President Will Felicitate 112 ‘First Ladies’ This Saturday

President Will Felicitate 112 ‘First Ladies’ This Saturday

The very idea of an independent, working woman in a rural area is a far-fetched idea. Nevertheless, there are various women out there, in the small villages and towns we have never heard of, never been to, and will probably never visit, who have broken stereotypes and stood up to a male-dominated society. We have never seen or met these courageous women, and we have never heard of their names.

But this Saturday, the President of India, Sri Ram Nath Kovind, will felicitate 112 such women and it just makes our hearts sore with pride. He will be felicitating women who were the ‘firsts’ in their fields and the names in this list include women from different areas.

Here’s a look at some of the women:

first_female_coolie
Image courtesy: Indian Women Blog

1. Manju Yadav

She became the first female porter (coolie) after her husband, who was also a coolie, passed away. She had no means to support her three children, which is when she decided to become a porter, much to the shock of her family.

digital_saniitary_napkin_bank
Image courtesy: The Better India

2. Dr. Bharti Lavekar

Dr. Lavekar set up India’s first digital sanitary napkin bank, after being moved by the plight of the women who had absolutely no access to pads. She inaugurated the bank on May 28, 2017, which is also known as World Menstruation Hygiene Day.

first_air_commanders
Image courtesy: Live Mint

3. Avani Chaturvedi, Bhawana Kanth, and Mohana Singh

These three women are officers in the Indian Air Force and were the first ones to be commissioned as flying officers in July 2016.

disabled upsc topper
Image courtesy: Times Of India Blogs

4. Ira Singhal

Ira Singhal is the first differently-abled woman to top UPSC exams in 2014. She had to fight a case against the authorities who debarred her from progressing after she cleared the exams in 2010.

first woman lieutenant general
Image courtesy: IAS Paper

5. Punita Arora

She is the first woman in India to gain the highest rank in the Indian army, Lieutenant General. She is also the first female Vice-Admiral of the Indian Navy.

There are many more women like them who had the courage to break stereotypes and be the firsts in their respective fields. We salute them and hope we will get to hear about more women whose brazen personalities inspire and motivate us to be a better nation.

Sonali Pawar

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