Her Story: Legacy & Role Models

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.

In 1236, Razia al-Din became the first — and only — woman to rule the Delhi Sultanate. She refused the veil, led armies in battle, and was murdered within four years of her coronation. Here is her story.

Dr V Shantha spent six decades at Cancer Institute Chennai treating half a million patients at heavily subsidised rates, turning down positions abroad, and building one of Asia's most respected cancer centres from the ground up.

She was told women could not box. That Manipur could not produce champions. That a mother could not compete at the highest level. Mary Kom ignored every version of that sentence and won anyway.

She led India's Agni missile programme. She raised a son. She navigated a male-dominated defence establishment for three decades. Tessy Thomas did not do it by being less than she was. Here is her story.

On September 5, 1986, a flight attendant on Pan Am Flight 73 died protecting the passengers she was responsible for. She was 23 years old. Here is her story — and what it means to be brave before you feel ready.