Her Story: Legacy & Role Models

Karnal had no engineering college when she wanted to study aerospace. She left anyway — and became the first woman of Indian origin to fly to space.

An avalanche buried half her team at 24,000 feet. She kept climbing anyway — and became the first Indian woman to reach the top of the world.

India's first woman photojournalist spent three decades documenting independence under a pseudonym before her own name was trusted enough to run alone.

Girls do not need perfect role models. They need visible examples of women who built careers, challenged expectations, recovered from failure and made meaningful contributions in very different ways.

In 1936, 21-year-old Sarla Thakral flew a Gypsy Moth solo in a saree, becoming India's first woman pilot — then rebuilt her life twice over.

From queens who led armies to the first women to earn medical degrees, vote in a mayor's chair, or hoist a flag of defiance — this is the guide to every woman featured in our Women in Indian History series, organized so you can read them in the order that makes the most sense. Why It Matters Most Indian history taught in schools centers on a small set of male political and military figures. Yet Indian women led armies, founded the country's first schools, argued cases in fron

Read the incredible journey of Anandibai Joshi, who traveled across the globe in the 1880s to graduate as India’s first female medical doctor.

Explore the life of Savitribai Phule, who fought intense social bigotry to open India’s first school for girls and champion marginalized communities.

Uncover the story of Aruna Asaf Ali, the iconic freedom fighter who went underground during the 1942 Quit India Movement to defy British rule.

Read the powerful account of Begum Hazrat Mahal, who assumed leadership of Awadh during the 1857 rebellion and resisted British colonization.

Discover the multifaceted life of Sarojini Naidu. From enchanting literary circles to leading the Indian freedom struggle alongside Mahatma Gandhi.

Explore the life of Rani Durgavati, the brave queen of Gondwana who governed with wisdom and defended her kingdom against Mughal annexation.

Learn the history of Kittur Chennamma, the Queen of Karnataka who led an armed rebellion against the British East India Company decades before 1857.

Discover the inspiring life of Rani Lakshmibai, the Queen of Jhansi. Read how her unmatched bravery during the 1857 Indian Rebellion ignited a legacy of resistance.

In 1700, when her husband died and the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb believed he had finally destroyed the Marathas, a 25-year-old woman took command of an empire. Here is the story nobody teaches in enough detail.

India's first and only female Prime Minister was written off repeatedly — by her party, by the press, by the men who thought she was a placeholder. Here is the real story of how she led — and what it means for every girl who has ever been underestimated.

She was the first woman to enter the Madras Legislative Council, the first woman to become Deputy President of a legislature in India, and the woman whose relentless legislative work finally abolished the devadasi system in Tamil Nadu. Here is her story.

She was a freedom fighter, a theatre reformer, and the woman who single-handedly built the institutional framework that saved India's dying craft traditions after partition. Here is her story.

Amrita Pritam wrote about desire, grief, partition, and the interior lives of women at a time when all of those things were supposed to remain unsaid. Here is her story — and why her courage with language is still necessary.

She could multiply two 13-digit numbers in her head faster than a computer. She did this without formal education, without institutional support, and in a world that had no framework for what she was. Here is her story.