New Delhi: Over the past few decades, the status of women in India has been subject to great changes. Women have held high offices in independent India including that of the President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the Lok Sabha and Leader of the Opposition. According to a global poll conducted by Thomson Reuters, India is the "fourth most dangerous country" in the world for women, and the worst country for women among the G20 countries.Women in India continue to face atrocities such as acid throwing, dowry killings, rape while young girls are forced into prostitution. Women build the nation and they have a strong impact in building our society. As Mahatama Gandhi rightly said that - “When woman, whom we call abalaa(weak) becomes sabalaa(strong), all those who are helpless will become powerful.” Here is a list of top 20 most prominent women of India who contributed their talent in developing the nation.1) Indira Gandhi (19 November 1917 to 31 October 1984) She was the first woman Prime Minister of India. Nobody can forget her contribution and as Prime Minister, she was known for her political ruthlessness and unprecedented centralisation of power. It was Indira Gandhi who was instrumental in the break-up of Pakistan and the birth of a new country Bangladesh. 2) Bachendri Pal - (24 May 1954) Bachendri is the first Indian woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1984. She has been conferred `Virangana Lakshmibai Rashtriya Samman` by the Madhya Pradesh government for her contribution to women`s upliftment. 3) Reita Faria - (1945) She was the first Indian and Asian to win the Miss World title in the year of 1966. 4) Maharani Gayatri Dev - (23 May 1919 to 29 July 2009) She was born as Princess Gayatri Devi of Cooch Behar and was also known as Rajmata of Jaipur. She has been counted among 'The Ten Most Beautiful Women of the World' along with actress Leela Naidu by Vogue Magazine. She was an extremely successful politician. 5) Kiran Bedi - (9 June 1949) She has been India's first and highest (woman) ranking officer who joined the Indian Police Service in 1972. Her expertise includes more than 35 years of creative and reformative policing and prison management. She has also founded two NGOs in India and works for the welfare of the nation. Kiran Bedi is famous as "Crane Bedi" in Delhi, because as chief of traffic police, she introduced cranes to lift vehicles parking in 'No Parking' areas. 6) Kalpana Chawla - (March 17, 1962 – February 1, 2003) She was the first Indian-American astronaut and first Indian woman in space. 7) Mary Kom - (1 March 1983) She is an Indian boxer belonging to Kom tribal community of north-eastern state of Manipur. She is a five-time World Boxing champion. She is the only Indian woman boxer to have qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics, competing in the flyweight (51 kg) category and winning the bronze meda. Mary Kom is the only woman boxer to have won a medal in each one of the six world championships. She was ranked as No. 4 AIBA World Women's Ranking Flyweight category. 8) Sushmita Sen - (19 November 1975) Sushmita Sen was the first woman of Indian origin to win the crown of Miss Universe Pageant on May 20, 1994.Presently she works in Bollywood films. 9) Irom Sharmila - (14 March 1972) Known as the Iron Lady of Manipur, Irom Sharmila is a civil rights activist, political activist, and poet. She has been on hunger strike since November 2000 demanding that the government repeal the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA), which she blames for the violence in Manipur and other parts of northeast India. She has been called "the world's longest hunger striker" as she was without food and water for more than 500 weeks. 10) Medha Patkar - ( 1 December 1954 ) She is a renowned Indian social activist. She is well known for her role in Narmada Bachao Andolan and her contribution in it. 11) Mother Teresa - (26 August 1910 to 5 September 1997) Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Catholic order of nuns dedicated to helping the poor. Mother Teresa's selfless effort to help those in need has caused many to regard her as a model humanitarian. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the first Indian national to win this coveted honour. 12) Lata Mangeshkar - (September 28, 1929) She is the best-known and most respected playback singer in India. She is the second vocalist to have ever been awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour. Her contribution to Indian cinema is unbeatable as she is known as the Nightingale Of Bollywood. 13) Aishwarya Rai Bachchan - (November 1, 1973) Aishwarya is a leading contemporary actress and regarded as one of the most popular and influential celebrities in India. She is often cited in the media as the "most beautiful woman" in the world. She was the first runner-up of the Miss India pageant, and the winner of the Miss World pageant of 1994. She has done stellar roles in many Bollywood films. 14) Sania Mirza - ( 15 November 1986 ) Sania is a professional Indian tennis player and is the highest ranked female tennis player ever from India, with a career high ranking of 27 in singles and 7 in doubles. In her career, Mirza has notable wins over Svetlana Kuznetsova, Vera Zvonareva, Marion Bartoli; and former World No. 1s Martina Hingis, Dinara Safina, and Victoria Azarenka. She is married to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik. 15) P.T. Usha - ( June 27, 1964 ) PT Usha is often called the "queen" of Indian track and field and is regarded as one of the greatest athletes India has ever produced. During the "dry" years for Indian athletes in Olympics, it was Usha who used to bring India its medals in athletes from Asian Games. She hails from the state of Kerala. 16) Shahnaz Hussain - ( CEO of Shahnaz Herbals Inc ) A one-time "queen" of the world of herbal cosmetics, Shahnaz is a prominent entrepreneur best known for her pathbreaking business in the field of skin care products.She was once a beauty adviser for none other than Indira Gandhi. She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2006 by the Government of India 17) Karnam Malleswari - ( June 1, 1975 ) She is an Indian weightlifter and the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal. She has been the National Champion for nine years (twice in the 52 kg category and seven times in the 54 kg category). 18) Pratibha Patil ( December 19, 1934 ) Pratibha Patil is India's first woman President, who served as the 12th President of India from 2007 to 2012. Hailing from Maharashtra, she was elected to Parliament several times before being elected for India's topmost job. 19) Saina Nehwal - ( March 17, 1990 ) Saina is now the face of Indian badminton before the world. She attained a career best ranking of 2 in December 2010 by Badminton World Federation. She is the first Indian to win the World Junior Badminton Championships and was also the first Indian to win a Super Series tournament, by clinching the Indonesia Open with a victory over higher-ranked Chinese Wang Lin in Jakarta on 21 June 2009. 20) Indra Nooyi ( October 28, 1955) She is an Indian-American business executive and the current Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo. Indra is consistently ranked among the World's 100 Most Powerful Women, according to the Forbes American business magazine.
