On the 27th of August, 2011, Sunitha was travelling to Coimbatore from Bengaluru in a car with her friends. She was asleep in the back seat of the Maruti 800, her earphones plugged in with the window down when she was woken up with a loud crash.
“After that, I felt my friend’s tears on my arm as he begged me not to die on him. Later, I found out that my hair got badly entangled, and my face was out of the window as the car toppled thrice after hitting the divider.”
Sunitha Atinus, a young physiotherapist, suffered multiple injuries in a nightmarish crash; the most prominent of them being on her face. Her life, unsurprisingly, was turned upside down after this. But despite the trials of these injuries, Sunitha’s resolve to live a normal and enjoyable life is steadfast.
Sunitha Atinus. Source – BeingYou page, Facebook
In a moving post on BeingYou’s Facebook page, she writes about how the crash changed her life.
“I was the girl everyone was jealous off back then. I had boyfriends, guys would want my attention, and I knew I was pretty,” she writes.
But after the accident, she recalls, “There was nothing left of my face. It took over two weeks to just clean the skin up. During one of the cleaning process, they found my left eyeball in the cheek; the doctors carefully placed it back. I was fed through a tube and had another to help me breathe. They used to keep my hands tied to my bed, so I didn’t feel my face. My lower jaw was broken in five places, and my upper jaw was completely smashed. I had only one tooth. They drilled dentures into my mouth.
For the longest time, mirrors were removed from my room so I would not see my face. The first time I caught a glimpse of myself was a reflection on the elevator doors, I was disappointed and then scared.”
What she saw was, “ a big, crooked face with a hole in the middle staring back at me.”
Over the next three years, Sunitha had to have 27 surgeries. Today, she cannot taste the food, has lost her sense of smell, her tear glands aren’t functional and she is unable to chew either.
The accident and its consequences taught her about the relationships in her life. Her sister was her rock, and while some friends left, there were those became family and helped her “put a face to my voice.”
As a young woman, the future looked terribly uncertain to Sunitha, but life no matter how cruel had ways of pleasantly surprising her.
“Post-discharge, I moved to Tamil Nadu but soon came back home to Bangalore. It was then that a boy who had a crush on me since we were 17 met me and proposed. After January 2012, he has been with me for all my surgeries. To him, my accident, my surgeries, my tough childhood, nothing mattered. We got married in 2014. “
Ignorant people shoot their mouths off, telling the couple not to have children because they would have Sunitha’s face, but they know better to take such twaddle to heart. Instead, they laugh it off, she writes.
She ends by saying, “Initially I was annoyed, frustrated, even angry. Why did I deserve this? Was this Karma? But I didn’t hurt anyone, all I had wanted was a better life. But I didn’t want Life to laugh at me. So I looked at it in the eye and said “I’ve survived. Now what?”
“It was time to break the silence against the social evil. We announced that widows would not wear black to please the regressive society we live in,” 39-year-old Motiben said in a resolute voice. Motiben’s voice echoes the sentiments of many women within the Sorath Mahila Vikas Mandali (SMVM), an umbrella organisation connecting nearly 500 self-help groups (SHGs).
A group of women from Kodinar block in Gir Somnath district of Gujarat came together in 1999 to form a self-help group with the support of Ambuja Cement Foundation.
The SHG was started with the objective of encouraging women to get into the habit of saving. The savings were pooled and used for internal lending among members and for clearing bank loans, if any.
But with a plea for help from a young widow, the group transformed into a platform to get rid of meaningless stigmas and ensure social equity and justice to widowed women.
Fighting stigmas
In the southern part of Gujarat where Gir Somnath district is situated, widows are mistreated and are expected to be in perpetual mourning. They are compelled to wear black dresses and are ostracised from auspicious ceremonies.
Seeking new horizons beyond their regular activities, the women decided to work on overcoming the hurdles widows women faced.
The communities in Kodinar include Kharva, Kodi, Kumbhar, Karadiya Rajput, Dalit, Darbar and Ahir, among others. The women of SMVM put aside the caste divide and united to focus on social equity and justice for women.
The revolutionary change began when Rasilaben from Malgam village lost her husband in a bus accident when she was 24 years old. As an SHG member, she sought the mandali’s help.
Women from SMVM visited her and presented her with a colourful saree, bangles, nose ring and bindi; everything that is strictly prohibited for a widow according to social customs.
Women gift a widow colorful bangles, saree and bindi once the rituals for the deceased are over, as a first step against social stigmatization. (Photo by Coastal Salinity Prevention Cell)
“Doesn’t she have an equal right to live like you and me? Happily? It’s time that women are given their basic rights as fellow human beings. We cannot tolerate the injustice meted out to widows,” 55-year-old Jayaben, a proud member of the mandali told VillageSquare.in.
Respect for widows
In 2011 they started the Widow Recognition Program, a social protection initiative.
The first joint decision by the women was that there would be no room for caste, community and denominations.
They started creating awareness among villagers about giving widows due respect and equality in society. They motivated the family members of a widow to help her lead a normal life.
Overcoming this social evil was not an easy task as the community was reluctant to accept the changed attitudes immediately. The members received allegations and accusations from the community. The charges never deterred them from addressing the issue.
They continued their efforts through rallies, community meetings, awareness camps and house visits.
It took four years to see results. The mandali has helped more than 500 widows lead a normal life, with the acceptance and support of communities across 68 villages.
Social security for widows
Protesting against the sexual assault and death of a woman, women of self-help groups brought the issue to the police when no one else dared to, and ensured the capture of perpetrators. (Photo by Coastal Salinity Prevention Cell)
After ensuring social equality and justice for widows, the SHG formed Sorath Mahila Suraksha Kavach Yojna to give them social security.
Most often the widowed women in rural areas face severe hardship due to lack of sources for regular income and find it difficult to sustain their families.
All the SHGs which are members of SMVM contribute Rs 1,000 annually from their savings. With this money, a fund has been created to help widows who are in need of assistance.
The efforts have resulted in a fund of Rs 1,00,000 which the women strive to increase. SMVM has started helping needy widows and provided cheques worth Rs 11,000. The members believe that in future they will be able to provide economic assistance up to Rs 51,000 to destitute widows.
Collective power of women
With more than 6,000 women members in 484 SHGs and their savings ranging from Rs 300 to Rs 5,000 per month as per their capacity, crossing Rs 10 million, SMVM remains a strong platform.\
Sorath Mahila Vikas Mandali’s is a voice of its women in unison against social discrimination. Theirs is a journey of hardships and lessons that conveys the necessity to identify and address the problems women face in our society.
Their journey also conveys how the collective power of women can bring about progressive change and transform lives.
Palak Gosai is Documentation and Communication Officer at Coastal Salinity Prevention Cell, a non-profit organization based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Views are personal.
Adapted from an article originally published on VillageSquare.in. Subscribe to VillageSquare’s weekly update on the website for more stories from rural India.
It isn’t an uncommon sight to watch firebrand women in the black fight for human rights in the courts of law.
Indira Jaising, Flavia Agnes, Kamini Jaiswal, Meenakshi Lekhi, Karuna Nundy, Vrinda Grover, Rebecca John – the list of noteworthy women lawyers in India is neverending.
But did you know? Who fought for these exceptional women to hold their heads high and argue in the court of law as early as 1924?
Born in 1866, Cornelia Sorabji, was India’s first woman lawyer.
Cornelia had a series of firsts to her credit. She was the first female graduate of Bombay University to be admitted to the Allahabad High Court. In 1889, she became the first woman to read law at Oxford University, and also the first Indian to study at any British university.
Last but certainly not the least, she became the first woman to practise law, not only in India but also in the whole of Britain.
Born to Reverend Sorabji Karsedji, a Parsi, and his wife, Francina Ford (a Parsi, adopted and raised by a British couple), Cornelia was one of the nine children in the Sorabji household.
Francina was a champion of women’s education and established several girls’ schools in Pune. She would often be consulted by local women in matters of property inheritance and disputes and served as a great influence to a young Cornelia.
Cornelia was homeschooled by her father at several of their mission schools.
While her father ran pillar to post to get his two oldest daughters into Bombay University, the authorities wouldn’t budge. They were refused admission on the grounds that no woman had ever been to university. But Cornelia was the only one among the lot to finally get entrance and matriculated at the age of 16.
At college, it was an everyday sight to see boys slamming classroom doors in her face to sabotage her chances of attending lectures. They seemed threatened that a girl had finally upended norms and encroached on their domain!
She proved all naysayers wrong when in just six years, she graduated, topping her college in English Literature.
Having topped her batch, Cornelia was expecting a scholarship to England for higher studies. All her hopes came crashing down when she was refused the award just because she was a woman!
Her scholarship became a raging debate in the House of Commons. When Sir John Kennaway raised a question, asking if a woman in the British Raj was denied a scholarship to an English university because of her gender, the Secretary of State for India confirmed it.
Cornelia stood defeated.
But all hope was not lost. Some of the most prominent personalities of the time, like Mary Hobhouse, Adelaide Manning, Florence Nightingale, Sir William Wedderburn and others, pooled money from their own pockets to fund Cornelia’s scholarship to Oxford.
Being a woman the doors of law studies were shut to her. ‘You can only read English Literature,’ she was told. It wasn’t until the arrival of the influential academic and philosopher Benjamin Jowett that things changed for Cornelia.
He arranged for her to read Law by getting a special Law course devised.
He was among the English petitioners who helped her receive special permission by Congregational Decree to take the Bachelor of Civil Laws exam at Somerville College, Oxford, making her, yet again, the first woman to ever do so in 1892.
It is a postgraduate degree, undertaken by barristers and undergrads in London with at least five years of training. She was attempting to crack it in two years.
She was knocked off when the examiner who refused to examine her at first, gave her a third class in the exam.
Despite having passed the exam, there was a rule that no woman was allowed to collect her degree for the next 30 years.
She started working for a year at solicitors firm called Lee & Pemberton in London. An aristocrat, Lord Hobhouse, also the husband of one of the women who funded her scholarship, got her special permissions to read in the Library in Lincoln’s Inn. Until then, women were not allowed to read at the library.
She cleared her Bachelors of Law the same year while practising at the solicitors’ office. She decided to return to India with the hope of uplifting women with her new degree.
Her homecoming in 1894 marked yet another defeat. The then Chief Justice in Bombay passed an order telling legal practitioners to not to employ a woman. Her hope of working as a solicitor crashed to the ground.
Despite having completed her postgraduate degree from Oxford, Cornelia felt undertaking an undergraduate degree in Law from the Bombay University would help alleviate her grievances.
But everyone around her was set on sabotaging her efforts. She was failed in her undergrad program.
Even though the British Raj were adamant to not let a woman lawyer practice in the Bombay presidency, the Maharajas were welcoming. But despite being offered the opportunity to become an advocate for the royals, they gave her only frivolous cases.
One such case included fighting for an elephant who stole bananas from a grove. The Maharaja himself was the culprit & the judge. The case was staged for sheer pleasure, as they watched a woman lawyer put up a fight.
By 1899 Cornelia was still tirelessly fighting for her right to be recognised as a barrister for five years. When nothing worked in her favour, she dedicated the next five years of her life inventing a role.
At the moment, the plight of the purdahnashins or secluded women in the country was unbearable. These were women, who according to Hindu law, wore a purdah (veil) and were forbidden from communicating with the outside male world.
After marriage, they never saw the outside world again. They were barred from speaking to any male other than their husband. If they were widowed, they could not speak to any male at all. Their education stopped when they were married. They knew nothing about the law. Nonetheless, these were women who owned considerable property, but in case of disputes over the same property, they could never access legal help because all the lawyers were men.
She decided to become a legal advisor to the British Government on the state of secluded women.
In 1904, when Lord Broderick, was appointed Secretary of State for India, he demanded that a woman be appointed as advisor to the secluded ones.
Despite Viceroy Lord Curzon’s disagreement, he gave her special permission to enter pleas on the behalf of the purdahnashins before British agents of Kathiawar and Indore principalities.
During the next 20 years of service as a practising lawyer, she helped over 600 women and orphans fight legal battles, sometimes charging them nothing at all!
The Jurors at Runnymede with Cornelia Sorbaji installation. Source: Facebook
The major issue for these women in purdah, child brides and widows was, that all the inherited property they had, could only be used while the heirs were alive. They could access no control in case any of their children died.
This made it a common for fraudsters to con these women and kill their children to seize their property.
Cornelia not only protected them against fraud and murder attempts but also set helped them experience freedom in ways unknown to them.
She got six of them trained as nurses. The purdah still existed, but for women who hadn’t seen the world outside their family since the age of 4, it was a huge milestone.
Once restricted from stepping out of their veils, these women worked around their customs and found a new way of nursing people from all walks of life. They were now stepping out of their homes and trading in public places, all thanks to Cornelia Sorabji.
Her efforts finally bore fruit in 1924, when the legal profession was opened to women in India. She began practising in Calcutta and retired in 1929. She left for England and continued to live there, frequently visiting India, until her death in 1954.
Meet Priya Bhargava, Miss India Wheelchair 2015, all set to represent India at the Miss Wheelchair World Pageant 2017, next month.
Priya was only 19 and studying for her first year in Physiotherapy when she was diagnosed with an incurable autoimmune disease called ‘Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.’ It rendered her wheelchair-bound for life.
But her disability doesn’t define her. What defines her is a strong & resilient personality, which challenges beauty standards and helps India look beyond a person’s disability. A trailblazer for models on wheelchairs!
Winning Miss India Wheelchair 2015. Source: Facebook
An all-rounder in school, Priya dreamt of becoming a doctor and chose Bachelors in Physiotherapy. It was at the time that she started developing butterfly rashes over her face, arms and feet.
She was treated for malaria and dengue instead. Not many were aware of Lupus as a life-threatening medical condition. The wrong diagnosis and prognosis drained her body of its energy – rather than revitalising her.
Finally, a doctor who seemed to have seen similar signs in a case he had dealt with earlier, spoke to her mother in a hushed whisper. Priya’s dad, deployed in Nagaland as part of the Indian Army, was summoned.
Hearts broke, and tears were shed as the doctor explained how their daughter was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that had no cure so far.
Lupus was infamous for attacking any of the vital organs. Priya would undergo regular checkups through blood tests. The strong medication administered started having side effects too. Visits to her rheumatologist and immunologist became a regular affair.
Being a medical student, she’d scrutinise her pathology and anatomy books and obsessively probe every article online on Lupus. She would discuss her medication, its side effects and progression of her disease with the doctors.
For the longest time, when no drug seemed to have any effect on her suppressed immune system, she was at the mercy of steroids. But the terrible side effects made the rheumatologist switch her to a chemotherapeutic drug called methotrexate.
Priya was only 19 and balding due to the chemotherapeutic drug’s side effects.
“It was difficult looking into the mirror. I would use black markers to hide the balding patches on my head and wear headscarves, to avoid getting bullied. But that did not stop students in college from making fun of me,” she says speaking to The Better India.
When she rejoined college after recovering a little, for two to three weeks, her legs stopped functioning, and she had lost control over her bladder.
The platforms were not disabled friendly, nor were the washrooms with their Indian setting. It was difficult being carried like a baby by her parents, as onlookers stared, in the exam hall passage.
“I was determined not to stop my education. But I was missing college due to the checkups. When I would sit for exams, I failed to remember what I had studied. I had trouble concentrating and I just wished my pen would stay still as I struggled to finish my paper,” she shares.
Helplessness seemed a word too small back then, she says. She recalls an incident another instance at home saying, “I remember being stuck in the washroom at home for over three hours. It was extremely cold. When my mum returned, I was lying there like a log of wood. I was rushed to the hospital yet again. But the doctors refused to take me seriously.”
She had to drop out of her Physiotherapy course. She also gave up the Nutrition course she took shortly, after narrowly escaping the horror of getting a leg amputated.
In 2003 her father was posted to Delhi to facilitate her treatment, and the whole family moved to Noida. She was admitted to the Army Hospital Referral and Research for three months, where she underwent over five surgeries for debridement (removal of damaged tissue or foreign objects from a wound) and skin grafting.
“I was in severe depression for three months with symptoms of schizophrenia. It was the lowest phase of my life. I would get paranoid and failed to recognise my parents. I had stopped salivating or even eating. I would refuse to eat food thinking, somebody would poison it,” she said.
Having shifted to Delhi, Priya’s sister left her well-paying job to take care of her. Her mother would have lost her job as well if she didn’t rejoin work soon. So she would visit Priya at regular intervals.
“We were drained in every way – emotionally, physically, socially and financially.”
Priya’s steady recovery started 2004 onward. When her sister got married, her mum took a transfer to Delhi.
“The loneliness in the mornings when everybody would leave started setting in. But I decided to throw myself in activities that could keep me occupied.”
She started painting and doing craftwork thanks to YouTube! She would also take batches of tuition from 3 pm to 8 pm.
It was at that time that she came across a documentary on Dr Rajender Grover, who exhibits a repertoire of art & craft work by persons with disability. “I sent them a sample of my art, and it impressed them to the extent that they were willing to sell it,” she says.
“My disability couldn’t be an excuse to not make anything substantial out of my life,” she says.
From 2009 to 2015, Priya worked hard and completed her Bachelor of Computer Application (BCA) and Masters of Computer Application (MCA), topping her IGNOU regional centre, Noida.
In 2013, she met Professor Prabhat Ranjan, Executive Director TIFAC, who works on innovations for persons with disability, who tried hard to convince her to apply for the Miss Wheelchair India Pageant.
“He kept pushing me to apply to the Miss Wheelchair India Pageant in 2013, but I refused since I was studying for my MCA. In 2014, I missed the application dates. It only worked out in 2015. I sent two very simple pictures and a biodata.”
Her picture was selected! They asked to send in more glamorous photographs.
“My medical condition has made me lose touch with my feminine side that loved spending hours in front of the mirror picking lipstick shades and painting nails. This was my chance to rekindle my love for it.”
Initially, her students helped her with the makeup. But slowly, she learned to do it on her own.
A few days later she got an email saying confirming her place among the Top 10 finalists. There was no looking back now.
Pathology and anatomy books were now replaced with magazines and books to update her knowledge and style quotient.
The finale was organised by NGO, S J Foundation under Dr Rajlakshmi S J, in Mumbai. It had three categories – women on a wheelchair, disabled women and married disabled women.
As expected, Priya charmed the judges and onlookers in the introduction and evening gown rounds. When she was asked what would she do if she won or lost, pat came the reply:
Winning or losing didn’t matter when she had set her head to working in three areas extensively. One was for persons with disability. And weighing equal on her scale of priorities – The Clean & Green India movement and Education for the girl child.
Being crowned Miss India Wheelchair was the most surreal moment of her life, says Priya.
“I was on top of the world. People were interested in knowing who I was. Media publications would throng me.
“Everybody is disabled in one way or the other. Inclusion is what will remove this bifurcation of categorising people. Your disability doesn’t define you. If you decide to be mentally strong and look beyond your disability, no mountain is too high to ascend.”
For a girl who took absolutely no training to be a ramp diva, Priya has the perfect hand gestures, facial features and confidence. She is all set to charm the world in the Miss Wheelchair World, held in Poland next month. She looks up to fellow Indians to support her by voting for her.
You can pledge your support and help her win here.
Here’s a short tutorial on how to do it!
It was not a common sight to see a young man in a hospital complex with a grim expression and a woman in his arms well after midnight. It was his shirt that I noticed first. It was stained bright red.
A night out got them more than they had bargained for. They landed in the hospital with a profusely bleeding post-coital tear. Though both of them were shocked by the turn of events it was the girl who needed blood and surgery to recover from the shock.
As I came out of the operation theater, I remembered the restless boyfriend waiting outside. In all fairness, he deserved an explanation. Considering the preceding events, I fumbled with the dos and the don’ts. I got interrupted just in time.
“I hope her PCOD will not bleed her like this again.’
I reeled. PCOD and a night of passion? Seriously!
This was not the first time that people had used PCOD to suit their purposes. It is everywhere these days. From the bulging waistline to the hair on her chin, from the absent periods to her mood swings, from the acne to her poor performance in exams – it is the very fashionable punching bag.
Sometime ago, I met an overweight girl who had promised to lose weight. I could see no trace of that even six months later. But she stood unfazed.
‘I have PCOD.’
‘So?’
‘Both my parents are also diabetic.’ She cribbed, biting into a hot samosa.
‘Have you started running, exercising?’
‘I just don’t have time!’
Sounds like a cliché but it was not the genes that run in the family but the fact that that nobody runs in the family.
India is rapidly becoming the diabetic capital of the world. PCOD is just the tip of the iceberg, a by-product of our faulty diet and lifestyle.
PCOD , meaning Polycystic Ovarian disease is actually a syndrome (PCOS), a collection of symptoms comprising of irregular cycles, androgen excess ( acne and abnormal hair) and polycystic ovaries detectable in ultrasounds.
It starts during adolescence but unfortunately is not easily and always diagnosed during this period. Caused by a complex interaction of genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors, PCOD is an epidemic in developing countries.
About 20% of women at reproductive age demonstrate the ultrasound picture of polycystic ovaries. Additionally, about 5-10 % have clinical or biochemical signs of anovulation and androgen excess.
In a majority of cases, the diagnosis is clinical. The hormonal analysis is supportive and not a prerequisite for diagnosis. The oral glucose tolerance test remains a gold standard for diagnosing insulin resistance, which is the main patho-physiology for PCOD.
In collaboration with Aakar Innovations, The Better India is setting up a sanitary pad manufacturing unit in Ajmer, Rajasthan, that will not only produce eco-friendly or biodegradable sanitary pads, but will also employ women from rural communities around the area.
Patients are generally overweight with scanty or overdue menses. The central players are obesity and insulin resistance. The ovary starts producing more male hormones (androgens) than female harmones. Hence women suffering from PCOD undergo a male pattern of obesity, scanty and irregular menses, more acne, excessive hair growth on the face and body and sometimes male pattern baldness too.
Every cycle sees the growth of a follicle but the abnormal hormonal milieu retards it and prevents ovulation or release of the egg. Hence multiple follicles are seen arrested in various stages of maturation. Apart from producing the characteristic polycystic appearance, they start producing more androgens – aggravating the situation.
This can cause difficulty in conceiving too.
Broadly speaking, the ovary is the victim rather than the villain. A polycystic ovary is crying out loud, sending out a warning that the person has reached the first step that may lead to diabetes.
It’s a ‘Disaster in the making’ in a country already reeling under the curse of malnutrition.
Hypothyroidism too can cause a similar problematic picture for the ovaries.
Obese people have more fat cells which produce more estrogen compounding the already bad genetic predisposition. Lifestyle regulation is the only thing that can prevent the disease from reaching a pinnacle of disaster.
PCOS is one of the possible outcomes of peripubertal obesity. Prevention of peripubertal obesity is the first line of prevention of PCOS. It’s a startling fact that in urban cities more than 1 in 4 children are overweight or obese.
Obesity impacts almost every aspect of health, starting with mental health and extending to every system in the body.
We can’t change our genes so how do we bell the cat? No treatment is a panacea because treatments are generally directed at the symptoms and not at the syndrome itself.
Life- style modifications are the mainstay treatment. Let’s beat the iron while it is hot. Adolescence is a period of inculcating good habits too. Diet modification, weight loss, exercise, psycho-social support, cessation of smoking are the pillars for change. A loss of only 5% in weight is associated with marked improvement.
Drugs like metformin, chiro-inositol and other insulin sensitising agents cause definite improvement.
OCPs (Oral contraceptive pills), Anti-androgens, fertility improving agents all have been shown to be effective in addressing the specific problem in PCOD, such as regulating cycles, acne and hirsutism.
Absence of evidence is not always evidence of absence. Phytomedicines (soybean ,legumes,herbal agents) are frontiers we need to work upon. Studies show that they improve insulin sensitivity .
PCOS is an entity with a long life span, requiring ‘‘control’’ rather than ‘‘cure’’. Therapies change with the stage of life.
Extensive efforts should be made to fully investigate in order to make therapy more successful and to delay the serious long-term effects of the disease on the patient’s health.
Management of PCOS should start by early intervention in high risk peripubertal kids by the prevention of obesity. Prevention of peripubertal obesity is vital and lies in achieving the equilibrium of energy balance.
Multi-faceted, large-scale interventions for prevention are recommended by dietary modification, increased physical activity, decreased sedentary activity and behavioural modification.
We are facing two interlinked epidemics ( Peri-pubertal obesity and PCOD) which affect a large scale of population and also affects their reproductive future. It is a public health perspective and controlling these two epidemics is the key to a healthy future.
In collaboration with Aakar Innovations, The Better India is setting up a sanitary pad manufacturing unit in Ajmer, Rajasthan, that will not only produce eco-friendly or biodegradable sanitary pads, but will also employ women from rural communities around the area.
Renowned as the first Muslim female ruler of the Delhi Sultanate, Razia Sultan ruled Delhi from 1236 to 1240.
Never in the history of the Mamluk dynasty, had the title of ‘Sultan’ bestowed upon or used to address a woman, because a woman had never ruled before.
When she took over the throne on 10 November 1236, with the official name of Jalâlat-ud-Dîn Raziyâ, she made a conscious decision to give up her traditional Muslim woman attire, including the pardah, which invited the fury of conservative Muslims. She adopted a gender-neutral attire instead, more like the male rulers before her.
Razia refused to be addressed as ‘Sultana,’ the term that would be used to address her according to her gender. Her justification was, Sultana meant “wife or mistress of a Sultan (ruler).” And she proudly proclaimed she be addressed as “Sultan”, as she herself was second to none. In fact, she was supreme.
The fifth Mamluk dynasty ruler, history deems Razia Sultan as one of the very few female rulers in the history of Islamic civilizations across the world.
During her reign, she ordered coins be minted with her title as “Pillar of Women, Queen of the Times, Sultan Razia, daughter of Shamsuddin Iltumish.”
The Mamluk Dynasty (Slave Dynasty) leading to the rule of Razia
Born to Sultan Iltutmish and Qutub Begum, Razia’s family did not belong to the class of nobles. In fact, her ancestral roots trace back to Turkish Seljuk slaves! As one of the leading rulers of the Slave Dynasty, her reign challenged the very foundation of societal class and shook power structures.
Her father and late ruler Iltutmish originally arrived in Delhi as a slave, under ruler Quṭb al-Dīn Aibak. It was Aibak who laid the foundation of the Mamluk dynasty or Slave dynasty. He himself was sold as a young slave and climbed the ladder to succeed his predecessor, the Muhammad of Ghor.
As Quṭb al-Dīn Aibak’s confidante, Iltutmish displayed bravery and honesty to earn the position of a provincial governor. The ruler trusted him enough to have offered his daughter, Qutub Begum’s hand, in marriage to Iltutmish.
Sultan Qutb-ud-din died an unfortunate death in a chaugan (a game like polo) accident in 1210, leading his heir-apparent son, Aram Baksh, take over the throne.
When Aram did match the standards of a competent ruler, a group of forty Turkic nobles called ‘Chihalgani’ – who opposed Aram’s rule – invited Iltutmish to succeed him as the Sultan of Delhi.
This led to a battle between Aram Shah and Iltutmish on the plain of Bagh-i-Jud near Delhi, where Iltutmish defeated Aram to ascend the throne in 1211.
After a successful rule of 25 years, Iltutmish died in 1236. His death sparked years of political turmoil in the Delhi Sultanate. While his oldest son, Nasir-ud-din Mahmud, died in 1229 while governing Bengal, the dying Sultan did not deem any of his surviving sons to be capable rulers.
By his deathbed, the Sultan rewrote history by nominating his daughter, Razia, as his heiress.
Despite having been nominated by her father, Razia wasn’t supported by the court of nobles, who refused to be ruled by a woman. Her oldest surviving brother Rukn-ud-din Firuz was raised to the throne instead.
Leaving governance in the hands of his mother, Firuz engaged in hedonistic pleasures, angering the nobles. On November 9, 1236, both his mother and he were assassinated within six months of coming to power. His death led Razia to become the first Muslim woman ruler of the Delhi Sultanate.
Razia’s childhood
Born to Iltutmish and Qutub Begum in 1205, Razia was trained in professional warfare and was taught military skills, along with her siblings. Just like most other children of aristocrats, she had a sound knowledge of how state governance worked.
These skills were initially inculcated in a young Razia, to help her serve as a good wife and queen to a king. Little did people know, she was going to be a powerful ruler herself!
Growing up, Razia had very little interaction with the women in the harem, which refers to domestic spaces reserved for women of a Muslim household and is inaccessible to adult males except for close relations.
So, never being forced to follow these rules, she never inculcated the timid and reserved behaviour of women around her. Razia wouldn’t bat a lash before giving her opinion or assisting her father actively in the affairs of State.
Even when she rose to power as Sultan, she would mount an elephant as the chief of her army in the battlefield, with her face displayed in public.
Razia Sultan fought on the forefront and won battles seizing various territories. Her gender was never an excuse. She mastered administration, rubbing shoulders with the best Sultans Delhi had ever been ruled by.
She established a host of schools, academies, centres for research, and public libraries. The syllabus in schools and colleges included the Qur’an, the works of popular ancient philosophers, the traditions of Muhammad and various Hindu works in science, philosophy, astronomy, and literature.
Jealousy and conspiracy
Razia’s rise to power sparked jealousy among many Turkish nobles who felt a female Sultan was a humiliation to male warriors and nobles. One such noble was Malik Ikhtiar-ud-din Altunia, the then governor of Bhatinda, who conspired against Razia.
What came as a surprise to many historians is that Altunia was also one of Razia’s closest childhood friends. He hatched a plan to help Razia’s brother, Muizuddin Bahram Shah, take possession of the throne.
She fought tooth and nail with her army against him but suffered a miserable defeat. Altunia imprisoned Razia at Qila Mubarak in Bathinda. Meanwhile, Muizuddin Bahram Shah declared himself the Sultan of Delhi.
Many nobles tried to assassinate her character claiming she was in a romantic relationship with one of her Abyssinian slaves – Jamaluddin Yaqut, who was killed in the battle that ensued between Razia and Altunia.
Some historians suggest Razia was treated royally as a prisoner because Altunia was in love with her all along. It was his jealousy and rumours about Razia and Yakut’s relationship that triggered his rebellion, to capture Razia and claim her back.
There are also alternative points of view that suggest, Razia married Altunia to escape death.
In 1240, Razia and now her husband, Altunia, decided to seize and reclaim the lost kingdom from her brother. But Bahram’s forces defeated the husband-wife duo, on 24th of Rabi’ al-awwal A.H. 638 (Oct. 1240). They fled Delhi and reached Kaithal the next day. But all the remaining forces had abandoned them.
They were captured by Hindu Jats, who robbed and killed them on 25th of Rabi’ al-awwal A.H. 638, which corresponds to October 14, 1240.
Thus died, the first and last woman Sultan of Delhi, at the young age of 35.
Dr Rajalakshmi SJ is a woman of many talents. A dental specialist, a consulting Orthodontist by profession, a philanthropist by choice, an adventure seeker and last but not the least, winner of the Miss Wheelchair India pageant, 2014.
The Better India delves into the life of this young independent woman who waged, and won, a legal battle for the rights of persons with disability in education in India in 2010, and is all set to represent her motherland in the upcoming Miss Wheelchair World Pageant in Poland next month.
A road accident, at the age of 21, led to a major spinal cord injury. Many unsuccessful surgeries later, she was rendered wheelchair-bound for life. But, Rajalakshmi doesn’t think her physical disability has been an obstacle in chasing her dreams or carving her own identity.
In fact, she thinks she has been blessed with two different lives in the same lifetime, one in which she lived as an able-bodied woman and the one that she continues to live today – that of a differently abled woman.
“It’s a fortune to understand & explore oneself in a superior way under extreme life situations, and I did exactly that!” she told The Better India.
Being in a wheelchair did not deter the young woman from her dreams of completing her Bachelors in dental surgery. In addition, she also completed various courses in Psychology, Fashion Designing and Vedic Yoga. She also wheeled the ramp for Orion Fashion Week in 2015.
Her dedication earned her a gold medal in Masters of Dental Surgery. But alas, despite bagging gold, she wasn’t given a job!
Today, she is not only teaching as an Assistant Professor in a dental college but also owns a dental clinic, SJ Dental Square. She has been a part of research projects on genetics and successfully presented a paper and poster in national conventions.
At her clinic
She also the chairperson of the SJ Foundation, which works for the cause of persons with disability. After winning Miss Wheelchair India 2014, she organised the pageant the following year in Bengaluru through her foundation.
She conducts free dental health camps at schools and is also a peer trainer for wheelchair training. She has successfully participated in wheelchair basketball & wheelchair dance programmes.
Her work has been appreciated, awarded and felicitated at various forums. She has really earned titles like A Bold Woman in India, A Positive Hero & A Woman of Substance.
Adept at interior designing, singing, dancing, painting and swimming, Rajlakshmi has spanned over 11 different countries on her wheelchair.
“I love driving my customised hand driven car & have mapped various road trips across my state,” says Rajalakshmi.
Driving her customised car
Speaking about major challenges that persons with disability face in India, Rajalakshmi says, “The main challenge is the infrastructure. I wouldn’t want to generalise people’s mindsets, but there is still a section who look at physical disability very differently. Disability is just a word used to describe a condition. It can be looked at from different perspectives. Disability can be mental and emotional. The only difference is physical disability is visible. The acceptance is less.”
She shares her experience organising the Miss Wheelchair India 2015 the following year after her win. “Miss Wheelchair India isn’t just a mere beauty pageant where you win and forget all about it. It gives you a responsibility with the title of ‘India.’ The founder, Mr Sounak Banerjee, asked me if I could organise it in Bengaluru. It was a challenge to raise funds. I did my best. Despite the publicity, the funds were less. We managed to get other sponsors later. And we definitely raised the bar from previous years,” she says.
Initially, when she opened her clinic, there were patients who would ask her who the doctor was, when she entered the room on her wheelchair. But that has definitely changed over the years!
The SJ Foundation has been working for the cause of disabled people for over seven years now. They are currently fighting for rights of persons with disability with respect to employment opportunities.
“There is a great disparity in the law that guarantees equal access to employment opportunities to all and what is implemented,” says Rajalakshmi.
Her message to young people is never to stop exploring! “Learn to love your life the way it is, but don’t stop at what you have. Life is an evolving process. Keep exploring your capabilities through different dimensions and avenues.”
With Miss Wheelchair World ahead of her, she is defining her goals.
Apart from the legal battle, she is organising a national dental workshop, expanding her dental clinic to a second branch, gearing up for wheelchair tennis tournament, speaking at TEDx, and the list is neverending.
“I am not only representing India but also the entire community of persons with disability on an international platform on par with other countries. It is a very proud feeling!” she exclaims.
Rajalakshmi is looking towards fellow Indians for support to win the title. If you want to help her live her dream, vote here.
Lactating mothers no longer need to feel helpless listening to the cries of their hungry babies in public, at least at major bus stations in Bengaluru.
Thanks to the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation’s (BMTC) plan to launch women’s lounges that aim to provide a separate space for lactating moms to feed their babies.
These lounges will also be equipped with waiting rooms, toilets and drinking water facilities.
To kickstart the project, BMTC officials have requested a budget of Rs 2.25 crore from the Centre under the Nirbhaya fund.
Speaking to the Times of India, a senior BMTC official said “A dedicated room will ensure privacy for mothers breastfeeding their newborns. It will also benefit women staffers especially conductors. We have adequate space in traffic and transit management centres to set up the lounges by the end of this year.”
The concept is not new but is a one step ahead to encourage breastfeeding. Two years ago, the then Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa introduced breastfeeding rooms at bus stations. The move gained immense popularity and was widely appreciated by travelling lactating women who faced great difficulty and would be shamed while breastfeeding their newborns in public spaces. Over 40 bus stands set up breastfeeding rooms in the city of Chennai.
The move has been lauded by many activists working in the sector. Activists have welcomed the initiative.
Women’s rights activist, K S Vimala told the publication, “Many women passengers wait at terminuses for long hours, but there are no facilities at most places to help mothers breastfeed comfortably.”
She reiterated the need for breastfeeding rooms at railway stations, government and private offices too.
“There are dedicated smoking rooms in most offices, but there are no efforts to set up an adequate space for breastfeeding. The government should maintain the dedicated rooms and prevent their misuse by miscreants,” she said.
Emphasising the power of breastfeeding, UNICEF states it can save over 1.8 lakh under-five children from diarrhoea and pneumonia in India every year.
A report mentions, “Optimal breastfeeding of infants under two years of age has the greatest potential impact on child survival of all preventive interventions, with the potential to prevent over 800,000 deaths (13 per cent of all deaths) in children under five in the developing world (Lancet 2013). Breastfed children have at least six times greater chance of survival in the early months than non-breastfed children.”
In a discreet corner of Velankadu, the northwest fringe of Chennai, a cemented pathway leads visitors past overgrown burial yards and abandoned buildings into one of the city’s oldest and busiest cremation grounds. Below the vast cremation chamber lies the small office of the 34-year-old woman who runs this crematorium, Praveena Solomon.
Part of a unique social experiment by Indian Community Welfare Organisation (the NGO that owns the crematorium), Solomon is among the first few women in India to manage a crematorium — spaces from which women have been traditionally excluded while not being expressly banned.
The various explanations given for this exclusion ranges from women being ‘softer’ and easily traumatised by the death rituals to their being more susceptible to possession by the troubled spirits.
Thus, when Solomon (an English literature graduate from Madras University and the married mother of two) took up the job of crematorium manager a little over three years ago, she was greeted by scepticism, discouragement and outright hostility by most people around her. She was even threatened by the crematorium workers who thought they would lose their jobs if she took over.
The hurtful comments and threats were, however, unable to stop the stout-hearted Solomon who had herself volunteered for the job (an NGO wanted to spark social change by having a woman run the operation). Her firmness of purpose and fortitude came from her years of working with ICWO in some of the city’s seediest localities to educate sex workers on HIV/AIDS prevention.
Solomon’s unusual career choice did take her family by surprise but they were supportive and stood by her decision. Recalling the incident to BBC, Solomon said,
“When I told my husband, his first question was, ‘Can you do it?’ He said managing a crematorium was not easy, it’s a male-dominated space. I told him I’ll give it a try, and if I don’t succeed, I’ll look at plan B. He agreed.”
Solomon’s first six months were the particularly difficult, with her having to deal with hostile locals and recalcitrant workers. Neglected by the civic authorities, the cremation ground had become a dumping ground for garbage, and the new manager knew that it would take a lot of work to transform it into the calm and clean place she wanted it to be. However, the toughest part for her was handling the grief of the living, and she would often find herself crying along with the mourners.
Determined to do her best, Solomon put her heart and soul into her work.
Before her arrival, the Vettiyans (funeral organizers) would frequently demand bribes for cremation, a service that was supposed to be free of cost at the crematorium. Solomon first step was to stop this practice – while the Vettiyans would be allowed to charge for organizing funeral rituals (e.g. posing the body in the posture dictated by custom, singing of ancient dirges etc), the cremations would be free of cost and handled by her.
‘Seed mother’ Rahibai’s story of how she saved over 80 varieties of seeds!
Other than personally supervising cremations, Solomon also worked hard to ensure cleanliness in the crematorium grounds. Toilets were cleaned, garbage bins were installed, furnace infrastructure was upgraded and night lights were put in place across the grounds. A boundary wall (painted with messages and illustrations on global warming, safe driving, ill-effects of smoking etc.) was built around the 4.5-acre grounds and security cameras were installed, ensuring the place was well lit and secure at night.
Solomon also dotted the campus with potted shrubbery and tiny fish ponds while setting up pretty yellow benches set up along tree-lined walkways. Recently, free Wi-Fi was introduced at the crematorium to live stream last rites for relatives unable to attend the funeral.
In a first of its kind step, the crematorium also began converting left-over flowers and leaves used in last rites (about 200-250 kg every day!) into manure for its own garden and the other trees growing in the area.
Thanks to her tireless efforts and the positive results they led to, Solomon managed to win over hearts and trust of the local people.”Now people say it looks like a park,” she tells Hindustan Times.
Having broken several taboos while successfully breaking into a traditionally male-dominated domain, Solomon’s story is an inspiration for other women who dream of bold career choices. And the impact can already be seen: Solomon’s assistant at the crematorium is a sprightly 28-year-old woman, Divya Raju, who took up the job after being inspired by her gutsy boss.
Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
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Google celebrated Asima Chatterjee’s 100th birthday with a special doodle tribute to her. This serene bespectacled woman, a world-class scientist, once said, “I wish to work as long as I live.”
Born on September 23, 1917, Asima Chatterjee, was one of the first Indian women to earn a doctorate in science in British India. She paved the way for Indian women to pursue organic chemistry and opened the world’s eyes to the power of medicinal plants.
Asima’s maiden name was Mokerjee. She grew up in a middle-class household in Calcutta and was the oldest of two children of Dr Indra Narayan Mookerjee and his wife, Kamala Devi.
Her younger brother, Sarashi Ranjan Mookerjee, also came to known as a noteworthy surgeon, and collaborated with Asima in her research on medicinal plants. It was her father’s love for botany that piqued Asima’s interest in their medicinal properties.
As a young girl, her parents never restricted Asima from pursuing education. She completed her graduation with honors in chemistry from the Scottish Church College of the University of Calcutta in 1936. She moved on to received a master’s degree in organic chemistry in 1938 from the University of Calcutta.
She became the second woman after Janaki Ammal to be earn a Doctorate of Science by an Indian University, i.e the University of Calcutta in 1944. She researched natural products chemistry and developed leading anti-convulsive, anti-malarial, and chemotherapy drugs.
One of her most successful anti-epileptic drug, ‘Ayush-56’ was developed from Marsilia minuta, while her anti-malarial drug was developed from Alstonia scholaris, Swrrtia chirata, Picrorphiza kurroa and Ceasalpinna crista.
She spent 40 long years researching a class of compounds called alkaloids. Some of these alkaloids are efficiently used during chemotherapy to prevent the multiplication of cells in cancer patients. These patented drugs have been widely marketed by several companies.
Asima also chemically analysed coumarins, which essentially came from the bael tree, a native species in India. It was she who brought to light that the fruits and bark of this tree could treat a variety of gastrointestinal disorders.
In association with Mr. Anjan Palit, a well known personality in chemistry, she became the founding head of the department of chemistry at Lady Brabourne College of the University of Calcutta. She joined the University College of Science of the University of Calcutta, as reader in pure chemistry in 1954.
Her numerous achievements include being a Premchand Roychand Scholar of the University of Calcutta and serving as the Khaira Professor of Chemistry (1962-1982, the most prestigious and coveted chairs of the University of Calcutta. 1960 marked her election as the Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi.
The following year, she became the first female recipient of the country’s most prestigious science award, the annual Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize.
Even though the award was first introduced in 1958, but it wasn’t until 1960, that the ‘chemical sciences’ category was introduced. Asima won the award for her contribution and achievements in phytomedicine (the study of plant extracts for therapy). It took over 14 years for another woman to win the same prize, and over 48 years for a woman to win it in the ‘chemical sciences’ category.
In 1972, Asima was appointed the Honorary Coordinator of the Special Assistance Programme to intensify teaching and research in natural product chemistry, sanctioned by the University Grants Commission (India).
She was conferred the prestigious Padma Bhushan in 1975. She also became the first lady scientist to be elected as the General President of the Indian Science Congress Association .
She was nominated by the President of India as a Member of the Rajya Sabha from February 1982 to May 1990. She left for her heavenly abode on November 22, 2006.
In her lifetime, she published over 400 papers on Indian medicinal plants and their chemistry.
Ashima may have gone, but her legacy continues to live on.
Nidhi, who recently turned 32, was born and brought up in Mumbai. A disability rights and gender justice activist, her range of work includes writing, advocacy, training, and art.
How the world of Comedy opened up to Nidhi
Nidhi wasn’t born blind. At the age of 14, she was diagnosed with an incurable, irreversible eye disorder (retinitis pigmentosa) that eventually robbed her of her sight.
“It was a traumatising experience, initially. It took me a couple of years to accept it,” says Nidhi.
Only then did Nidhi learn that many people have various preconceived notions about disabled persons.
“It was always funny when somebody didn’t speak to me and talked to the person next to me. I was with a colleague on a recent work trip, and the restaurant attendant asked her what I would eat for a meal. My colleague said, ‘I don’t know, ask her.’ It is a very typical situation for a person with such a disability,” she says.
In cases like these, Nidhi would either call the person out or make a joke. It was on such an occasion that her friend and stand-up comedian Pramada Menon, asked Nidhi, “Why don’t you do comedy?”
Pramada convinced Nidhi to try her hand at opening one of her shows, if not a full-fledged show at the outset.
Nidhi agreed but cursed herself for the next six months, which was when showtime was, for not having thought the decision through.
“I kept telling myself, who asked you to get into comedy? You crack a few jokes, and think you are a comedian!” Nidhi recalls.
But she could not go back on her word; she had to step up and perform a set. And Thank god for that.
This set the ball rolling for her journey as a comedian.
It made her realise how effective a tool comedy is. Humour, she realised, helps people become more aware.
“If somebody is talking to the person next to me instead of me, how much ever I try to state my capability of speaking for myself, they don’t register it. But the minute I crack a joke about how ridiculous the action is, they remember. Comedy can bring about serious change,” she says.
Nidhi uses comedy to discuss the sexuality of persons with disabilities.
“There is an immediate sense of discomfort when you talk about the sexuality of persons with disabilities. But comedians have a knack for talking about things that we don’t talk about in the open. Comedy gives you the latitude to make your spectators feel a little discomfort but also advance unvoiced issues,” she says.
This is what kept her going after her first show. A lady in the audience walked up to her lauding her performance. She told Nidhi of how she kept laughing and cringing at the same time, reminiscing the times she would look or think about persons with disabilities differently.
“That was it. It made her think, and at that moment I knew, I had to take my comedy work ahead,” says Nidhi.
She expresses how lack of awareness and ignorance has become a mere excuse for people who treat persons with disabilities differently.
“As an activist, I am more patient with individuals who do it out of ignorance. But as a person with disability, I constantly question, ‘Why are we invisible. Nobody wants to think about us! Why have you not engaged with any of us? It was because you didn’t want to. You will have to go through some discomfort and get it right. It’s the fear of the unknown that people have created for themselves, that shuts them down from engaging with persons with disabilities,” she says.
She recalls an instance two years ago, where her visually impaired friend who asked help to cross the road was given a Rs 500 note instead.
“What images are we still carrying of PwDs? Honestly, I would be happy to go out of work as a comedian, because then it means these ideas have completely changed. There won’t be any ridiculous assumptions left in society, for me, to make comedy out of,” she says.
Nidhi calls her take on love & relationships regular, saying, “Everybody who believes in Bollywood, this one’s for you. No bells ring, to tell you if he/she is the one. And there’s certainly no sad music, to accompany your feelings,” she jokes.
“Unfortunately when you are disabled, your disability covers the whole spectrum of interactions. Socially for most people, if you are disabled, that’s it. You don’t go beyond that. This is what I am fighting through my activism and comedy. You need to go beyond disability and look at the human being first. If you, from your heart establish, that people with disabilities are ‘people’ first, then you would never have to question why people with disability need relationships,” she says.
“People who believe in these stereotypes are ‘myopic.’ And here I thought, I was blind. But I guess there are several people with eyes, who don’t see, how funny women can be,” she laughs.
The next big idea, she claims full copyright on, is a proposal to filmmaker Karan Johar, to counter the popular ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’ boys trip with a girls only trip, maybe with a girl with a disability.
“Only then will people know how adventurous, funny, amusing and entertaining women can be, just by themselves. We have just carved these ideas of women can’t be bold or funny or risk-takers. Most of these stereotypes are firmly linked to the pictures around us, be it the cinema or any visual message. We don’t want women to ask uncomfortable questions. We believe, they are here to listen, obey and deal. They are not here to challenge. And they are not here to joke about what people think of them or their bodies,” she says.
Nidhi a big fan of close-friend and fellow comedian Aditi Mittal, who is known for using comedy to openly discuss women’s sexuality and issues. It was Aditi who introduced Nidhi to the world of YouTube, who she is ever grateful to. The very first episode of ‘Bad Girls’ by Aditi Mittal with Nidhi has raked almost 9 lakh views now!
When asked for a final message, she chuckles asking, “It’s supposed to be deep right?”
She encourages people to live, laugh and dream. “Live, laugh and dream. But also, let live, let laugh and let dream. We really stop other humans from being who they are and having the experiences that we have, because we categorise them as ‘others’. Let’s not!”
If Nidhi’s story inspired you, write to her at nidhi@risingflame.org or tweet @saysnidhigoyal
More about Nidhi
Nidhi currently works with a range of national and global women’s’ and human rights organizations. She is the founder and director of ‘Rising Flame’ a Mumbai based NGO working for persons with disabilities with a focus on women and youth with disabilities. , and is also the Sexuality and Disability Program Director at Mumbai-based non-profit Point of View. Nidhi has been appointed to the prestigious civil society advisory group of UN women’s Executive Director, sits on the advisory board of “Voice” a grant-making facility by Dutch Ministry, has been globally elected on the board of AWID (Association for Women’s Rights in Development).
She crosses an eerie lane while going back home at midnight. A group of men stand by the sidewalk, undressing her mentally as they stare with unblinking eyes. Her fists clench. Fight or flight – what is she going to do?
Years of flawed social conditioning slowly whisper in the back of her head,
“Look down. Don’t look at them in the eye.”
“Don’t react if they pass any comments or wolf whistle.”
“Don’t argue.”
“Don’t fight back.”
How many times have you heard the same voice go off in your head? Not only in cases of eve-teasing but even otherwise. An argument at home, a fight on the playground, an election on the college campus, a debate in a classroom, or an opinion in a conference room.
“Girls, don’t fight. They are not fit to fight back,” the stereotype keeps echoing no matter what the situation.
But why shouldn’t girls fight back? Nothing should stop them – they are strong, brave, and willing to break all taboos that surround them.
This is the spirit that Reebok’s latest campaign ‘FitToFight’ talks about. Featuring Kangana Ranaut, the campaign is all about unleashing the fighter suppressed inside every Indian woman. It’s about bringing out the strength inside them so they can take control of their lives and not be scared of any situation.
Inspiring every Indian woman to bring out her latent inner strength, Kangana encourages them to fight back. “You may not have done this before. So make it a reason to do it all the more,” she says, metaphorically playing the inner strength of the protagonist in the film.
Step up. Speak Up. No more frowning, toughen up and train yourself. Gone are the days when damsels in distress awaited to be rescued. You are your own hero. Be your own hero!
The next time a little voice in your head tells you to back down, remember her words,
“#GirlsFight. They are #FitToFight. Are you ready to fight more and be more?”
Ever been in a situation where you had to fight for yourself. Let us know about your act of bravery in the comments below. You can also share your story on social media with #fittofight or write to kangana.ranaut@reebok.in
In 2015, The University of Chicago’s Center for Interdisciplinary Inquiry and Innovation in Sexual and Reproductive Health (Ci3) embarked upon a multi-year study of adolescents in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Kissa Kahani used narrative-based research methods to explore the role of gender in the everyday lives of young people living in urban slums.
As part of the research, Ci3’s Transmedia Story Lab partnered with local NGOs to develop nearly 30 short digital stories made by the youth.
One of these stories is about Veena, a young woman who worked with the organisation called Project Khel, a venture that uses sports to empower adolescents through life-skills and training programs and a project partner for Kissa Kahani.
Veena’s story provides a glimpse into the life of an empowered Lucknow adolescent. The opportunities afforded to her came from the egalitarian approach her parents took in raising their children; irrespective of their gender.
Both their children were encouraged to fulfil their respective calling and were allowed to compete on the tennis court.
Yet, this story has implications beyond sports, demonstrating what happens when girls are provided equal opportunities to learn and develop. Whether in schools, workplaces, marketplaces or on tennis courts, successes like Veena’s only happen if pathways are created to enable full participation for adolescent girls.
When girls such as Veena achieve, so do their families, the community, and the nation.
Godavari Dange was married off when she was 15 years old. She had two kids, and while they were still very young, she lost her husband to an accident.
For a year, there seemed to be no hope for her future. She only left her house when it was absolutely necessary, or not at all. She had only studied till class 7, and couldn’t sustain herself either. What was she to do?
Like Godavari, Kamal Kumbhar too was limited to just household chores. With the way her life was going, it seemed like she would be a farm labourer all her life.
The two had never met before. However, what both Godavari and Kamal did not know at that time was how similar their journeys were going to be.
Godavari lived in one of the most climate threatened regions of Maharashtra. It was there that she became a part of a women’s self-help group by Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP). Here, she received the training that would change her life.
Through her constant interaction with other women, Godavari gained a lot of insight.
Godavari Dange
From learning how to speak, farm and acquiring leadership skills, she was soon mobilising other women in various SHGs. From health, nutrition and sanitation to livelihoods – she gained expertise on several issues.
Godavari recounts how in the drought-hit districts of Maharashtra, they saw people living like animals, with nothing to eat and no way to sustain themselves. Severe drought had hit in the Marathwada region in 2012 to 2015.
As a solution to combat the crisis, Godavari mobilised thousands of women farmers to come together and grow vegetables and food crops to improve food security.
A year later, she founded the first women’s federation to work on the development of women’s economic and leadership skills. Today, the federation has more than 5,000 members.
Kamal, on the other hand, began with a small business of selling bangles. She too changed her life by joining the green energy and climate network of SSP. At first, she began with a clean energy business, the success of which enabled her to buy land and expand her farm from 1 to 5 acres.
And this was not the only business she succeeded in. She now has several agri-allied and renewable energy businesses and has lit up over 3,000 homes with solar-powered devices.
Today, the 37-year-old is a mentor to 5,000 rural women and helps them start small businesses.
Kamal Kumbhar
With the help of Swayam Shikshan Prayog, which empowers grassroots women’s collectives, the two ordinary farmers now help thousands of other women become self-sufficient.
Recently, SSP was the only organisation from India to receive the Equator Award 2017. They were among 15 other winners from different countries to get the award. To receive it, they sent Godavari and Kamal to the UN General Assembly in New York.
The organisation received this award for its climate-resilient farming model, which makes agriculture viable for marginal farming households through various innovative practices.
Godavari was ecstatic to be in New York to receive the award.
“It’s a very big award, and I’m very happy that we have been able to make farming possible in a drought-hit area. It’s all because of the women that we were able to do it,” Godavari told The Better India.
You can find out more about the organisation here.
Just an hour before she was to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 2011, Premalata lost one of her gloves. The weather conditions were extreme, so she was told to turn back. Going ahead would make her a victim of deadly frostbite.
Distraught at having to go back, she was just about to descend, when she found a pair of gloves lying in the snow left by someone else!
“Fate plays a vital role in everyone’s life, not only mountaineers. I lost my gloves and found one in the same spot and came back without any misadventure. I believe it was fate that brought me back unharmed on the grounds to fulfil my other mountaineering aspirations,” she says, speaking to The Better India.
Meet 54-year-old Premlata Agrawal, a homemaker who became the first Indian woman to have achieved the record of climbing the Seven Summits at the age of 50 and the oldest Indian woman mountaineer to scale the highest peak in the world, Mount Everest, in 2011.
Conferred the prestigious Padma Shri in 2013 by the Government of India, she is also a recipient of the exemplary Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award 2017 for her mountaineering achievements.
The Start
Premlata was born to businessman Ramavatar Agrawal and a humble homemaker Sharda Devi in the tiny village of Sukhia Pokhari in Darjeeling district of West Bengal.
Growing up in a joint family, where over 30 people stayed in the same home, Premlata was one of the nine children. A healthy kid at school, she never backed down from participating in any of the school sports or games. Despite being the last runner to cross the finish line and deemed a laughing stock, she was optimistic to never leave a race in-between with the fear of defeat.
She was only out of higher secondary school, when she married journalist Vimal Agrawal in Jamshedpur, at the age of 18. Premlata is a mother of two wonderful daughters.
Inspiration
It was a usual day when Premlata took her daughters to the JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur, for their training in tennis. There she noticed on the notice board a Dalma hill Trek (a small hill on the outskirts of Jamshedpur), organized by the Tata Steel Adventure Foundation. She decided to participate in it. Much to her surprise, she stood third amongst over 500 participants.
When she visited the TSAF office to collect her certificate, following her win, she was awed at the many pictures of legendary mountaineer Bachendri Pal’s Himalayan adventures. At that point, she decided she wanted her daughters to join adventure sports.
She headed straight to the office and was dumbfounded when sitting right in front of her was the legend herself, her now, mentor Bachendri Pal.
On hearing her desire to get her daughters admitted to the course, Bachendri Pal asked Premlata, “Why don’t you join instead?”
Premlata with legendary mountaineer Bachendri Pal.
She did not think twice before agreeing. She was 35 at the time.
In 2008, she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in South Africa under the guidance of Bachendri Pal. It was when she was descending the mount, which Bachendri looked at her and said, “Prem I think you should try to attempt Mount Everest, you have all the abilities to summit Everest.”
She promised to speak to Tata Steel for sponsorship if Premlata agreed. But Premlata asked for time and decided to her back after talking to her family. It took her more than two years to answer. In that span, she managed to marry her daughter and send her younger one to pursue her PG.
When she asked her husband about the Everest expedition, he nodded instantly encouraging her. “When Bachendri Pal thinks you can do it then you should go ahead!” he said.
Her family including her in-laws have supported her in all her expeditions ever since.
At 48, armed with Bachendri belief that age was just a number, Premlata started training to ascend the highest peak of the world.
There were several challenges she faced on her path to record-breaking feats.
“Apart from language barriers, a persistent pain from an old ankle deformity kept challenging her. Food preferences and extreme oscillating climatic changes were the hardest to cope with,” she says.
The only thing that kept her going was the determination to put her nation’s tricolour atop the summit.
She recalls some of the most difficult challenges in her 17-year-old mountaineering career.
“My Sherpa was stunned when he learned that it was I, and not my daughter, who was to be a part of the Everest expedition. He immediately discouraged me by saying that my age and physique was not suited for the gruelling and life-threatening climb. During the climb, he continued to dissuade me. When I lost my glove, he warned me that I would be a victim of frostbite and advised me to turn back. But I remained unfazed.”
At 26 thousand feet, their team had to turn back due to non-conducive weather conditions. When the weather turned suitable, onward they marched yet again to conquer 29,029 feet.
“My willpower proved a balm to my painful ankle. My determination had a mellowing effect on my leader and Sherpa who then boosted my morale. And there I was, savouring the inconceivable joy atop the world. My spirit thanked the Almighty, and my heart and mind raced to my family. I had planted my country’s flag on Everest,” she says.
On 20th May 2011, at 48 years old, Premlata became the oldest Indian woman mountaineer to unfurl the tricolour on the world’s highest peak.
She describes that moment atop the peak as witnessing creation in all its entire glory.
“The feel can only be treasured in the mind, heart and soul by a person who has ‘actually been there.’ It cannot be defined; it needs the will to dare and experience the joy of attainment,” she says.
Her first attempt at unfurling the National flag atop Mt Denali in North America was foiled due to foul weather. But she refused to give up. Armed with the tricolour around her, that metaphorically was the fire covering her spirit according to her, she started anew and conquered Mount Denali.
It is this determination that led this Indian woman mountaineer successfully plant the Indian Flag atop each of the Seven Continental Peaks with undeterred pride.
In her message to readers and aspiring mountaineers, Premlata says, “Though mentally difficult initially, the fact remains that when I, a mother of two grown-up children, could put across my desire simply and honestly with total success in mountaineering, why can’t you? After all the ultimate situation for us women in all spheres of activities is just one question—Do we get what we deserve?”
She understands the responsibilities women have towards their home, business or job, but she believes every woman should take a break sometime. “You have to select an outing to suit your inlaid spirit of adventure,” she says.
She looks up to two women in her life as her role models- her mother and her mentor, Bachendri Pal.
For the women, who want to look up to her as a role model, she says, “I would like to be remembered as a homemaker who set out with a spirit of adventure to attain success on the base of hazardous challenges.”
It wasn’t until 1992 that the Indian Army had seen a woman cadet train at its academy. All it took for a gutsy Priya Jhingan to upend the norm was a letter to the then Chief of Army Staff, General Sunith Francis Rodrigues.
Here was a young girl demanding that one of the top services in the country be opened to women!
Being the daughter of a police officer, Priya, from a tender age, believed wearing a uniform and serving your country was far more rewarding than a fat salary.
“I wanted to do it for my country. That is why I wrote that classic letter to the Chief of Army Staff to allow the commission to women into the Army. I wanted to march through life wearing the olive green uniform,” she once said in an interview.
What boosted her morale was a reply from the General saying the Army was planning to induct women in the next two years.
That’s all it took for Priya to strike the career plan of becoming a police officer, like her father and await the Army to stay true to its promise. Decades later, the signed letter from the General remains a prized possession to Priya.
She decided to study law in the meanwhile. It was only in 1992 that a full-page ad opening doors to women to join the Army appeared in a newspaper. Priya was now one step closer to her dream.
Major Priya Jhingan. Source: Pepturf/ Facebook
Her determination earned her one of the reserved seats for law graduates and she was on her way to living her dream at the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai.
Enrolled as Cadet no 001, Priya Jhingan became the first woman cadet to join the Indian Army alongside a batch of 25 other feisty women – the first batch of women who became trailblazers for women in the armed forces.
As a young woman cadet, her experiences range from inspirational and motivating to extremely hilarious in a male-dominated campus.
She recalls the time when she and her 24 companions entered the OTA with their trunks and a list of requests that included warm water, tube lights and a saloon!
But the strenuous physical training, matching the exact routine of the male cadets at the academy, toughened them. No compensation was made for gender.
During the parallel training, she remembers the embarrassing ordeal of lady cadets to get into the same pool as the male cadets.
“We wrapped the towels tightly around us and refused to let go of them. Finally, our platoon commander Captain P S Behl had to come and order us to stand in attention. The towels fell, and we marched forward,” she told bharat-rakshak.com.
She stood her ground courageously years ago when a very drunk jawan entered her room. He was court-martialed and forced to leave.
After completing her training at the Officers Training Academy in Chennai, Priya received her service commission on 6 March 1993.
Despite her ardent requests to join the infantry division, she was offered a posting at Judge Advocate General as a law graduate. The Indian Army till date hasn’t opened combat positions to women.
Recently in June, Army chief general Bipin Rawat stated that the process to open combat roles to women is underway, and soon, women will be recruited for positions in the military police.
Women currently only serve in areas like medical, legal, educational, signals and engineering wings of the Army, the reason stated for the refusal of combat roles being operational concerns and logistical issues.
Priya’s most memorable memory from her service at the Judge Advocate General is the first Court Martial she conducted.
When asked by the Presiding officer Colonel about the number of trials she had conducted, she lied saying it was her sixth trail. Saying the truth before the trial began would make the members of the trial undermine her capabilities.
When she smooth sailed through the trial, she revealed to the members that it was her first Court Martial. They were impressed at her grit and wit.
Priya boasts of never having to face any gender discrimination during her service period. She brings to light how all women cadets were also referred to as ‘Sir.’
After a glorious ten years at Judge Advocate General, Priya retired in 2002 as Major Priya Jhingan.
She has had a number of stints after her retirement. She cleared the Haryana Judicial Services but did not join the Judicial Service. She also completed a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, after which she worked as an editor for the weekly, Sikkim Express, in Gangtok.
In 2013, she decided to join Lawrence School in Sanawar as an English teacher and a House Mistress.
Married to a retired Lieutenant Colonel from the army, Manoj Malhotra, who runs an adventure sports company, the couple live in Himachal Pradesh with their son, Aryaman.
The only words the former OIC, Judge Advocate General, used to describe her service a few days before her retirement were: “It’s a dream I have lived every day for the last ten years.”
At a time when a political career was non-existent for women, the late Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit was way ahead of her times.
Born on 18 August 1900 to renowned barrister Motilal Nehru and Swaruprani Thussu, from a Kashmiri Pandit family, she was the sister of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, the aunt of the first woman Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi and the grand-aunt of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
An Indian diplomat and politician of the first order, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit was a trailblazer for women in ways more than one. For example, she became the first woman President of the United Nations General Assembly.
Vijaya was one of the three children of Motilal Nehru and was born of his second wife Swaruprani Thussu after his first wife died in childbirth. While Jawaharlal Nehru was eleven years older to her, her younger sister Krishna Hutheesing, a noted writer, was seven years younger to her.
The world of politics intrigued Vijaya from a tender age. The first ever political gathering she attended was at 16, when her cousin, Rameshwari Nehru arranged one to protest the inhumane treatment of Indian labourers in South Africa.
But it wasn’t until 30 years later that Vijaya began her official political career. Her first stint was becoming a part of the All Indian Women’s Conference (AIWC). She moved on to become its leader from 1941 – 1943.
At the provincial elections of 1937, Vijaya was elected as the Local Self-Governments and Health Minister of the United Provinces. This marked another milestone in her political career as the first woman to be elected to a cabinet position during the British Raj.
She resigned just two years later as a move of solidarity with other Indian ministers who resigned after the Britishers deployed Indian troops for the Second World War without consulting the ruling government.
She was actively involved in the freedom struggle against the British colonial rule and was imprisoned twice, in 1940 and 1942, during the Civil disobedience movement.
Indian Tennis Players with the then Prime Minister, Late Jawaharlal Nehru and Late Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Indias Ambassador to U.K. Source: Wikimedia Commons
Her husband, Ranjit Sitaram Pandit, a Maharashtrian barrister from Kathiawad and classical scholar, was arrested for his participation in India’s struggle for independence and died in Lucknow prison in 1944. Vijaya was shattered and left to fend for her three daughters Chandralekha Mehta, Nayantara Sehgal and Rita Dar.
She was also left with no money, as women did not have inheritance rights back in the day.
But her financial crisis did not deter her from abandoning her political career. She toured the United States of America spreading her strong ideas against colonialism and imperialism in once-rich countries like India, now at the mercy of foreign invaders.
After returning to India in 1946, she was re-elected as minister of Local Self-Government and Health in the United Provinces and also became one of the 15 women out of 299 members to be elected to the Constituent Assembly.
According to feminisminindia.com, these women from diverse professions like lawyers, freedom fighters and politicians, spoke on topics like minority rights, reservation, women’s reservation, religious education and schooling.
In post-independence India, Vijaya became India’s ambassador to the Soviet Union from 1947 to 1949, the United States and Mexico from 1949 to 1951, Ireland from 1955 to 1961, and Spain from 1958 to 1961. She also served as the Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
She broke all gender barriers to become the first woman President of the United Nations General Assembly in 1953.
She was also the Governor of Maharashtra from 1962 to 1964 and got elected to the Lok Sabha, from Phulpur, from 1964 to 1968.
When Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared the emergency, Vijaya strongly criticised it, despite the former being her niece.
After retiring from politics due to strained relations within the family, Vijaya shifted base to Dehradun.
She did attempt to campaign against Indira in 1977 post retirement but suffered defeat when Neelam Reddy was selected to run and won the election unopposed,
She was appointed the Indian representative to the UN Human Rights Commission in 1979.
The brave woman, who established herself in a man’s world, died on 1st December 1990.
But throughout her life, she struggled to change mindsets – despite the resistance. There were times when members of Parliament would bring her needles and thread, to mock her and claim that politics was no place for a woman.
But she stood her ground and continued to rise like a phoenix amid those who tried to pull her down.
Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit despite having left to another world, continues to live on, inspiring women who aim make a mark in the world of politics.
Meeran Chadha Borwankar’s journey has been nothing short of impressive. She was Pune’s first woman police commissioner and the first woman IPS officer in Maharashtra cadre.
She was also the first woman to head the Mumbai crime branch. After 36 years of police service, she retired on Saturday.
She has had to face several challenging situations in her long career. She was the only woman IPS officer in India to have witnessed the hangings of Ajmal Kasab and Yakub Memon.
In an interview with The Indian Express, Meeran said that she thought the hangings would make her feel relieved, but it was quite the opposite.
A few months after the execution, Yakub’s wife tried to approach her for help with her daughter’s passport. Though she was taken aback, Meeran was determined to help her.
“I called up and met some agencies in Mumbai and Delhi and got her daughter’s passport work done. It had been held back because of a lapse at the time of the girl’s birth in Dubai. The birth had not been registered with the Indian embassy there. I felt satisfied after the work was done. Both mother and daughter thanked me and Yakub’s wife has met me too,” she said in the interview.
Meeran was also a key investigator of the famous Jalgaon sex scandal. “The Jalgaon sex scandal also convinced me of the need to sensitise police officers/staff about the issues of girls/women and to have many more women officers and staff, if we wish to cater to the needs of women in distress,” she told Pune Mirror. She was the only senior woman police officer present during the investigation.
In the 36 years of her career, Meeran has faced discrimination based on her gender, though she says it isn’t as frequent when you reach higher posts.
She aims to inspire girls to come into the workforce and to mentor and counsel them. She says that she too hails from a small town, and understands how girls from rural and B-towns have it much worse.
It is them that she wants to guide so that they can boost their confidence and self-esteem.
Based on incidents in her career, Meeran also released a book recently at the Pune International Literary Festival. From interrogating gangsters, going undercover to management principles in police work – she has included all sorts of incidents from her professional life.
After retiring, Meeran wants to get involved in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities or academics; she tells Pune Mirror.
Marking India’s milestone in the global health sector, renowned paediatrician and a clinical scientist, Dr Soumya Swaminathan was appointed the deputy director general of programmes (DDP) of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Deemed the second highest position at the UN agency, she will be working under Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. She is the first Indian to hold one of the highest ranks in the WHO.
Here’s all you need to know Dr Soumya Swaminathan:
The 58-year-old paediatrician and clinical scientist has been the director general of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the apex body of biomedical research in the country, for over two years now.
Dr Soumya is the daughter of the ‘father of Green Revolution in India’ MS Swaminathan, a renowned geneticist and Indian educationalist Mina Swaminathan.
She completed her M.B.B.S. from Armed Forces Medical College (India) and M.D. from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, along with a Diplomate of National Board from National Board of Examinations.
She also held Post Doctoral Medical Fellowship in Pediatric Pulmonology at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California.
Acclaimed for her research on Tuberculosis, she served as the director of the National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis, Chennai.
She served on several WHO and global advisory bodies and committees, including the WHO expert panel to review global strategy and plan of action on public health, innovation and intellectual property, the strategic and technical advisory group of the global TB department at the WHO, and co-chair of the Lancet Commission on TB.
From 2009 to 2011, she served as the coordinator of the Unicef/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) in Geneva.
She has been serving as the Secretary of the Department of Health Research for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
She has over 250 peer-reviewed publications to her credit.
Her most notable awards include:
Dr Keya Lahiri Gold Medal for best paper presented, XI National Pediatric Pulmonary Conference in 1999
The Indian Council of Medical Research Kshanika Oration Award in 2008
A Lifetime Achievement Award by the Indian Association of Applied Microbiologists in 2011
The Tamil Nadu Science and Technology Award in 2012
The AstraZeneca research endowment award, NIPER in 2016
Manjula Devi is a roadside vendor, who sits in Jayanagar, 9th block, in Bengaluru, every day. This is where she was born and brought up. Starting her day at 3 am, Manjula starts vending by 7 am. Her work goes on till 10 in the night.
Her struggle starts when it gets dark. The dysfunctional streetlights in the area make it hard for her to work. Sometimes they are turned off completely without any notice. Due to this, she loses ₹500 to ₹1,000 per day. If there’s light, her income increases.
To cope with this, she and other women vendors have to get gas lanterns from home, for which they have to spend ₹250 every week.
In case they stop working, they have to spend another ₹100 to repair them.
Manjula Devi. Source: Milaap
Aakarsh Shamanur is a trained architect with a Masters in Urban Management and Development. After he worked in The Netherlands in the renewable energy sector, he decided to do something about the situation back in India.
He wanted to make the working conditions of these women street vendors in Bengaluru better. So, he started an initiative which would provide solar-powered lamps for women like Manjula Devi during this Diwali.
“I have been interacting with Bengaluru Jilla Beedhi Vyaapari Sanghatanegala Okkuta (Federation of Street Vendor Unions in Bangalore District) to shortlist 100 women street vendors. Together, with your support, I hope to provide them with solar lighting systems for their carts. This will ensure that they have clean and green lighting along with facilities like mobile charging. Furthermore, it will enhance productivity and bring transformation in their lives,” says Aakarsh on his crowdfunding page.
He mentions that each of these Portable Light (Po-Lite) systems have been designed by him while also taking inputs from the street vendors. “These women toil all day and night in order to bring us the freshest vegetables, flowers and many other daily essentials,” he adds. His campaign has received a considerable amount of donations already.
If you would like to contribute to his cause, then you can donate here.
