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Popularly known as the ‘Pad Woman of India’, Maya Vishwakarma is working tirelessly towards breaking the stigma around menstruation and addressing the inaccessibility of sanitary napkins in rural parts of India. She is also helping provide reasonable sanitary pads in remote areas of the country. Her personal experiences have inspired her to take on the issue and spread awareness on female hygiene and sanitation.

Project Director on Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO’s) project – Chandrayan 2, Muthayya Vanitha worked alongside a team that constituted 30%  women.

Ritu Karidhal was the Mission Director on the same project. The two women played pivotal roles towards the successful launch of the mission and have inspired women to reach for the skies.

‘Agniputri’ or daughter of fire, Tessy Thomas is an inspiration to girls who wish to work in the defence sector. She played a crucial role in various strategic projects such as – Long Range Ballistic Missiles, Agni IV and Agni V.

The first woman to lead Indian Missile projects, she is also referred to as the ‘Missile Woman of India’. She is the first Director of the Missile Laboratory of Defence Research and Development Organization, Hyderabad.  

Co-founder of Parvata Food Pvt. Ltd, Siddhi Karnani is dedicated towards producing organic products for the public market. An alumnus of IIM-Ahmedabad, she has been actively working towards uplifting the economic condition of farmers, especially from North-Eastern and Eastern parts of India. Her organization has received FICCI Millennium Alliance Award in 2016, National Agropreneurs Award and Indian Agri Business Excellence Award in 2017.

Chetna Sinha, the Head of Mann Deshi Mahila Bank and Mann Deshi Foundation, is doing incredible work for the empowerment of rural women. The vision of her bank is to function as a community and to create a supportive atmosphere where women from remote areas are encouraged to grow. She has been felicitated with numerous awards such as – Entrepreneurship Development Award, Rani Laxmiibai Puraskar and Godfrey Phillips Bravery Amodini Award amongst others.

The journey from being an abused child bride to the first female taxi driver in India had not been easy for Selvi Gowada. She broke free from the chains of an abusive marriage and became a taxi driver in 2004. Since then, she has starred as the protagonist in the documentary – ‘Driving with Selvi’ and has opened up the world of taxi service to women.

A beacon of strength and determination, Arunima Sinha has inspired people across the globe with her success story. In 2011, she was thrown-off a moving train which resulted in amputation of her left leg. Being a sportsperson from an early age, Arunima was determined to conquer the highest peak – Mt. Everest and she was indeed successful to do so in 2013. That was the beginning for her conquest. Apart from Everest, she has successfully climbed – Kilimanjaro in Africa, Elbrus in Europe, Kosciuszko in Australia and Aconcagua in Argentina.