a knack for chess, table tennis and sketching.

9. CHITRA RAMKRISHNA

Chitra was the first woman managing director and chief executive officer of the National Stock Exchange (NSE), an institution founded in the early 1990s to amend the capital market in India, and now positioning as the world’s largest exchange in cash market trades and as one of the top three exchanges in index and stock derivatives. Initiated as a chartered accountant, her first contact with finance came in 1985 when she joined the project finance division of Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI). She had a stint at Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and returned to IDBI two years later. Chitra soon found herself as one of the five handpicked by the late SS Nadkarni, who was then IDBI chairman, to set up NSE from scratch.

10. GITA GOPINATH

Gita Gopinath is the John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and of Economics at Harvard University. She is presently on leave of public service from the economics department to help as the Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Gita is the Director of IMF’s Research Department and the Economic Counsellor of the Fund.

Her research focuses on Macroeconomics and International Finance. Gita Gopinath is the co-editor of the present Handbook of International Economics and was earlier the co-editor of the American Economic Review, managing editor of the Review of Economic Studies, and co-director of the International Finance and Macroeconomics program at the National Bureau of Economic Research. She is the beneficiary of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, the highest honour conferred on overseas Indians by the Government of India, and the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Washington.