Sunitha Krishnan
Sunitha Krishnan is a pioneer in social service having saved thousands of children and women from the cruelty of human trafficking and forced prostitution. She is not only an anti-trafficking crusader but also an eminent speaker who would give you goosebumps with her stories about kids from age of three to women of age above fifty. Like the stories from the people whom she has rescued, her life story also would persuade you to take action against human trafficking. From a very young age, Sunitha started her social service with her efforts in helping differently-abled people and homeless children. She co-founded an NGO called ‘Prajwala’, which runs 17 schools throughout Hyderabad and has rescued thousands of women from prostitution. She doesn’t limit herself once she has rescued them, she helps these women get over the trauma of being forced into prostitution with rehabilitation.
Priya Ravichandran
In a world where women’s safety remains uncertain and their independence is threatened, here is one lady who knows no fear. She is the first woman officer to be recruited by the fire department and she has saved many lives while putting her own at risk. Working odd shifts and attending distress calls any time of the day, she just proved that this career is not only for men. Today, she is the Deputy Director of Fire Services of Tamil Nadu and she remains undaunted even after suffering forty five percent burns across her body during the rescue mission she led at KalasMahal. Profoundly committed to serving the nation, she steps out every day wearing her uniform with pride and fights fire with fire. She is an inspiration to many women who want to serve the nation in one way or another. A brave heart, she has won many awards for her courageous efforts including the Anna Medal for bravery and selfless courage, President’s Award for gallantry and the award for selfless service in search and rescue operation. PriyaRavichandran is indeed a ‘fire’ brand!
Mithali Raj
Mithali Raj, Indian Women’s cricket team captain has created history by ranking No. 1 in the ODI chart for women cricketers. In 2002, she broke a world record of 209 runs by Karen Rolton by scoring 214 runs (not out) thus marking world’s highest individual test score. In 2003, she received the Arjuna Award from the government of India for her excellence in sports. In the very beginning of her captainship in 2005, the Indian Women’s Cricket team entered the CricInfo Women’s World Cup finals against Australia. She is known for her achievement of 5000 runs in the women’s ODI cricket. She gave a record-breaking year of wins in 2006 in which the Indian Women’s team won the first ever test and series against England and also the Asia Cup. She was awarded the ‘Padma Sri’ recently. She first started playing at the age of ten in her school. She joined the Indian team at the age of seventeen and she is still rocking it. Fondly called as the ‘Tendulkar of Women’s Cricket Team’ she is full of courage and grit. Different states of the country would claim her as theirs as she shares some kind of relationship with all these states. She is a Tamilian born in Jodhpur, Rajasthan but did her schooling in Hyderabad and practiced cricket in Secunderabad. The all-rounder is a right-hand batswoman as well as a right-arm leg-breaker. She made an impressive score right away in her first ever ODI against Ireland with a score of 114 (not out!). She has excelled in all categories of cricket that include Test, ODI and Twenty20.
PV Sindhu
PV Sindhu, a name that has now become the nation’s pride has not just won silver at the Olympics but has won the hearts of millions across the country. Athletics run in her genes, coming from a parentage of volleyball veterans. But the champion was passionate towards badminton and started playing at the age of eight. “She showed passion for badminton when she first held the racket at a very young age. Since then she has not looked back,” says her proud father PV Ramana. She made history by being the first Indian to enter women’s Badminton singles finals in the Rio Olympics 2016. The country cheered for her when she won the quarter finals and was officially a top 4 contender. After defeating Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara in the nail-biting semi-finals match, the nation was full of joy and pride as she guaranteed a medal. At the finals, Sindhu faced World No 1, Carolina Marin in another gripping match which earned us the silver. She earned a BWF (Badminton World Federation) World Rank in badminton this year, being the first Indian to win consecutive medals in the World Badminton Championships. The young woman holds pride in being the youngest recipient of Indian’s fourth highest civilian honor, the’ Padma Shri’.
Tessy Thomas
Tessy Thomas is a woman who perfectly fits the portrait of a good Indian housewife who performs all the daily chores with ease.She juggles her professional and personal life with ease. Behind this simple persona is a defense scientist who ahs contributed substantially to the country’s security.Tessy joined the Defense Research and Development Organistaion and was assigned to work on the Agni missile project, becoming the first woman scientist to head a missile project in India and has been known as ‘Agni Putri’. She has shown that women can be scientists in our society and still run a household.Dr. Tessy Thomas has a big hand in making India self-reliant in the field of missile technology.She was awarded the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award, the Missile Woman Of India and Dr. Tessy continues to be the role model for women and young scientists of today.