 Long years ago We made a trist with destiny and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge Not holy or in full measure, but very substantially at the stroke of the midnight hour when the world sleeps India will awake to life and freedom an indomitable spirit That characterizes half of the population the better half of course the Indian woman History has witnessed much Prosperity progress defeat death and rebirth and in addition It has been graced by the indomitable human spirit Embodied in the lives and works of pioneers Many women who dared to make a choice and followed through with purposeful action to alter the course of history One of them is Akka Mahadevi in a word is the Lord Channa Mallika Arjuna We find her message of self-discovery Requesting us to challenge the norms of those who wish to curtail the expression of new ideas Ayah If husk without grains is water would it ever grow and bear fruit? If senseless people follow piety's would they ever lose their ignorance and be happy? Would the perfume one wears last forever? Those who do not know my lord Channa Mallika Arjuna. No no piety my brothers India has witnessed the female persona portrayed as a symbol of the divine in the form of a goddess all these classifications Can never completely capture the voices of the various change makers? Who rose up successfully again and again whenever challenges? opportunities and occasions came a calling Going as far back as the Vedic age we find evidence of Indian women Contributing to the development of knowledge and society in many hymns in the Rig Veda Samhita an ancient Indian text we find chance composed by Surya Savitri when Surya went to her husband thought was her pillow Sight was the coal in her eyes the earth in the sky became her bridal box in the Upanishads We find philosophers like Maitri and Gargi are found engaging in discussions and debates and in the Puranas Smithies we find reference to abundant accomplishments of women Thus the modern Indian woman stands not alone But is the bearer of a long heritage of self liberation and empowerment He asked a multitude of women in the national capitol to give us an image symbolizing empowerment I'm working with Manipura women gun survivors network 120 women artisans in Himachal Pradesh We work with over 5,000 widows in 300 villages of Manipura And giving new skins to the Himachal women on hand looms I am the founder of the company which deals majorly in health and upkeep of women's life In vocational unit we teach traditional children to do these kind of work We're a very different concept of teaching through museums by profession I'm a fashion designer and also into teaching so that when they are out from this project They are self-independent enough to take this as an livelihood in future Women in the police are definitely making contribution to making police force in India A very very credible force The answers surprised us They were as varied as the women As heterogeneous as our country's socio-political need And all the answers had to do with one simple aspect of their lives The ability to make a conscious choice Not about power, not about competition In this future we tell but a few stories of triumph Birthed in grit and determination and brilliance and dedication Our champions are women who dared to strive for what they really wanted The skies, the moon, the sun, the earth, their own betterment The betterment of others, their own dignity And their tales of success, their struggles often from humble beginnings Remind us again and again that there is always a fire Just needs a spark Mumbai Amchi Mumbai The city that never sleeps Surekha Yadav would agree She too had something similar to say Surekha Yadav was born into a farmer's family in Satara, Maharashtra From very humble beginnings She took up electrical engineering and wished to continue her engineering So as to become a teacher, but the Indian railways caught her eye Some say women do not drive railway engines Surekha refused to believe them The train was a machine She learned its mechanics and undertook a journey that made it possible For her to be responsible for thousands of lives each time she reported for duty Carrying people to and fro from their destinations and across so many stations Driving a train is not everyone's cup of tea Surekha, like anybody else, had to train to drive a train I was thinking just where I will work And in the meantime I came through the employment news in which notification was given for Assistant drivers, electric And the requirement was that diploma in any faculty And 18 years completed should be there And one more thing was written, ladies can apply I was fulfilling all three So I filled the form and passed all three exams And I was appointed as an assistant locomotive on 14th February, 1989 Surekha now teaches others to drive She is an inspiration to not just other women train drivers But many other young women who decide to overcome the myth of a man's job As the first woman engine driver in India and Asia She is open and candid about the challenges About the fixed mindset of some sections of society Her life is a lesson about the possibilities of a growth mindset But when I was appointed, people were astonished Everybody was surprised It is not a toy to play with an engine You take it in hand and run everywhere and come on children and we'll play It is a huge engine and how you will do it? I said no, it's not a point Other 25 with me who have been selected are just like me And I'm just like them, if they can do, why I cannot? Isn't it? The selection procedure, whatever it was Just like them, I passed this determination increased When I realized that I have to do something And I have been selected to do something And when you have been selected, you should not step back But you have to step forward Because you have proved your fit for that Then you must do that was the thing And even though some people were supporting Somewhere, not supporting Somewhere thinking that she'll do it And somewhere thinking she'll not do it But totally it was on me How much effort I should put in And what I have put it with me Hyderabad, famous for its history Haleem and Tessie Thomas Otherwise probably known as the Missile Woman of India Was born in a small business family in Alapuda, Kerala She took up engineering when it was not common for a woman to be an engineer Growing up in a rocket launching station Her fascination for the guided systems knew no bound She opted to study radar technology A nascent field to follow her tree What I feel is, don't climb the mountain with the intention That the world should see you But climb the mountain with the intention To see the world and learn more From the childhood I was interested in this science maths field And I was somehow determined I should go for engineering I had to go for an education loan And both my father and mother They were so supportive that I didn't feel the danger of going for that course It is not as though Tessie's life went smoothly Upon entering DRDO as a scientist for India's Indigenous Missile Technology One of the most important traits of success and creativity Is the resilience and grit attributed to Tessie's growth mindset She learned from the short fuses of other projects And made it a point to perfect her craft even more Until her tuition reached new heights While doing engineering also I was interested in towards the Even though my field tech was from electrical engineering I wanted to do something new Like we were given electives of choice by radar systems Which nobody was willing to take up the topic Which I felt that is a new area and I should learn that new technology That is how I took up the radar engineering Learned more about the military application of those systems And that is where it when the DRDO advertisement appeared in the newspaper I felt like applying for a course Which I was not knowing what could be the technology Or what could be the science But I applied for that and it was one among the ten Who got selected for the DRDO sponsored M-TEC program So when Dr. Kalam as the director He has inspired the IGMDP program Where in which all the missile projects has taken up And Agni also the reentry technology has to be established That was the first challenge given to us And then we started working on the Agni demonstrator during this time And thereafter I worked for all the Agni series of systems From one to five series And it's every technology, every new system is a challenge I was also present on the inaugural function of the Rashdi Avishkar Abhyan Where Dr. Kalam was inaugurating the function He introduced my colleague who had come from ISRO Dr. Nandini and myself to the school children Almost 5000 students were there That this is the great thing what the women have done And they are here to talk to you and interact with you And after the event we had the opportunity to talk to the young minds of this country Tessie Thomas stands out as a bastion of scientific temper And she was conferred the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award For her outstanding contributions to the field of missile technology In 2008 the Indian Women's Scientist Association Paid great tribute to India's Agni Putri They said like most women She also does a tight-rope walk between home and career Between being a mother and a scientist Who is dedicated to her job Surekha Yadav and Tessie Thomas Both pioneers in their fields Carry on an ancient tradition of excellence The Rig Vedic women scholars of ancient India Namely the Brahma Vadhanis and the Sadhyod Vahas Study the Vedas in total seclusion But our champions of today Have learned how to balance professional excellence With personal responsibility Jaipur, a city painted in pink When Panani and Katya Yana talk about women in the Vedic age We are not surprised to see King Ashoka's daughter Sangamitra Leave riches behind in search of spirituality Similarly Chhavi Rajawat Educated at Lady Sriram College and an MBA Gave up a corporate job to answer a calling To develop her nation at the grassroots As the youngest women's surpunch in India So February 2010 is where my village council Was to have its elections And it just so happened that it was a reserved seat for women And the villagers thought of me Because they wanted to see development Her grandfather, Dadusa to her Was a constant influence in her life She grew up under him And acquired the passion to better her village Encouraged by Chhavi's grandfather The villagers call her Kansa I was a little surprised That the village was very impromptu There was no such village around Where it was so impromptu that it was in my village After a few days, when I left The villagers liked my granddaughter It was a surprise Progress does not mandate leaving one's traditions behind But pushing them forward into becoming more wholesome And more just Her people come to Chhavi for advice Having seen the world and being highly educated She is able and willing to help them In their story of continuous improvement Working at the lowest level of governance in India I think it's a beautiful platform In the five years of my first term Gain access to the government schemes To bring about whatever development we possibly could Especially the grassroots bureaucracy Saw me as this youngster Who probably just was around to kill time And saw this as a very Or probably came with a very romantic notion So initially I noticed that they weren't taking me seriously And not just them But even including a few politicians And the senior bureaucracy So when my first project to revive the reservoir What we did was we actually made a project report And I went to the different offices With that project report in my hand And I think that is when they realized That I actually meant business And I wasn't here to while away time And that brought in a certain element of respect Towards me Even though she walks her own path She enjoys the ride Here too we see the growth mindset at work A person who enjoys the challenges And utilizes them by turning them into opportunities Despite education being common to Surika, Tessie and Chabi The desire to ask questions and to seek success Is not reserved for any particular strata of society We now move on to a very different world A world where hunger is often acute Dignity often lacking Our next champions emerge from this world But manage to shatter its stereotypes along the way Bhopal A capital, a city bathed in water Both from natural and man-made lake Bhooribai belongs to the Beale tribe A fierce people, historically employed by Rajputs And Marathas as warriors The Beales are renowned for their Pithora art And Ghumar dance Women were not allowed to draw Until Bhooribai, an ordinary young woman Showed extraordinary courage to challenge this restriction And take Pithora art to new heights I got the opportunity to go abroad And with our art I go abroad and meet them I feel very good to be able to explain to them They are very happy to understand our art They are very nice to meet and buy from me They know me My mother refused Even then I looked at her and asked her what she was doing After seeing her, my mother used to scold me She used to scold me But I used to see how she was praying and what she was doing In our society They work in farming Cutting, mowing, people go to the fields to work They used to go to earn money But I didn't do this I didn't leave my own work I used to work on the walls But why did I come to Bhopal with them? When I got married, I was in the village I came to Bhopal with my husband To work I came to Bhopal in India I didn't know the life of Baspan But I saw my life on a 70-feet wall It was the first time that I worked And I felt very good while doing this Bhuri Bhai began her journey as a contemporary Bheel artist With the encouragement of Jai Swaminathan The then director of Bharat Bhavan The centre of culture in Bhopal I met Swaminathan for the first time He asked me I said, I am working How can I make you work? He said, how can I make you work? I said, I get Rs.6 I will give you Rs.10 if you get Rs.6 I said, I don't want Rs.10 I want Rs.6 How will you make it? How will you make it? I said, I will make it with the soil I will make it with the colours of my own hands And I will make it with the walls of my own house I made it for him I liked it, I gave it to him He kept it So I thought, he won't let me work So I said, I won't let you work So what will I take home? So he said, what will you give me? I said, give me Rs.6 No, no, you won't give me Rs.6 You will give me Rs.10 I will take it home She painted her family's ancestral horse And was thrilled To see the effect of the poster colour As it touched the white paper Paint and canvas brought novel texture To the narratives of real life Currently she works as an artist In the Adivasi Lokkala Academy in Bhopal And is the recipient of the highest award From the government of Madhya Pradesh The Shikhar Samman And then in the following year The government felicitated her With the Ahelya Samman She transports herself to her past To capture the emotions of Bheel culture Her paintings are a complete record Of the Bheel way of life From the serenity of memory pillars Deep in the forest To Bheel deities And to traditional body tattoos It is unthinkable That a woman without any education Without any powerful family connections Should today be worth it Puna Saroj, the CEO of Kamani Tubes in Mumbai Is such a woman Valued at millions of dollars She is probably the quintessential slum dog millionaire I go to every corner of the world I go to the international community There, Dr. Baba Ambedkar There are many big programmes Where I am called When there are programmes on Buddhism I am called there Kalpana Saroj was married at the age of 12 She was harassed and abused by her in-laws She led a harrowing life Until rescued by her father My father came after 6 months He saw that he couldn't recognize his own daughter That she is his own daughter I am taking my daughter But the society's attitude Has completely changed My uncle, my relatives The four people of the society All used to talk to my father And I don't like those things That my father had to listen to me She tried to commit suicide And then because of financial problems She lost her dear sister to a sudden illness That is when she decided that she would pursue Financial security in a materialistic world At the age of 16, she shifted to Mumbai And began to work in a garment factory I had heard on the radio That there is a scheme for the government To get a loan And I took a loan of Rs. 50,000 They say that fortune favours the brave And Kalpana is not only brave She was also financially astute She learnt the language of business and bureaucracy And climbed the ladder higher and higher And one day, opportunity came a knocking When an acquaintance under distress Wanted to sell his land Having found an opportunity She grabbed it with both hands To revive a dying unit is far from easy It took everything out of her To reconstruct the dying company But for her efforts She was awarded the Padma Shree for trade in 2013 We don't know if she will give it or not Because the company has a court But if you want to take it Then from this very moment We, as the president, make a phone call And you have to pick it up from Delhi And I started working This was in 2000 From 2000 to 2006 There were continuous hearings in the court There were meetings in the IDBI in Delhi This is how this whole process was going on On the 21st of March, 2006 The court passed my scheme And I was awarded the Padma Shree The company was so well-educated With so much liability At least 10 crores of people benefited This is how the company met me And in 2011, we left Sikha Kalpana's success story Is not some romantic fairy tale Rather, it is the story How she became a go-getter Tired of being a David, she decided to become a glass And that's exactly what she became Today, she's worth more than 300 million dollars Not small change For a woman who was once a child bride My work has increased me so much That I didn't stop I kept walking and reached my destination Puna's amazing story Takes us back to the beginning From where we started this wonderful journey Indomitable spirit