Bio – First Ladies

1. Bachendri Pal - First Indian woman to reach the Mount Everest summit
Smt. Bachendri Pal is the first Indian legendary woman mountaineer who
reached the Mount Everest summit in 1984. She had her name listed in the
Guinness Book of World Records for her achievement by 1990. The expedition
had 6 women and 11 men and she was the only woman in her group to
continue the climb and reached the summit on May 23 1984 at 1:07 pm.
Thereafter, she headed several expeditions in 1993, 1994 and 1997 with a
team comprising of all-women namely Indo-Nepalese Women's Mount
Everest Expedition, The Great Indian Women's Rafting Voyage and First
Indian Women Trans-Himalayan Expedition. She has been conferred with the
Padma Shri in 1984 and has also been awarded the National Adventure Award
by the Government of India in 1994.
2. Deepa Malik - First woman to win a medal at the Paralympics

An eminent sports personality, Padma Shri and Arjuna Awardee, Smt. Deepa
Malik is India’s first female para-athlete to win a medal at the Paralympics
(Rio, 2016). She has to her credit Asian record in the Javelin throw for five
consecutive years. She is also the first Indian paraplegic open-water swimmer,
having swum across the Yamuna; a biker and a celebrated car rallyist who
became the first Indian with paraplegia to hold an FMSCI (Federation Motor
Sports Club of India) rally license & participate in the Raid de Himalaya, the
highest rally raid in the world. Limca Book of Records recognises her for four
distinctions in Adventure Sports.
3. PriyaJhingan - First Lady Cadet to join Indian Army

Major PriyaJhingan is the first woman to join the Indian Army in 1992. She
hails from Shimla and she had the courage to write to the Chief of Army Staff to
induct women into the Indian Army back in 1988. She joined Officers Training
Academy, Chennai in September 1992. A silver medallist she was
commissioned into the Judge Advocates General Department on 06 March
1993.

Priya is an experienced trek leader and a qualified skier too.

4. P.V Sindhu - First Indian woman to win an Olympic silver medal
PusarlaVenkata Sindhu took her game to the global league, when she became
the first Indian sportswoman to win silver in badminton and reached the
finals in the Olympics 2016. She is currently world no. 2 in the BWF World
Ranking. She is one of the two Indian badminton players to ever win an
Olympic medal, other being SainaNehwal. She won the All England Open
Badminton Championship in 2001. She has also secured her career-best rank
soon, after winning the India Open Superseries, held on April 2 2017.
5. Ayesha Aziz - The youngest pilot in India and the first female pilot
from Kashmir
Ayesha Aziz, at a tender age of 16 received her student license to fly in 2011.
She flew a MIG-29 fighter jet at Russia’s Sokul airbase and Cessna 172R in
January 2012. She has graduated in Aviation from the Bombay Flying Club in
2016 and received her Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL). She has flown single-
engine aircraft for 200 hours during her training. She visited NASA and met
former astronaut John McBride and also had the chance to meet her idol,
astronaut Williams. She currently pilots single engine Cessna 152 and Cessna
172.
6. Nicole Faria - First Indian woman to win the Miss Earth title
Nicole Faria has her roots in Bangalore and has won the coveted title of Miss
Earth in 2010. She is the first woman from India to win the title of Miss Earth.
Nicole has featured on many magazine covers, like- Elle, Femina,
Cosmopolitan, Vogue, Jfw, HiBlitz, Man’s World magazine. She ruled the
advertising industry and was the international brand ambassador for
Frederique Constant, a Swiss watch brand and has also appeared on the
Kingfisher calendar in 2014. She has made significant contribution in
spreading awareness about the detrimental effect of pollution on
RabindraSarovar Lakes.
7. Radhika Menon -India’s first female Merchant Navy Captain
She is regarded as India's first female master mariner. Captain Radhika Menon
got her first command in the year 2012, when she assumed the post of radio
officer with Shipping Corporation of India Ltd. She made India proud by
winning the top international bravery award by the International Maritime
Organisation (IMO) for 'Exceptional Bravery at sea 2016'.
Her display of great determination and courage in rescuing seven fishermen
from the sinking boat Durgamma made her a household name back then.
8. KarnamMalleswari - First Indian weightlifter to win an Olympic
medal.

Karnam Malleswari is the first woman Olympic medallist in weightlifting

representing India.She is famously known as the Iron Lady of India.
Smt. Malleswari won the world title in the 54 kg division in 1994 and 1995
and placed third in 1993 and 1996. In 2000 Sydney Olympics, she lifted 110
kg in the ‘snatch’ and 130 kg in ‘clean and jerk’ for a total lift of 240 kg.

She was honoured with Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 1995 and received Padma
Shri Award in 1999. In a career span of almost a decade and half,
Ms. Karnam Malleswari has bagged 41 Gold medals, 15 Silver medals, 8
Bronze medals, including 1 Olympic Bronze medal and 6 national records.
9. Surekha Yadav - First Indian Woman train driver of passenger
train

Surekha, now 51, became India’s first female passenger train driver in 1988. The
Indian Railways, a traditionally male-dominated industry, had finally opened its
doors to women.The most defining moment of her career was Women’s Day on
March 8, 2011, when she was named Asia’s first woman train driver to run the
Deccan Queen from Pune to ChhatrapatiShivaji Terminus railway station
(CST), one of the most difficult rail routes. She won series of awards including
JijauPuraskar (1998) Women achievers award (2001) Sahyadrihirkani award
(2004) PrernaPuraskar (2005) Sarathi Award by Red Swasthik etc.
10. Heena Sidhu - First woman to win Gold in World Cup Shooting

Shooter Heena Sidhu has a terrific record of wins to her credit. Sidhu won gold
in the women’s 10m Air Pistol event at the Commonwealth Shooting
Championships. Sidhu’s pairing with Jitu Rai at the ISSF World Cup final in
New Delhi had won gold for India. She had won bronze in the women’s 10 air
pistol event at the Grand Prix of Liberation Plaza Shooting Championships as
well. Sidhu was conferred the Arjuna Award in 2014.
11. Sunil Dabas - First woman kabaddi coach to win Dronacharya
Award.

Sunil Dabas has been the coach of national female kabaddi team since
2005. Under her, the team has won seven gold medals in international
championships. She was awarded the Dronacharya Award in 2012,
and Padma Shri in 2014 by Government of India. In 2014, Government of
Haryana felicitated her by Sports Women Achiever Award.
12. BhagyashreeThipsay - First woman to win International Grand
Master- Chess
BhagyashreeThipsay won National Women’s Chess Championship five times
(1985, 1986, 1988, 1991 and 1994) and the Asian Women's Championship in
1991. She won Gold in Commonwealth Women Chess in 1999 and Silver in
1991,1994 and 2001. She has also won Gold in Asian Zonal Chess in 1993 and
1995. She has represented India in nine Chess Olympiads. She won the title of
International Woman Master by FIDE in 1986. Ms.Thipsay is also a recipient
of Padmashree and Arjun Award in 1987 and Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar in
1990.
13. Flying Officer Bhawana Kanth- IAF’s first batch of female fighter
pilots
Supported by parents, BhawanaKanth scripted IAF history by becoming a first
female fighter pilot. She flew Pilatus PC-7 Mk II ac and Kiran ac before being
commissioned into the fighter stream in June, 2016 as one of the first batch of
three women officers who were selected for training as fighter pilots. Having
completed one semester of training on the Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer, she is
currently in the final stages of the applied phase of training. She will be placed
as the frontline fighter squadron of the IAF shortly.
14. Flying Officer AvaniChaturvedi - IAF’s first batch of female fighter
pilots

Her flying experience in the flying club of her college inspired her to join IAF.
Flying Officer, AvaniChaturvedi hails from Rewa, Madhya Pradesh. She joined
IAF training in Jan 2015 and has since then flown the Pilatus PC-7 Mk II ac and
Kiran ac before being commissioned into the fighter stream in June, 2016 as
one of the first batch of three women officers who were selected for training
as fighter pilots. She has successfully completed one semester of training on
the Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer and will be placed as the frontline fighter
squadron of the IAF shortly.
15. Flying Officer Mohana Singh - IAF’s first batch of female fighter
pilots

With a father presently serving in IAF and grandfather who was a flight
gunner in the Aviation Research Centre, it came as no surprise that Mohana
Singh, from Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan, joined the IAF and opted for the fighter
stream. She joined IAF training in Jan 2015 and has since then flown the
Pilatus PC-7 Mk II ac and Kiran ac before being commissioned into the fighter
stream in June, 2016 as one of the first batch of three women officers who
were selected for training as fighter pilots. Having completed one semester of
training on the Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer, she will be placed as the frontline
fighter squadron of the IAF.
16. AnshuJamsenpa - First Indian woman to scale Mt. Everest for fifth
time

Anshu Jamsenpa, hails from Bomdila, a remote border town in Arunachal

Pradesh. She has created two world records and one national record in the
field of mountaineering. She had her first attempt in 2011, when she
conquered the 29,029 ft peak twice in 10 days between May 12 and 21. Her
third successful attempt was on May 18 2013 . She unfurled the national flag
for the fourth time in May 2017 and was successful in her double ascent
attempt to climb the world’s highest peak on May 17 2017.
17. Anju Mangla - First woman Superintendent in Tihar Men’s Jail

Anju Mangla is an epitome of Indian women, who have the ability to influence
positive outcomes with maximum impact. She has been working with the
Prison Department since October 2013 as Superintendent of Prison, women
jail, Tihar and took charge of the jail for men in July 2016. She recently
received the DG’s Commendation Disc for her outstanding contribution to the
reformative and rehabilitative activities in the prison. She has initiated a
Gurukul system of education, in the premises of jail, which includes daily
sessions of PT and Yoga, literacy classes, skill development programs, sports
and recreational activities and a program to tackle the menace of drug abuse.
18. MuskanSethi - India’s First woman to Play Professional Poker

MuskanSethi is India’s first female professional poker player, thriving in a

male-dominated sport with her exceptional skills. She has represented India at
many prestigious championships around the globe. She is also a social worker
who contributes most of her award prizes, resources and time to charity. Sethi
is currently developing a project for animals and is actively involved with
various organisations.
19. ChhaviRajawat - India’s first woman Sarpanch.
She is the one leading from front and an inspiration to many. Dr.
ChhaviRajawat, an alumnus of Lady Sri Ram College is the Sarpanch/elected
head of the Village Council of Soda located in the District of Tonk, Rajasthan.
She has a MBA degree from Pune and aims to make ‘Soda’ a model village by
pursuing an integrated, sustainable, gender-balanced development that can be
replicated in other villages.
20. Alisha Abdullah - India’s first F1 women racer, India's first female
national racing champion
Alisha Abdullah is India’s first F1 women racer and India's first female
national racing champion. She is an avid biker and the fastest Indian car racer.
She began her racing career when she was just eight and when she turned 25,
she had spend almost 13 years on the racing track. She has won MRF National
Go-Karting Championship and the Best Novice Award in National level
Formula Car Racing in the open class. Alisha finished the JK Tyre National
Championship, 2004 at a fifth spot.
21. Arunima Sinha – First differently abled female to climb Mount
Everest
She had lost her left leg in 2011, when she was thrown off from a moving train
by thugs. The incident could not dampen her spirits. She stood tall and chased
her dream of becoming the first differently abled woman to climb Mount
Everest. It was her inner strength to do something unique that propelled her
to conquer Mt Everest. She has unfurled the Indian national flag on five peaks-
Everest in Asia, Kilimanjaro in Africa, Elbrus in Europe, Kosciuszko in
Australia and Aconcagua in Argentina.
22. HarshiniKanhekar - First female fire fighter
HarshiniKanhekar rewrote the college’s and Country’s Fire Services history by
becoming India’s First Woman Fire Engineer. Initially, during her teenage
years, she had signed for the National Cadet Corp Air Wing ( No.02Mah Air
Sqn, Nagpur) which ultimately led her to become a fire fighter.
23. VankadarathSaritha - Delhi's First Female Bus Driver
VankadarathSaritha was the first woman driver of the Delhi Transport
Corporation bus, ferrying hundreds of female passengers safely to their homes
every day. She is the lady who leads by example. She ensures the women
passengers security and has taken up this unconventional job to support her
family. She, for sure has opened undiscovered doors for many Indian women.
24. KiranMazumdar Shaw - First Indian business woman to reach 1
billion dollar net-worth: Biocon
Biopharama major, Biocon’s Chairman and Managing Director,
KiranMazumdar Shaw is the first woman leader to reach 1 billion dollar net-
worth. She is on the Financial Times’ top 50 women in business list.[11] As of
2015, she was listed as the 85th most powerful woman in the world
by Forbes.[12] In 2016, she has been listed one more time in Forbes—the most
powerful woman in the world at 77th position. Mazumdar-Shaw's belief in
"affordable innovation" has been a driving philosophy behind Biocon's
expansion. In 2015, she joined The Giving Pledge, promising that at least half
of her wealth will be dedicated to philanthropy. She has been featured
among TIME magazine's 100 most influential people in the world.
25. Sunalini Menon - Asia's first professional woman coffee taster

She is a Masters Degree holder in Foods and Nutrition. She has been with the
Coffee Board as Assistant Cuptaster, where her primary role was to “taste”
coffees, marketed by the Board. Sunalini Menon became the first woman to be
appointed in the officer’s cadre at Coffee Board. She has been at the helm of
tasks as Director (Quality Control) of the Coffee Board in 1978 and has served
for 20 years. In 2005 she received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the
International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) in Seattle, United States.
26. ShilaDawre - Country's first woman autorickshaw driver
She is an unsung hero. ShilaDawre is India’s first woman auto-rickshaw
driver, who is defying stereotypes. She fought through the obstacles and
boasts of having driven for over 13 years from 1988 to 2001. She had to later
stop driving due to health issues and aims to start an academy for women, to
train them in becoming professional driver. She got recognised in the Limca
Book of World Records as the first woman auto-rickshaw driver in the
country.
27. P. T. Usha - First Indian woman to reach the final of an Olympic
event
Since 1979, she has been associated with Indian athletics and is the first
Indian woman to reach the final of an Olympic event early in 1984. She is
popularly known as the Payyoli Express. She currently runs the Usha School of
Athletics at Koyilandy in Kerala. She is regarded as one of the greatest athletes
India has ever produced and is often called the "queen of Indian track and
field”. She currently holds the world record for most gold medals earned by a
female athlete in a single track meet.
28. Bula Choudhury - First woman in the world to swim across sea
channels of five continents
Her journey as swimmer started at the age of five, when she was admitted to a
swimming training school. In her first national competition, at age nine, she
dominated her age group by winning six gold medals in six events. She
continued to improve, winning various junior and national championships, as
well as six gold medals at the 1991 South Asian Federation Games . She
started long-distance swimming in 1989 and crossed the English Channel that
year. She won the 81-km (50-mile) Murshidabad Long Distance Swim in 1996
and in 1999 she crossed the English Channel again. In 2005 she became the
first woman to have swum across sea channels off five continents—including
the Strait of Gibraltar, the Tyrrhenian Sea, Cook Strait, Toroneos Gulf (Gulf of
Kassándra) in Greece, the Catalina Channel off the California coast, and from
Three Anchor Bay to Robben Island near Cape Town, South Africa).
29. Chetna Sinha - Founder of first rural bank for women in India
Chetna Sinha is the Head of Mann DeshiMahila Bank and Mann Deshi
Foundation, one of its kind bank for rural women in India. Her work with
women and insights in the field stem from her own passion and interests.
She has been able to accurately understand the realities of the field and
tailor her interventions for maximum impact. With a view towards her
unparalleled contribution, Ministry of Women & Child Development, Govt.
of India has nominated her as a member on the Governing Board (GB) of
RashtriyaMahilaKosh (RMK).She is a recipient of awards, like:
Entrepreneurship Development Award, Godfrey Phillips Bravery
AmodiniAward , Rani LaxmiibaiPuraskar, Jankidevi Bajaj Puraskar, Shri
NanajiDeshamukh and the Rajiv ShethSabale Foundation Award, to name
few.
30. Bhakti Sharma - First Asian woman and the youngest in the world
to set a record in open swimming in Antarctic waters

She is the conqueror of all five oceans of the world. She inherited the
basics of swimming from her mother. She finished her first open water
swim when she was only 14 years old. It was a 16 km swim in 2003, from
Uran Port in Navi Mumbai to Gateway of India. In 2010, Bhakti became
the second and youngest swimmer in the world to swim in four oceans. In
2012, she received the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award from
President Pranab Mukherjee for her achievements. One of the many
records she holds is that of the first swim by a three-member women’s
relay team across the English Channel, with her mother Leena Sharma
and friend Priyanka Gehlot. She went on to set a world record in 2015 by
swimming in the Antarctic Ocean for 2.28 km in 41.14 minutes. She
became the youngest person in the world and the first Asian girl to do so.
31. ShatbhiBasu - India's first ever female bartender

An alumnus of IHM Mumbai, she is a bar & beverage consultant to

international brands & bars and also a freelance journalist. She has played
a pivotal role in creating STIR academy of bartending, for giving young
students skills, direction, purpose and a career. She educates trade and
consumers, on the hows& whys, taste profiles, nuances and the art and
science of mixology. She advocates the policy of ‘Drink less, drink better’.
 32. Archy J - India’s first female bagpipe artist
At a time when very few knew that a instrument called ‘bagpipe’ exists, Archy
J brave through mastering it. When she started learning, the online tutorials
were not available and she had to download an e book to be able to learn it. A
self taught musician from Delhi, fell in love with the sound of Bagpipes in 2012
and took upon herself to learn the Bagpipe. Her YouTube channel, The Snake
Chamber features her playing covers of Coldplay’s Hymn for the weekend,
Theme songs for the Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead.
33. Indian Women’s Ice Hockey Team - First ever Indian National
Women’s Ice Hockey team

The women team from Ladakh have become the first ever Indian National
Women’s Ice Hockey team who represented the country at the IIHF Ice
Hockey Challenge Cup of Asia, 2016. Comprising a total 20 players, the
team boasts of girls from rural regions of Ladakh, too. The team created
history in March 2017 by clinching its first victory ever in an international
match. The women’s squad defeated Philippines at the Challenge Cup of
Asia, held in Bangkok.
34. VenikaMitra - Director of First Indian film to win an award at Short
Film Fest in Cannes at Beyond Border: Diversity in Cannes Short Film
Showcase.

She is a graduate in Mass Media and Mass Communication and always

wanted to contribute in the film industry. Her first experiment was a
short film, a product of human beneficence and reinforcement. The film
won 10 international film festivals and has been an official selection in 23
international film festivals. The film also won two prestigious awards in
‘Beyond Border Diversity’ in Cannes Short Film Showcase in Cannes,
France in May 2017.
35. Urvashi Butalia - India's first feminist publishing house

She is an Indian feminist and a celebrated publisher. She is the first Indian
to co-found India's exclusive feminist publishing house, ‘Kali for Women’
in 1984. The organization was set up as a trust to increase the body of
knowledge on women in the Third World, to give voice to such knowledge
as already exists, and to provide a forum for women writers, creative and
academics. She is also a founder of Zubaan Books.
36. Tanvi Shah - First Indian woman to win a Grammy Award

She is the first Indian recipient of Grammy Award. She has been honored
for her contribution to the song “Jai Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire (2010),
an award she shares with maestro A.R. Rahman and lyricist Gulzar. She
has also won World Soundtrack Award (2009) and the BMI Award
(2009). She is a versatile singer and can sing in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu,
Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese and other Latin languages.
37. GeetaPhogat - India's first ever gold medallist in wrestling at the
Commonwealth Games in 2010.

She has her roots in Balali village in Bhiwani District, Haryana.

GeetaPhogat is an iconic freestyle wrestler who won India’s first ever gold
medal in wrestling at the Commonwealth Games in 2010. Her
father Mahavir Singh Phogat, a former wrestler is her coach. She also won
a bronze medal at the world championships (2012). Her life journey is
well depicted in a movie, title ‘Dangal’.
38. Indushree - First female ventriloquist (specialist in dummy act) in
India

IndushreeRaveendra is a renowned Indian Ventriloquist par excellence.

She is a five time Limca Book record holder and she mesmerises her
audience with a flawless performance each time she comes on stage.
Blessed with astounding levels of hand-eye-foot co-ordination and a
penchant for rib-tickling repartee, this diligent artiste’s work is highly
appreciated by the best ventriloquists of the world. As a responsible
Indian citizen, she conducts acts towards AIDS awareness and other key
issues.
39. Selvi Gowda - Former child bride becomes India's 'first female taxi
driver'

Leaving a life of abuse to become Karnataka’s first female taxi-driver,

Selvi Gowda is the protagonist of award-winning documentary “Driving
with Selvi”. Her journey has been courageous and she has transformed
her life and has led by example. Selvi became a taxi-driver in 2004 with
the support of Mysore-based NGO and later co-founded a women’s taxi
service.
40. Mamta Devi - First competitive female body builder

She has several national and international titles to her credit. She made
the country proud in 2012 with a bronze medal at the World Body
Building Championship at Bangkok. This was followed by a bronze medal
at the Asian World Championship at Vietnam in 2013. She won a gold
medal at Women’s Body Building Championship in Pune in 2014 and a
bronze at the World Body Building Championship in 2015. She worked
hard to build her lean and slender frame into a perfectly sculpted body
and carved a history with her momentous achievements.
41. Manju - Rajasthan's first woman porter in the entire North-
Western Railway region.

This iron-willed woman refused to bow down to any obstacle, even when the
road ahead was difficult. She is the first woman in the entire North Western
Railway region, who took up the job of a ‘coolie’ (porter). Manju started
working at the Jaipur railway station and earned her livelihood. She made her
mark into the traditional male dominated field.
42. Diana Edulji– First ODI captain of the first-ever Indian Women's
Cricket Team
She was drawn to sports at an early age. Diana FramEdulji has
represented India from 1975 to 1995. She holds the record for delivering
the most number of balls by any woman cricketer in Women's test history
(5098+). She has captained India for the World Cup in 1978 and
1993. She was conferred Arjuna Award in 1983 and Padma Shri in 2002.
43. Ruveda Salam - A doctor and Kashmir’s first woman IPS officer

Her father was her inspiration. She encourages the youth of Jammu and
Kashmir to join police services and imparts regular training. She
outperforms the assigned duties, ensuring that development is followed
by peace in her state. She has also served in Tamil Nadu as Assistant
Commissioner of Police, Chennai & Coimbatore.
44. Dhanya Menon - India’s first woman Cybercrime Investigator

The unprecedented spurt in cyber crime and prolific misuse of technology

alarmed her and motivated her to follow career as cybercrime
investigator. Through her concerted efforts, she aims to make people,
especially the youth and adolescents aware of the vulnerabilities in
mobile phones, Internet and social networking sites usage. She is
presently working with over 400 schools across the country to reduce the
cases of cybercrimes in the country.
45. UpasanaTaku - First woman to lead a payments start up

UpasanaTaku had a modest upbringing. Owing to her impeccable

educational qualifications, she had successful associations with HSBC in
San Diego and with Pay Pal at America. Back in India, basis her market
research she launched MobiKwik, a very simple and need based platform.
Mobikwik has been a part of revolution wherein the payments were
digitalized for ease of users. Acknowledging her achievements in the tech
startup ecosystem of India, she was featured by Forbes under "Asia's
Women to Watch in 2016". She has also been named as the 'Business
Woman of the year' by ASSOCHAM.
46. Michelle Kakade - First woman to run Golden Quadrilateral by foot
in fastest time

Pune's Michelle Kakade made her way into the Guinness Book of World
Records as the first person to complete the Indian Golden Quadrilateralon
foot. She covered massive distance, Mumbai to Delhi 1514.2 km; Delhi to
Kolkata 1542.18 km, Kolkata to Chennai 1554.49 km and Chennai to
Mumbai 1357.53 km. Limca Book of Records has recognized her
achievements and entitled her 4 entries-Maximum hours run on a
treadmill – 25 hours covering 171.2 kms, she is the first Indian to
complete the 4 Desert challenge,Most Desert Ultramarathons run by an
Indian,First Indian & fastest time to run the Golden Quadrilateral on foot.
47. Sneha Kamath - Founder of India’s first car driving training centre
for women.

‘She Can Drive’ initiative was started by Sneha in 2012, with a view to
address prevailing problems faced by women while learning under male
teachers/drivers. Sneha has trained nearly 400 women to drive. With her
venture, Kamat makes sure that women drivers are imbued with a sense
of confidence which ultimately leads to them becoming better drivers.
Sneha strongly believes in- Give women the confidence and they will do
wonders!
48. Neeru Chadha - First Indian Woman Judge of the International
Tribunal for the Law of the Sea
A significant victory for India came in when Dr.Neeru Chadha became the
first woman to be elected as a Judge of the International Tribunal for the
Law of the Sea. She is one of the leading experts on International Law in
India and has the distinction of serving as the first woman Chief Legal
Adviser to the Ministry of External Affairs. She has advised the
Government on diverse areas of International Law for more than 25 years
and represented India in various bilateral and multilateral meetings and
conferences.
49. Shirin Merchant - First Indian to have been invited to the
Association of Professional Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) conference

She is popularly known as ‘SHEROES’ Shirin Merchant, Canine Trainer And

Behaviourist. She has been working in the field for more than 20 years. She
has been trained under the world renowned canine behaviourist, John
Rogerson in 1995. She is the holder of prestigious KCAI - Kennel Club of
England Accreditation Scheme for Dog trainers and behaviourists in
Companion Dog Training and Behavioural Training accreditation. Shirin
became the first Indian invited to present at the Annual Association of
Professional Dog Trainers Conference, 2016. in Las Vegas, U.S.A.
50. Ira Singhal - First differently-abled woman to top Civil Services
Exam

Ira Singhal, an IAS Officer, is the first person with disability to top the
prestigious Civil Services Examination of India. She has B.E. and MBA
degrees and has worked as a Strategy Manager for Cadbury India Limited.
Her achievement is an inspiration for many.
51. Pankaj Bhadouria - First woman to win Master Chef India
Pankaj Bhadouria’s story is of grit and determination. She had quit her 16-
year-old job and participated in India’s First Master Chef and won it. She is
now a popular TV Host, Author, Columnist, Speaker & Entrepreneur and
advocates few F&B brands. She has authored many best selling cookery books.
She established the Pankaj Bhadouria Culinary Academy in Lucknow and
owns the Tramp Tree Cafe in the city.
52. SainaNehwal - First badminton player to win an Olympic medal

India is fortunate to have had many great women, who are playing stellar
role in their respective fields. SainaNehwal, is an inspiration to many. She
is the only Indian to have won a medal in every Badminton World
Federation major individual event. She is the first Indian badminton
player to win an Olympic medal, along with being the only Indian to have
won the BWF World Junior Championships. In 2006, Nehwal became the
first Indian female and the youngest Asian to win a 4-star tournament and
won Super Series title. In 2016, Government honored her contribution
with Padma Bhushan and she was also conferred with Rajiv Gandhi Khel
Ratna and the Arjuna Award.
53. Aditi Pant - First Indian woman to reach Antarctica

She holds the title of being the very first Indian woman to visit the farthest
corner of the world, the Antarctica. She is an oceanographer who made the
nation proud by being the first woman to set the foot on the icy terrains of the
Antarctica. A book titled ‘The Open Sea’ by Alister Hardy had motivated her
and she decided to take up oceanography as her career. She has been given
Antarctica Award for being a part of the expedition.
54. Chitra Ramakrishna – First MD & CEO of the National Stock
Exchange (NSE)

She held the post of Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer at the
National Stock Exchange (NSE) Group till December 2016. She
spearheaded the operations and was one of the integral part of the
leadership team. The institution is currently ranked world’s second
largest exchange in cash market trades, she has a significant contribution
in this achievement. Ms. Chitra has an established track record of
successfully generating new business, sourcing investment opportunities,
cultivating relationships, valuing investments, managing risks and above
all for the financial well-being of Indian markets.
55. Anuradha Pal - First and the youngest Indian musician to perform
at the WOMAD (World of Music, Art and Dance) Festival

The first professional Tabla virtuoso, Anuradha Pal made her way into the
music world by being the first and the youngest Indian musician to
perform at the prestigious Woodstock Festival (Poland, 2008). She was
greeted by 400,000 fans and at WOMAD UK (1999) she waved to 150,000
fans.
She possess remarkable speed, clarity and her inimitable performances
leaves the audience mesmerizing.
56. Tessy Thomas - First woman scientist to head a missile project in
India

She is popularly known in her circuit as ‘Missile Woman of India’ and

‘Agniputri’. The First woman to head an Indian Missile project, has played
key roles in many strategic projects of India, including the Long Range
Ballistic Missile, the Agni IV and Agni V. She has worked for Agni Missile
right from its inception and her contributions in the field of Science and
Technology are remarkable. She is the First Director of the Missile
Laboratory and possesses unique identity of heading all the three Missile
Laboratories of the Missile Cluster (ASL, DRDL, RCI) of DRDO at
Hyderabad.
57. Ruchi Sharma- First operational woman Paratrooper
Captain Ruchi Sharma won ‘Presidents Gold Medal’ and was
commissioned as an Army Officer in the Army Ordnance Corps (AOC).
Volunteered and successfully earned the coveted Maroon Beretas part of
the Parachute Brigad, qualifying as the “First Lady Operational
Paratrooper” of the Indian Army. She had the opportunity and served in
various difficult terrains and theatre’s including High Altitude Area at Leh
(Ladakh). She was awarded “General Oberoi Trophy” for “Best Women
Adventurer” in the year 1999, from the Corps of Ordnance.
58. Anjuli Shukla - She is the only Indian till date who won the National
Film Award for Best Cinematography

She won the National award for cinematography for her debut film
`KuttySrank’ at the 57th National Film awards. The film also had the
distinction of being the first in Malayalam language to be shot by a
woman. An alumnus of FTII is the only woman till date to win the
National Film Award for Best Cinematography.
59. AratiSaha - First Indian woman to swim across the English Channel
She was the first woman in India to receive Padma Shri award in 1960. She
lived a short but an illustrious and eventful life. Her inspiration was an Indian
swimmer, Mihir Sen. She achieved the landmark in 1959 and became the first
Asian woman to swim across the English Channel. The Department of Posts
celebrated her conquest and brought out a postage stamp of ₹3
denomination.
60. MC Mary Kom - First Indian woman to win a medal in Asian Games
2014 for boxing.

Indian sporting legend, Chungneijang Mary KomHmangte won many

accolades for the country. She is an Olympic Indian boxer and is a five-
time World Amateur Boxing champion. She is the only woman boxer to
have won a medal in each of the six world championships. She is called as
‘Magnificent Mary’. Mary Kom became the first Indian woman boxer to
fetch a Gold Medal in the Asian Games in 2014 at Incheon, South Korea.
61. DurgabaiKamat - First actress of Indian Cinema

She broke the taboos and joined Indian Cinema way back in 1913.
DadasahebPhalke offered his second film, MohiniBhasmasur to Kamat.
She played the role of a leading lady, Parvati in the film. Her portrayal
evoked lot of positive reactions from the audience and paved way for
other female actresses to join Indian Cinema as a full fledged career.
62. Mary PoonenLukose - First female surgeon of India

Mary PoonenLukose was an Indian gynecologist, obstetrician and the first

female Surgeon General in India. She was the founder of a Tuberculosis
Sanatorium in Nagarcoil and the X-Ray and Radium Institute,
Thiruvananthapuram. She also served as the head of the Health
Department in the state of Travancore and was the first woman legislator
of the state. The Government of India awarded her Padma Shri in 1975.
63. Captain Shoba K. Mani - First Indian woman to setup an airline
namely "North East Shuttles"

Captain had a humble beginning with AP flying club in Hyderabad. She is

the founder and Managing Director of North East Shuttles and has been
instrumental in the setup and its successful operation in India. She
introduced charter flights which started with one leased 9 seater, Cessna
Caravan aircraft and added two 18 seater Dornier 228, successfully
connecting the smaller towns within the North East region.
64. Praveena Solomon - First woman to run a crematorium

She had taken up a tough job. Praveena Solomon is a crematorium

manager of Chennai’s oldest and busiest cremation ground. She is
responsible for the upkeep of crematorium. She also motivates other
women in adding greenery to the premises and improving the
environment in crematoriums.
65. Sakshi Malik - First Indian woman wrestler to win an Olympic
medal.

Sakshi’s momentous victory in the 58 kg category at the 2016 Summer

Olympics made every Indian proud. She became the first Indian female
wrestler to win a medal at the Olympics. She is also the fourth female
Indian athlete to win an Olympic medal.
In the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland she also won the
silver medal in the 58kg category. She fetched bronze medal at the 2015
Senior Asian Wrestling Championships in the 60kg in Doha and won
silver in the women’s 60kg category at the Senior Asian Wrestling
Championships 2017.
66. DipaKarmakar- First Indian-woman gymnast to qualify for the Rio
Olympics in 52 years

DipaKarmakar at the age of 22, became the first Indian woman

gymnast to qualify for the Rio Olympics in 2016 and also became the first
woman gymnast ever to qualify for Olympic Games. She re-created
history after 52 years. She was also the first Indian to qualify for the finals
of World Gymnastics Championships 2015. Her first accolades came at
the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games where she won a bronze medal.
Same year, she won bronze at the Asian Championships in Hiroshima,
Japan.
67. IshitaMalaviya - India’s first professional woman surfer

Ms. Ishita began surfing in 2007 along with her partner TusharPathiyan and
co-founded ‘The Shaka Surf Club’ in Coastal Karnataka in India. She holds the
credit of being the first Indian professional woman surfer. As a global
ambassador for women’s surfing, she has become the first Indian face to
represent many international surf brands and has also starred in the award
winning documentary surf film ‘Beyond The Surface’ that chronicles her life as
the first recognised Indian woman surfer. Malaviya is passionate about raising
awareness about the health of our oceans and her ambition is to promote the
Indian coastline as an international surfing destination. She speaks out against
the dark skin colour bias in India and is an advocate for greater
representation of dark skinned women in mainstream media.
68. Siddhi Karnani - Founder of India’s First organic food startup,
Paravata Foods
.
Siddhi Karnani co-founded Parvata Foods Pvt. Ltd, committed to produce
high quality, adulteration free organic products for the consumers. It is
the first player to build integrated value chain of organic produce from
Sikkim, the only complete organic state in India. The mission behind the
start up was to uplift the farmers in North East (NE) and Eastern India.
The organization received FICCI Millennium Alliance 2016 award,
National Agripreneurs Award 2017 and Indian AgriBusiness Excellence
Award 2017.
69. Radhika Aggarwal – Founder of "Shopclues", crossed 1 billion dollars
in revenue

Radhika Aggarwal is the co-founder and Chief Business Officer at

ShopClues.com. Her impeccable work scenario and her strategic initiatives
made her the first Indian woman co-founder to enter the prestigious echelons
of the Unicorn Club, with an aim to provide the best online shopping
experience. She strongly believes in nurturing the right talent and give each
employee the freedom to express their creativity. Owing to her passion, she
made the brand a house-hold name in less than 5 years. She received the CEO
of the Year award in 2016. The Brand currently has over 20 million listed
products and 5,00,000+ merchants. ShopClues serves in over 30,000 pin codes
across India and has more than 7000 online brand stores.
70. Pooja Warier - First female founder of an incubator "UnLTD"
dedicated to social entrepreneurs.

Pooja Warier is the co-founder & Director of UnLtd India & Journeys for
Change. UnLtd India serves as a launchpad for early stage social
entrepreneurs, tackling some of India’s greatest social challenges. It provides
360 degree support to the social entrepreneurs; seed funding, hands-on
support and high-value connections guiding social entrepreneurs on their
journeys of transforming an idea into a high impact venture ready for scale.
Pooja was nominated as a TED India Fellow in 2009, a Young Global Leader by
the World Economic Forum in 2013 and a Kamalnayan Bajaj Fellow within the
Aspen Global Leadership Network in 2016.
71. Sunita Sharma - First woman cricket coach
Sunita Sharma is a pioneer in cricket. She was the first woman cricket
coach who is the recipient of prestigious Dronacharya award. She has
produced several outstanding players at the National as well as
the International level who have brought laurels to the country.
She has served Sports Authority of India for 35 Years as a cricket coach.
She led the cricket team as Manager of Indian Women's Team for the T20
World Cup 2016, Sri Lanka Series, Asia Cup 2016, Australia Series and
T20 Champions in Asia Cup.
72. Kalpana Chawla - First Indian woman in space

Kalpana Chawla was an Indian American astronaut and the first woman of
Indian origin in space. She first flew on Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997,
as a mission specialist and primary robotic arm operator. In 2003 she had
an untimely death, she was one of the seven crew members who had a
fatal incident in the Space Shuttle. Chawla is a recipient of the
Congressional Space Medal of Honour.
73. Rajeshwari Chatterjee- First Woman Scientist to pioneer the Field of
Microwave Engineering and Antennae Engineering in India

Rajeshwari Chatterjee (24th January 1922 – 3 September 2010) was an

Indian scientist and academician. She was the first woman engineer from
Karnataka and also the first woman faculty member at the Indian
Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore who later become Professor and
Chair of the Department of Electrical Communication Engineering. Her
pioneering research was related to Microwave Engineering and Antennae
and she produced high quality research which resulted in several papers
and books. She received the Mountbatten Prize, J C Bose Memorial Prize,
RamLalWadhwa Prize for her outstanding work.
74. Dr. Aban Mistry - India's First Woman Tabla Maestro

A disciple of Pt. Keki S. Jijina, Ustad Amir Hussain Khan (tabla) and Pt.
LaxmanraoBodas (vocal), Dr. Aban E. Mistry is renowned for being India’s
first lady tabla maestro. Dr. Aban E. Mistry, PhD, authority on Tabla, a
Sangeet Praveen (tabla), SangeetAlankar (vocal), SahityaRatna (Hindi &
Sanskrit) and SangeetVisharad (sitar) was affiliated with several
universities as mentor, jury member and visiting professor. Her solo tabla
performances, in India and abroad, won her awards from prestigious
organizations.
75. Dr. Bharati Lavekar – First MLA to launch India’s first digital bank
for sanitary pads

MLA of Versova Constituency, Mumbai she is a multi-faceted, award-

winning social worker recognized for her work and dedication to the
field. She has been active in public life for more than 25 years. She
stressed on the importance of protecting and nurturing the girl child
through BetiBachao campaign.

She established and presides over the TEE Foundation, an NGO with the
vision of tackling women's issues related to female foeticide, sanitation,
hygiene and women's education.TEE Foundation has set up Sanitary Pad
ATMs and Disposal Machines in Schools and public places and also
distributes Menstrual Health Kits in schools.
76. Mithali Raj - First woman cricketer to go record 6000-run mark

Indian skipper Mithali Raj has become the first player in the history of
women’s ODI cricket to have crossed 6000 career runs. Mithali reached
the milestone in India’s ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 match against
Australia. She is now the all-time highest run-scorer in women’s cricket,
surpassing the record previously held by England’s Charlotte Edwards.
77. Sucheta Pal - First Indian to attain the position of Global Brand
Ambassador for India as the Master Trainer in Zumba.

Sucheta Pal famously named as the Zumba queen of India is responsible

for pioneering the program in the country and for its phenomenal success
and rise in popularity. After training and teaching in United States, this
engineer turned celebrity fitness trainer returned to the country in 2012
and is now the lead Zumba Education Specialist & Global Brand
Ambassador, an International presenter.

Her passion has inspired an entire nation to courageously pursue

alternate careers and follow their dreams to fulfillment.
78. Dr. S. Padmavati-The first woman cardiologist in India

Dr.Padmavati was born in Burma in 20th June 1919 and qualified M.B.B.S
from the medical College, Rangoon. She did her post graduate studies in
the U.K(London &Edin) and specialized in Cardiology in Sweden and the
USA (Johns Hopkins Hospital and Harvard University). She is responsible
for the development of the All India Heart Foundation as an important
NGO for preventive Cardiology. It is now a centre for public health
education, research, capacity building and population outreach. She set up
the National Heart Institute in India to further these objectives and it has
now developed into a tertiary Care Centre of excellence in Delhi. She has
been closely involved in International Cardiology under WHO (Member
Expert Committee on CV disease).
79. Sajida Khan - First Female Music Technician

Sajida khan has more than 10 years of professional experience as Audio

Engineer. She also contributed as Audio Engineer for the National Award
winning film “Aadvi Na ThalliRoh”. She ventured into exploring various
platforms of Arts and Theatre and won National Award for singing and
appreciation for playing Piano. As a Professional Audio Engineer, she has
handled many works like movie Dubbing, Sound Effects, Background
Music, Complete Audio mix for Telugu and Tamil Movies, Songs & Albums
(Political, Coal Mines, Devotional songs & many Other) Jingles, Tele
serials, Documentaries, All India Radio Recordings and Radio Serials, TV
Advertisements & Ad films.
80. FathimaBeevi - First female judge to be appointed to the Supreme
Court

M. FathimaBeevi was the first female judge to be appointed to the

Supreme Court of India (1989) and the first Muslim woman to be
appointed to any higher judiciary. On her retirement from the court she
served as a member of the National Human Rights Commission and as
Governor in Tamil Nadu from 1997 to 2001. She received the Hon. D. Litt
and Mahila Shiromani Award, in 1990. She was also honoured with the
Bharat Jyoti Award and the US-India Business Council (USIBC) Life Time
Achievement Award.
81. Kamala Sohonie- First Indian woman with Ph.D. In Science

She was the first lady to get admission to IISc, Bangalore, headed then by
Nobel laureate Prof. C.V. Raman. After MSc, she was awarded with various
scholarships, which enabled her to study at Cambridge University,
England. She also received travelling fellowship of the American
Federation of University Women - first Indian lady to receive this award.
In 1939, she became first Indian lady to receive PhD in Science. In 1949
she was appointed as Head of newly started Biochemistry Department at
Institute of Science, Bombay (Mumbai). She became Director of the
Institute; first Indian lady to head any scientific research Institute.
82. Sania Mirza - First Indian woman to be ranked no.1 in Women's
Tennis Association (WTA) Double rankings

Sania is a professional tennis player who was formerly ranked No. 1 in the
women's doubles rankings. In her singles career, Mirza has notable wins
over Svetlana Kuznetsova, Vera Zvonareva and Marion Bartoli as well as
former world No. 1s Martina Hingis, DinaraSafina, and Victoria Azarenka.
She is the highest-ranked female player ever from India, peaking at world
No. 27 in singles in mid-2007. She has achieved a number of firsts for
women's tennis in her native country, including winning a singles Pro-
level title, winning six major titles.
 83. MsBenoZephine- First visually-impaired woman to join the Indian
Foreign Service

Ms. Beno is India’s first 100% Visually challenged Indian Foreign Service Officer
of the Country, after having secured rank 343 in the Civil Service Examinations
conducted by UPSC, BenoZephine is currently deputed to the Embassy of India,
Paris, as Language Trainee.
Beno attended Global Young Leaders Conference in USA in 2008 and this
boosted her Confidence further. She is the recipient of Woman of the Year Award by
Deccan Chronicle and best Woman by Ritz Magazine, to name a few. She received
several awards for her oratory skills.
84. Ms. RajaniGopalkrishna (visually-impaired)-First Chartered
Accountant with disability
Ms. RajaniGopalkrishna is first visually challenged women Chartered
Accountant. Medical negligence by doctor when she was 9 deteriorated her
sight gradually leading to blindness. Ever since then she has been
challenging the challenges through her will-power, positive-approach
and consistent-perseverance. She is an astute professional and compassionate
woman.Her current employment enables her to blend her professional pursuit
and her willingness to plough-back to society. As a volunteer she has been
constantly inspiring, mentoring and guiding students in general and with
disabilities in particular to pursue studies and lead respectful dignified life.
She is earnestly striving towards inclusive barrier-free society.
85. VijayalakshmiSubbaraman- First female grandmaster (chess)
VijayalakshmiSubbaraman, was born on 25 March 1979. She is the first
female player in India who holds the FIDE titles of Woman Grandmaster
and International Master. Vijayalakshmi has won more medals than any
other player for India in the Chess Olympiads. In 1996 she was awarded
the Woman International Master title at the FIDE Zonal tournament in
Chennai. Vijayalakshmi became the first Indian to achieve the title of
Woman Grandmaster (WGM) in 2001. She also won the title of
International Master (IM) at the Chess Olympiad 2000. In 2001, the
Government of India honored her with the Arjuna Award.
86. NeeluRohmetra- First woman to head an IIM
Professor NeeluRohmetra, born on 1965, is the Director of Indian Institute of
Management Sirmaur (IIMS), Himachal Pradesh; the first ever woman
Director to head any IIM, assuming the role on March 09, 2017. She is a US
State Department Alumnus, USIEF Fulbright Fellow and Post-Doctoral
Commonwealth Fellow, UK.With 5 gold medals to her credit for meritorious
academic achievements, Professor Rohmetra has participated in the
International Visitor Leadership Programme (IVLP) USA (2006) and has also
been visiting fellow to EAP-European School of Management, Oxford, UK,
(1998). She is the recipient of AICTE Govt. of India Career Award for Young
Teachers below 35 years of age (1999), AICTE Research Promotions Scheme
Award (2004), Association of Indian Management Schools Best Teacher
Award (2007).
87. Chandrani Prasad Verma- First female mining engineer
Dr. Chandrani Prasad Verma, Ph.D. (Mining), M.Tech (Mining), B.E. (Mining)
and Diploma in Mining and Mine Surveying. Principal Scientist, CSIR-CIMFR,
Regional Centre, Nagpur, Ministry of S&T. Born and brought up in Chandrapur
district of Maharashtra, she graduated with First Merit position in University
and joined CIMFR [erstwhile CMRI] as Research Fellow with 1.5 years
teaching experience. She received CSIR-JRF Fellowship in 2003 and 26th All
India Rank in GATE-2003 examination. Cleared Gas Testing Examination
conducted by DGMS in 1999. She has more than 12 yrs experience in the field
of Rock Mechanics and Numerical Modelling with special reference to Mine
Design in coal as well as metal mine sector.
88. NainaLalKidwai- First woman president of FICCI

NainaLalKidwai was elected President FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers

of Commerce & Industry) for 2013 - the first woman tohead FICCI in its 86
years. She is Chairman, Max Financial Services and Advent Private Equity; a
Non-Executive Director on the global board of Nestle, CIPLA Ltd and Larsen
and Toubro. In 2006 she was appointed CEO of HSBC becoming the first
woman to head a bank in the private sector in India. She is the recipient of
numerous awards and honors in India including the Padma Shri.
89. Anila Jacob- First woman sculptor to receive a national award in
1965
Her father, Late Mr. K. C. S. Panicker organized an association of 30
graduated (Painters & Sculptors) and started the Cholamandal Artists’
Village in 1966. Her works are displayed (Metal, Wood & Granite) in Delhi
Lalit Kala Academy and in the Modern Art Museums, Bangalore and
Cholamandal Artists’ Village Chennai. Her granite sculptures are in
Palakkad Fort, Calicut Beach and Bastian Garden at Fort Cochin, Kerala. A
recent installation of a metal sculpture (Copper, Bronze & Brass) and Teak
wood is at International Arrival Hall, Terminal Number 3 at the Cochin
International Airport.
90. ShobanaKamineni- First woman Head of CII

ShobanaKamineni is the Executive Vice Chairperson of Apollo Hospitals

Enterprise Limited and is the first woman President of the Confederation of
Indian Industry (CII), since it began in 1895. As Executive Vice Chairperson of
Apollo Hospitals, she has led its Pharmacy initiatives (largest network pan
India) and founded Apollo Munich Health Insurance. In 2010, Shobana
established the ‘Billion Hearts Beating Foundation to educate Indians and
create awareness of NCD’s.
91. ArunaRajePatil- The first trained woman technician in the film
industry.

ArunaRaje is a critically acclaimed writer, editor, director and producer.

Graduating from the Film and Television Institute of India with a gold
medal, she was the first trained woman technician to come into the film
industry in 1969. A strong voice for women, she has been passionate about
empowering women and has made many women-centric documentaries
and features.
92. Dr. Indira Hinduja- First Indian Gynecologist to deliver India’s first
test tube baby

Dr. Indira Hinduja is a renowned consultant, gynaecologist and infertility

specialist, founder of IVF Centre earlier at INKUS (1989) and presently at P.D.
Hinduja National Hospital and Medical Research Centre(2011). She was
conferred with the prestigious “Padma Shri” (2011) by The Government of
India and ‘The Dhanvantri Award ( 2000) by The Governor of Maharashtra for
the pioneering work in the field of infertility and assisted reproduction which
led the birth of the first scientifically documented test tube baby in India on
6th August 1986.
93. Upasna Makati- creator of India's first English lifestyle magazine in
Braille

Upasana Makati is the Founder & Publisher of White Print - India's first
English lifestyle magazine in Braille for the visually impaired. After realizing
the absolute absence of reading literature for the visually impaired in India,
she started White Print in 2013. This monthly magazine reaches schools,
colleges, old age homes, hospitals, libraries in the remotest corners of the
country. Upasana made it to the Forbes India 30 Under 30 list in 2016, Smart
CEO, Limca Books of Records, Top 50 start ups in India and received
the L’OrealFemina Woman's Award for Science and Innovation.
94. Nivedita Joshi- First yoga book in Braille

Nivedita Joshi is a multi-dimensional person with significant accomplishment

in the field of Yoga. Stricken by slipped disc, cervical spondylosis and an early-
stage scoliosis, she was virtually bedridden and immovable for eight long
years. Initiation to Iyengar Yoga therapy led to relief and ultimate cure. Fired
by her conviction to share this therapeutic yoga with the world, she set up the
Iyengar Yoga Centre in Delhi in 2007.

Nivedita has to her credit a first of its kind book on Yoga for the visually
impaired in Braille. This book was released internationally during the first
International Yoga day celebrations at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, by
the Director General of UNESCO. She has been teaching visually impaired
students since 2014.
95. Padma Sachdev- First modern woman poet of Dogri language

Padma Sachdev belongs to a family of Sanskrit scholars of Jammu. She began

her literary career almost at the age of 16 and her first poem
RajeDiyanMandiyan established her as one of the leading poets of Dogri.

When she received the Sahitya Academy award in 1971, she was perhaps the
youngest recipient of that honor. She received honors and awards from all
around the world.
96. KalamandalamHemalatha- Sets Guinness World Record for Longest
Dance

Ms. Hemalatha broke Guinness World Record of continuous Mohiniyattom

performance of 108 hours by crossing 123.15 hours landmark. She performed
dances in and out of India at several places bringing laurels to Kalamandalam
and recognition to the devouttepee arts of Kerala-Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi
and Mohiniyattom. She danced her way to accolades for 30 long years.
97. Dr. Varsha Agrawal- First Indian Lady of international recognition
for her performance on Santoor.

Dr. Varsha is one and only female artiste from India who has received
international recognition for brilliant performance on Santoor. She hails from
Jhalawar. She is a disciple of Pt. LalitMahant and Pt. BhajanSopori. Dr. Agrawal
has performed her creations on AIR and Doordarshan . She is an empanelled
artiste of ICCR and Ministry of Culture.
98. K.S. Chitra- First Female singer to be honoured by House Of
Commons, British Parliament, United Kingdom.

K.S.Chitra, made her debut in 1984 as a playback singer. She sung about
18000 film songs in various Indian languages to date. She has achieved six
National Film awards so far, highest ever in history and about 35 awards
instituted by various state governments. She has been awarded the Padma
Shri in 2005. She has won about 10 FilmFare awards and has promoted the
vision of 'Snehanandana Charitable Trust'. The trust distributes Rs.4000.00
per month to about 25 musicians in their initial years until they die.
99. Kajal Singh- India’s first female graffiti artist

It was a modest beginning in 2011 when she joined a graffiti event

at the German Embassy in New Delhi. Soon Kajal was commissioned to
present the young India at Germany’s National Day celebration in Mumbai
and also designed the German Consulate in Kolkata.

She was invited to the Trinity College (USA), to the Creative World Fair
(Germany), to Street Art Festivals (Russia, China) and she received
scholarship from Army. Her mentor Zebster inspired her and she wants
to invest her profits into creative-education-programmes for poor and youth
in India.
100. Tara Anand- First young artist reviving India’s forgotten female
warriors using 'digital art'

Tara Anand is an illustrator from Mumbai whose work is deeply influenced by

literature, activism and history. Her series 'I Am No Man', on forgotten Indian
warrior queens was featured by publications like The Huffington Post, DNA,
Deccan Chronicle and BBC London Asia Network.
101. Dr. Asha Pande- First Indian woman to be the member of Legion of
Honour

Professor Asha Pande, completed her Masters and Ph.D. in French Literature
from JawaharlalNehru University, New Delhi. She was bestowed with the
highest civilian award of France, LEGION D’HONNEUR by the French
President Nicolas Sarkozy for exemplary achievements in the promotion of
French language and culture. She is the first woman to be elected as the
President of the Indian Society of Theatre Research.
102. RajaniPandit- First woman detective of India

RajaniPandit is an Indian private investigator who is regarded as the first

woman private investigator in India. She has been the subject of a
documentary, written two books, received numerous awards, and is
considered one of the most famous detectives in India. She has solved 75000
cases. She has received 57 awards. Based on her experiences, she has written
two books: Faces Behind Faces and Mayajal. She is a recipient of the Hirkani
award from Doordarshan that honors women achievers.
103. Kavita Devi- First Indian Woman to sign with WWE

Kavita Devi is an accomplished power-lifter who won gold at the 2016 South
Asian Games, representing India. She also has the distinction of being the first
Indian women to compete in a WWE ring during her participation in Mae
Young Classic.
104. FouziaDastango- India's First Woman Dastangoi Artiste

Fouzia is an artist of the 16th century oral storytelling art, Dastangoi, and has
dedicated herself to learning and practicing this art form. She focuses her
efforts to touch upon and bring out women-centric issues in her performances
and has over 100 shows all over India and UAE to her credit. Her repertoire
includes performances in renowned literature festivals in Jaipur, Lucknow,
Kumaon cities and festivals such as Jashn-e-Rekhta, Bookaru, Sanatkada,
among others.
105. BasantiBisht- The first and only woman who sings the ancient form
of Jagar.

SmtBasantiBisht is the first and only woman lead Jaagar-Singer of India. She
is an “A”Gradefolk artist of Aakashwani, a member of Program Advisory
Committee and an empaneled Artist with I.C.C.R. She assimilated and
rejuvenated more than 500 extinct and unwritten and oral-traditions of folk-
songs & culture.
106. Dr. Sneh Bhargava- India’s first female director of AIIMS

Dr. Sneh completed her Graduation from Lady Harding Medical College, New
Delhi and a Post Graduate from Royal College of Radiologist, London. She was
a Professor in AIIMS for 30years.

She is the first lady Director of AIIMS. Formerly, she was Chairman of Ethics
Committee, Medical Council of India andChairman of Medical Education
Committee of the National Knowledge Commission set up by the Prime
Minister. She was awarded Padma Shri by President of India.
107. Swati Piramal- The first woman President of India's Apex Chamber
of Commerce, ASSOCHAM

Dr. Swati Piramal has used her background in medicine, public health and
business to change the trajectory of healthcare, education, and public policy in
India. She is one of India’s leading scientists and industrialists and is involved
in public health and innovation. She is the Director of Piramal Enterprises, a
leading Indian multinational company in Healthcare, Financial Services and
Information Management. As the first woman President of India’s Apex
Chamber of Commerce in 90 years, she helped influence important public
policies and governance. She has served as an Adviser to the Indian Prime
Minister in Science, Technology and Economic Policy.
108. Lt Col (Retd.) Josycila Farida Rehana- First woman paratrooper of
the Indian Army (AMC)

Lt Col Rehana was born in 1940 in Mysore. She graduated MBBS from Mysore
Medical College with honours and a gold medal in Surgery. She joined the
Indian Army in 1964 responding to a call for mobilization after poor showing
in the 1962 war. She joined the elite 60 Parachute Medical Company; the only
medical unit to participate in Korean War as peace keepers and qualified as a
parachutist in Sep, 1966. She participated in the 1971 War (Op Cactus Lily) in
the eastern and western fronts and conducted surgical operations in the
frontline with 60 Para. She was awarded the Poorvi and Paschimi Star. The
first lady to be awarded the ‘Gen Choudhary’s Trophy’ in 34 MOSC.
109. Debjani Ghosh- First woman to be appointed as NASSCOM
President
Debjani Ghosh is President Designate of NASSCOM, and will succeed Mr. R
Chandrashekhar as President, on completion of his term in March, 2018. Prior
to this, she was Vice President of Sales & Marketing and Managing Director of
South Asia at Intel Corporation until March 2017. She started with Intel in
1996 and has held numerous leadership roles over her 21-year career with
the company.
Ms. Ghosh, is a strong advocate of Digital India and dreams of India emerging
as the most innovative country in the world, and also a country where women
achieve full representation. She will be the first woman President of
NASSCOM.
110. Anjum Chopra- First woman cricketer from India to be awarded an
honorary life membership of the Marylebone Cricket Club -(MCC).

A Padma Shri and Arjuna award recipient, Anjum Chopra led India to its first
Test Series win in South Africa,2002. She is the first Indian player to score a
One-day international century and appear in more than 100 ODI’s for
India.The first woman player from Asia to receive the honorary life
membership from the prestigious Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), Lords
Cricket Ground, London; Anjum is a student of Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram,
St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi and an M.B.A from FORE school of
management, Delhi.
111. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan- The first Indian actress to be a jury
member at the Cannes Film Festival

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, an actress, model and the winner of theMiss World
1994 pageant became the first Indian actress to be a jury member at
theCannes Film Festival. Many firsts have been added to her long list of
achievements including being the first Indian to appear on international
shows like Late Show with David Letterman, Oprah Winfrey Show and
Women acros the Globe hosted by Tyra Banks. She was also ranked as the
most bankable Hollywood Star for India by Forbes 2008 and was the first
amongst all Indian to feature in that list. Another first was the first woman to
reach Siachen Glacier. She has established herself as one of the most popular
and influential celebrities in India being associated with various charities like
Smiletrain Foundation, UNAIDS, Cancer Patients etc. In the year 2009 she was
awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India.
112. BharulataKamble- First woman driver in the world to complete a
transcontinental car journey alone, covering 32,000km spread across 32
countries

BharulataKamble is a real-life story of indomitable courage. She drove solo,

without back-up vehicle/crew through the Arctic circle and 32 countries. She
drove through 9 mountain ranges, 3 deserts, 9 time zones reaching the
altitude of 13000 feet, covering 35,383 kilometers, spreading the message
“Save Girls, Educate Girls”. She is the first woman in the world to make such
humongous journey and first Indian to hoist India’s flag in the Arctic circle.