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Carrying Dad’s Legacy, How I Created 2,200 Handloom Designs for Weavers to...
When Anshul Malhotra would watch her father work rigorously with weavers from nearby villages in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh as a child, her heart would fill with the urge to do the same. Her father, Om...
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Building Brands, Finding Freedom: How Women Are Spreading Their Social Media...
Thirty-one-year-old Kriti Gupta has a busy morning ahead. She needs to get her daughter ready for school, while her toddler demands her attention. Amid all this hustling, Gupta’s phone chimes. It’s...
View ArticleStarted at 11, Now I’m The Only Female Windsurfer to Represent India in Youth...
Coming from a family of sailors in Goa, Katya Ida Coelho is the first and only female windsurfer in India to compete in the Youth Olympics in 2014. Since her childhood, Katya has always been curious...
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17-YO Helps 750 Women From Low-Income Homes Open Bank Accounts, Gain...
Anaya Jethanandani’s schedule is unlike that of most kids her age. The Class 11 student of Bengaluru’s Indus International School describes her upcoming weekends as “hectic”, owing to the slew of...
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‘They Don’t Know Our Pain’: Abandoned NRI Bride Helps Hundreds Like Her Fight...
“People often cheer our cause and promise to do everything in their capacity to help us out. But for anyone who hasn’t been through our pain, it is tough to understand just how much we have borne.”...
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Dreamt at 6, Started at 19, Chef Takes the Magic of Traditional Indian Food...
If you happen to walk into The Secret Kitchen in Ahmedabad — a restaurant run by Aanal Kotak — you may find yourself awestruck at the kind of dishes that are made here. Not only are these the result...
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A Painting or a Quilt? Architect Weaves Art at World Stage With Traditional...
In 2009, after having her baby boy, Shruti Dandekar (44) had a decision to make. Though the answer to the choice between her job and family seemed easy, the making of the decision was not, she says....
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With Neurology-on-Wheels, Doctor Takes Free Epilepsy & Stroke Treatment to...
Sometime in early 2008, Dr Bindu Menon was dropping her daughter to school when other parents and teaching faculty began crowding around her in the corridor, seeking advice on different neurological...
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Married at 20, 44-YO Jammu Homemaker Found Passion in Professional Gaming,...
A thin yet no less than prominent part of the metaphorical glass ceiling prevails. While women pioneer across fields and industries — from filmmaking and space sciences to entrepreneurship — there is...
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All It Took To Become an Animation Filmmaker & Make My Mark in a...
In the early 2000s, recalls Charuvi Agrawal, a woman in a film studio was a rare sight. A woman in an animation studio was even rarer. Whenever the animator would meet clients, she would receive odd...
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How I Battled Depression & Ridicule to be Kashmir’s 1st Certified Female...
In the Kashmir valley, which over the years has suffered much strife, one major problem has largely gone unaddressed — the health of the women here. Data from the government’s National Family Health...
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87-YO Seamstress Builds Multi-Crore Garment Biz, Empowers 70000 Women
Originally from Pakistan’s Sindh, Sarla Ahuja moved to India’s Rajasthan during the Partition. Married at the age of 16, Sarla did not like spending her days managing household chores from cooking to...
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‘I Knew Nothing but Cricket’: How a 21-YO Batted Her Way From Dharavi to WPL...
Growing up in Mumbai’s Dharavi, considered one of the world’s largest slums, Simran Shaikh spent all her childhood playing cricket in its lanes with boys older than her age. From breaking window panes...
View ArticleThis Single Mother Swept Streets By Day, Studied By Night To Become Deputy...
Defying all odds to earn her place, Asha Kandara, a sanitary worker in Jodhpur Municipal Corporation (North), became a deputy collector at Jodhpur Nagar Nigam. A single mother to two children, she was...
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‘Lessons I Learnt From My Son With Asperger’s Syndrome’: Mom Trains 1000s of...
As a young PhD fellow, Neena Rao from Hyderabad had always envisioned her professional life to be in the impact sector. At the time, however, she never fathomed the difference she would go on to make...
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NRI Mom-Daughter Duo From Hyderabad Takes Authentic South Indian Podi...
‘Comfort drizzled onto a dish’ is how most people would describe their beloved podis. The semi-coarse dry powders have graced many a table, particularly in South India, where it is something of a hero...
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Art Historian Puts Siddi Community’s Traditional Craft of Quilt Making on The...
In a small hamlet in Karnataka’s Baichwad village, a group of women sit around a breathtaking quilt, working hard to design and sew patterns that are both vibrant and intricate. The art they etch is...
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Why Two Cousins Plan Solo Trips for 100s of Indian Women to Vietnam, Croatia...
In Indian households, it’s common for cousins to engage in discussions about starting a business together. In most cases, these conversations don’t move beyond the confines of the living room. But for...
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‘When They Told Me to Hide My Epilepsy, I Travelled Solo to 25 Indian States...
“Solo travelling, especially for women, is still a taboo in Indian society,” Priti Vishwakarma says in a conversation with The Better India. She learned this the hard way when she was looking for...
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‘Escaped My Marriage With Nothing But 3 Kids’; How a Bihar Woman Built Her...
The fabric that the women at Avinash Jhola Udyog, a small shop in Bihar’s Samastipur, weave into colourful jholas (bags) sell across the state. At the helm of this endeavour is Lalita Devi, a mother...
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A Trip to Kutch Inspired an Engineer to Take Nomadic Tribe’s Ancient Craft to...
At the edge of the Little Rann of Kutch lies Dasada village, where a riot of colours is brewing. Several members of the Mir community sit with a spread of beadwork before them. They will turn these...
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How India’s No. 1 Woman Goalkeeper Is Paving the Way for Underprivileged...
When talking to Aditi Chauhan, a mainstay of the Indian women’s football team for more than a decade, it’s hard not to feel her calm but fierce competitive drive. It’s that unrelenting drive that took...
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How The Legendary Hamida Banu Paved the Way for Female Wrestlers in Colonial...
The woman was five feet three inches tall. Of the 24 hours in the day, she spent nine sleeping, six training and the rest eating. She saw men not as contemporaries to be feared for their strength but...
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‘I Overcame Fat-Shaming & Lost 26 KGs’: Nutritionist Helps 1000s Own Their...
Often when we meet relatives, their first response is usually a comment about our appearance — ‘Oh, you’ve become dark!’, ‘Oh, you’ve lost a lot of weight!’, or the crowd favourite, ‘Oh, you’ve put on...
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Teacher’s Incredible Journey of Building an English-Medium School in Remote...
“It took me so many years, but I did not give up on my dream,” says Satarupa Majumder, a 47-year-old teacher from Kolkata. Her dream was to take education to one of the remotest areas of the...
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3 Friends Have Turned 500 kg of Pharmaceutical Waste into Intricate Fabric...
Telling stories thoughtfully through objects and materials has been a core message that Daera — an interior and product design studio based in Delhi — has prided itself on since its inception in 2018....
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60-YO Teaches The Art of Indian Cooking to Tourists From Poland, Italy &...
Whenever Spain’s Daniel Cuenca would get a chance, the foodie would be on the lookout for Indian restaurants in his hometown Madrid. He especially enjoyed eating crispy pakoras (fritters), which he...
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Planning a Vacation With Your Baby? 2 Friends Are Taking Moms & Kids to Trips...
Motherhood is a fulfilling yet challenging journey that often brings doubts to our minds. ‘Will we be able to continue doing the things we love as we did before?’ is a common one. As a new mother, I...
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How an Entrepreneur is Closing the Loan Gap for Rural Women, Helping...
K Priya and her husband, residents of Tirupati’s Tirumala Nagar, sold flowers on a pushcart to earn a living. They have two two boys, one in Class 10 and the other in Class 9. To save up for their...
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‘They Call it a Man’s Job’: The Lives & Tribulations of 4 Women Who Cremate...
Trigger Warning: Graphic mentions of death, blood. Nearly two months ago, when Odisha’s Madhusmita Prusty was leaving for work at 8:30 in the morning, she received a call from the Government Railway...
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What Ties Emperor Akbar & 3 Britishers to Rashtrapati Bhawan: A Carpet Biz...
What Ties Emperor Akbar & 3 British Men to Rashtrapati Bhawan: A Carpet Biz Born in Mirzapur At the break of dawn in Hirachak Dehria village in Uttar Pradesh, 31-year-old Rekha Devi assumes her...
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‘I Lived on Streets, Foraged for Food in Dustbins’: Head Chef in Delhi...
Trigger warning: Mentions of suicide, sexual harassment, PTSD Lilyma Khan recalls that she aspired to be a chef for as long as she can remember. When she was around three years old, she’d watch her...
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‘I Survived Abuse & Acid Attack as a Teen’: Woman Helps Victims of Violence...
Trigger warning: Mentions of sexual abuse, depression and domestic violence. “Life gives everyone their share of sorrows, I just got mine a little early.” In her 31 years, Devanshi Sharma from...
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In Pics: Iconic Indian Women Who Shaped History With Their Will & Voice
When society told them not to pick a career that was male-dominated, they went ahead and did just that. When society asked them to be quiet, they spoke louder about the things they believed in. And...
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‘We Broke Age Stereotypes on a Cycle Tour’: 2 Women Pedal their Way Through...
Renu Singhi from Jaipur, Rajasthan, begins her jam-packed day by alighting her bicycle. She then rides for 70 km, all before starting her daily routine. In the evenings she builds her core physical...
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I-Venture @ ISB’s One-Stop Acceleration Solution Helps Women Chase Their...
This article has been published in partnership with I-Venture @ ISB. I-Venture @ ISB’s I-WIN acceleration programme has helped several women entrepreneurs scale their businesses from the ground up....
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‘Sky Is the Limit’: Inside the Life of the 1st Woman Field Director of...
“Sadly, the perception that women can’t devote equal time to their workplace as men still persists,” says Sonali Ghosh, the newly-appointed field director of Kaziranga National Park on 1 September...
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TN Woman Doubles Income Through Organic Farming, Builds Better Future for...
P Bindu, an organic farmer from Tamil Nadu, got married when she was barely 18 years old. She had also managed to study only till Class 10. While she resigned to her fate, she wanted to give her...
View ArticleI Survived an Acid Attack at 14, Today I Rescue Victims & Provide Free Legal Aid
Trigger warning: Mentions of sexual abuse and domestic violence Devanshi Yadav (31) was just nine months old when she lost her father. When Devanshi was 14, she was attacked with acid by a boy after...
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‘Therapy Helped Me Battle Postpartum Depression & Face My Demons; It Can Help...
Trigger warning: Mentions of suicide, bullying, eating disorder and depression. The feeling of holding your child for the first time is indescribable. However, motherhood, especially in the first few...
View ArticleDepression, Diabetes & a Toxic Marriage: How I Healed & Learnt to Find Joy in...
Mugdha Pradhan runs iTHRIVE, a health and wellness startup focused on reversing diseases with functional nutrition. Her own journey towards healing, both mentally and physically, inspired the creation...
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Meet The Winners of ‘LIC HFL Womentaries’ A Filmmaking Contest Celebrating...
This article has been sponsored by LIC HFL. When Munmun Sarkar, a female toto (e-rickshaw) driver from Siliguri, took to the streets in 2012, she was addressed by many names — ‘Don didi’ and ‘Jhansi...
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History in Pics: 8 Women Engineers Whose Victories Led India Into a Future...
These women broke the glass ceilings in their fields, built bridges, and laid the cornerstone for innovation in the country. They were the engineers of India who laid the path for countless others to...
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This Startup Is Using AI to Make Motherhood Easier for 2 Lakh Women
Padmini Janaki, a product manager from Chennai, has always found herself fascinated with technology. “It can scale anything a hundredfold,” she points out. Though a fan of tech since her growing up...
View ArticleFarm Labourer to CEO of a Billion Dollar Firm: Jyothi Reddy’s Incredible Journey
Jyothi Reddy’s story is one that exemplifies what fighting spirit and a hunger to succeed can get you. Sent to an orphanage in hopes of a better life and married off at 16, she didn’t let any...
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Started With Rs 80, Engineer’s Homemade Biryani Business Earns Her Rs 1...
When Naaz Anjum moved to Hyderabad in 2010 post marriage, she turned to her first love, cooking. A textile engineer by profession, she couldn’t pursue her career due to personal reasons. Having...
View ArticleSudha Murthy: How a Small Town Girl Shattered the Glass Ceiling With Her...
An award-winning author, chairperson of Infosys Foundation and a social worker, Sudha Murthy is a name recognised by many in India. A recent Padma Bhushan awardee, Sudha Murthy has become a leading...
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Walking Out of an Abusive Marriage, I Now Help Traumatised Women Rewrite...
In 1995, Smita Bharti decided to rewrite her story when she walked out of an abusive marriage. Today, 28 years later, she is still holding the pen, trying to find the perfect words. But through this...
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One Woman’s Extraordinary Mission to Give Vrindavan’s Abandoned Widows...
On the designated day of the interview, when I call Dr Laxmi Gautam, she doesn’t answer. Later, she explains, she was occupied taking a 10-year-old orphan to the hospital for medicines for his...
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‘Lost My Foot But Not My Will To Live’: How My Kari Dosa Cart Is Fueling My...
In 2013, Veena Ambarish found renewed strength and purpose to live as she waited in line to collect a certificate confirming her physical disability. Before that, she was lost and depressed, even...
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