Women in present day society, across the world, are progressing by leaps and bounds in diverse fields. Exhibiting their strong will-power and to be in a winning position, they are seen in illustrious and exemplary positions. Overcoming various challenges as in education, health, domestic life, political leadership, safety in public spaces, at the workplace and similar other, on their way to success; they continue to prove their mettle.
Efforts are also regularly being made to ascertain the constitutional mandate of equality for all genders. Such initiatives involve a significant number of women with an aim to enhance their access and financial & social empowerment and status.
Three Indian women have recently made to the elite list of British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC’s) “100 Most Influential and Inspiring Women of 2024 across Globe”. For this, social activist Aruna Roy, wrestler-turned-politician Vinesh Phogat, and funerary rites pioneer Pooja Sharma have joined the stellar lineup. This list includes renowned names including stranded NASA Astronaut Sunita Williams; Hollywood actress Sharon Stone; rape survivor Gisele Pelicot; Nobel Peace laureate Nadia Murad; Climate activist Adenike Oladosu; and, Olympic athletes Rebeca Andrade, Allyson Felix.
Social activist Aruna Roy has dedicated over four decades to championing the rights of India’s rural poor. A former civil servant-Ms. Roy co-founded the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS), an organization advocating for transparency, fair wages, and government accountability. Her efforts were instrumental in enacting India’s Right to Information Act in 2005. As president of the National Federation of Indian Women, Ms. Roy continues to lead grassroots movements and published her memoir-‘The Personal is Political’.
Vinesh Phogat, who is a three-time Olympian and one of India’s most decorated wrestlers, has been a strong voice against gender bias in sports. She has earned medals in the World Championships, Commonwealth Games, and Asian Games. In 2024, she became India’s first female wrestler to reach an Olympic final but was disqualified after being 100 grams over the weight limit. Following this she retired from wrestling and ventured into politics.
Known for speaking out against gender stereotypes, she led a prominent protest by Indian wrestlers against former Indian Wrestling Federation Chief. The protest gained national attention when she and others were detained by police during a demonstration.
Pooja Sharma has redefined societal norms by performing funerary rites for unclaimed bodies. This is a role- traditionally reserved for men in Hindu culture. Her mission began after the death of her brother, whose final rites she had to perform alone. She is the founder of ‘Bright the Soul’ Foundation. It is an NGO that works towards the welfare of marginalized communities, to inspire and empower people. In the past three years, she has conducted over 4,000 last rites for people of various religions.
According to agencies, Ms Sharma lost her elder brother when he was “brutally murdered in front of her eyes due to a small argument.” Ms Sharma performed the last rites by tying a turban on her head after nobody came forward to help them. She often shares her work on several social media platforms and has close to 3.50 lakh followers on Instagram. Ms Sharma’s NGO also works towards environmental welfare, old age care, abandoned children and child education.
While announcing the names of the 100 women; the British broadcaster shared that it acknowledges the toll this year has taken on women and that it celebrates those, who through their resilience, have been pushing for change. “The list also remains committed to exploring the impact of the climate emergency, highlighting climate pioneers who work to help their communities tackle its impacts.”
The First Namibian Woman President
In still another solid move towards recognizing women-power; Namibia has recently elected its first female President- Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah. Born on 29th October 1952, she is a Namibian politician who became president-elect of Namibia after winning the presidential election on 3 December 2024. She is scheduled to be Namibia’s fifth president and the first woman to hold this position.
Nicknamed NNN, she has indeed made history by being elected as Namibia’s first female president. The 72-year-old won more than 57% of the vote, with her closest rival, Panduleni Itula, getting 26%. She has fought against occupying powers, fled into exile and established herself as one of the most prominent women in Namibian politics.
Strongly “an implementer, not a storyteller”, she has been a loyal member of the governing party, SWAPO, since she was a teenager and pledges to lead Namibia’s economic transformation. SWAPO-The South West Africa People’s Organization, officially known as the SWAPO Party of Namibia, is a political party and former independence movement in Namibia (Formerly Southwest Africa).
Born in the northern village of Onamutai, she is the ninth of 13 children, and her father was an Anglican clergyman. She had joined SWAPO, then a liberation movement resisting South Africa’s white-minority rule, when she was only 14. The role set her up for a successful political career, but at the time she was simply interested in freeing Southwest Africa.
While still a high school student, she was arrested and detained during a crackdown on SWAPO activists. As a result of this persecution, she decided she could not stay in the country and joined several other members in exile. She continued to organize with the movement while in Zambia and Tanzania, before moving to the UK to undertake an International Relations degree. Then in 1988 – 14 years after she fled her country – South Africa finally agreed to Namibian independence. She returned home and subsequently joined the post-independence, SWAPO-run government.
In the years since, she has held a variety of posts, including ministerial roles in foreign affairs, tourism, child welfare and information. She became known as an advocate for women’s rights. In one of her key achievements, she pushed the Combating of Domestic Violence Act through the National Assembly in 2002.
According to Namibian media, she criticized her male colleagues for trying to ridicule the draft law, sternly reminding them that the SWAPO constitution condemns sexism. She continued to rise despite Namibia’s traditional and male-dominated political culture, and in February this year she had become Vice-President.
In her personal life, she is married to Epaphras Denga Ndaitwah, the former Chief of Namibia’s Defense Forces. Throughout her career, she has displayed a hands-on, pragmatic style of leadership. She once declared in a speech: “I am an implementer, not a storyteller.”
Educationist/Administrator/Editor/Author/Speaker
Commencing teaching in his early twenties, Prof Aggarwal has diverse experience of great tenure in the top institutions not only as an educationist, administrator, editor, author but also promoting youth and its achievements through the nicest possible content framing. A revolutionary to the core, he is also keen to address the society around him for its betterment and growth on positive notes while imbibing the true team spirit the work force along with.
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