Medha Patkar is the first name that comes to our mind when we think about Women Empowerment in India. She is a famous social activist and politician. Born in Mumbai, Medha had a keen interest in public service at a very early age. She is best recognised as the founding member of the famous Narmada Bachao Andolan – a movement to save the rivers and people of Gujarat.
Irom Sharmila is known as the “Iron Lady of Manipur”. She has worked a lot for the conflict ridden North Eastern state. She refused food and water for more than 500 weeks to record the longest hunger strike ever. On International Women’s Day, 2014 she was voted as the top woman icon of India by MSN Poll.
Shaheen Mistri is the CEO of Teach for India, and the Founder of Akanksha Foundation. She has earned global recognition for her dedication and commitment to the fight for educational equity. Shaheen is an Ashoka Fellow (2001), a Global Leader for Tomorrow at the World Economic Forum (2002), and an Asia Society 21 Leader (2006). She also serves on the boards of Ummeed Foundation. Shaheen has a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Manchester, England.
Kiran Bedi was born and bred in the holy city of Amritsar, Punjab. She is the first woman IPS officer in the country and a social activist. She has not only served her department with full conviction, but has also made whole-hearted contribution towards many social causes.She won the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1994 for the reforms that she brought about in Tihar jail.
Arundhati Roy is an author, actress, and political activist. She was best known for the award-winning novel The God of Small Things (1997) and for her involvement in environmental and human rights causes. Arundhati was awarded the Lannan Cultural Freedom Award in 2002, the Sydney Peace Prize in 2004, and the Sahitya Akademi Award from the Indian Academy of Letters in 2006.
