Meet the Woman Extraordinaire – Sunitha Krishnan

At the age of 24, Sunitha Krishnan founded Prajwala, an organization that rescues and rehabilitates victims of sex trafficking. The NGO now has become the largest anti-trafficking shelter in the world, with 300 employees, 17 schools and medical care units for its HIV-positive residents. Krishnan’s team has provided more than 15,000 victims with counseling, medical treatment and jobs. Women rehabilitated by …

Meet the Woman Extraordinaire – Arunima Sinha

Climbing Mount Everest is the hardest thing, but climbing it with an artificial leg? That’s what Arunima Sinha accomplished in 2013. She is the the world’s first woman amputee to climb Mount Everest. “I turned my artificial leg into my strength and stubbornly chose the most difficult sport for myself,” says Ms. Sinha, a former national-level volleyball player.  Tell us more about …

Meet the Woman Extraordinaire – Sania Mirza

Sania Mirza is the most successful Indian female tennis player in history and the most popular female athletes in Asia. Sania has become an icon in her own right.  In 2005 she was awarded the Padma Shri award and Time Magazine named her as “One of the 50 heroes of Asia“. More recently, Sania has been appointed as the UN Women’s Goodwill Ambassador for …

Meet the Woman Extraordinaire – Shahnaz Husain

Shahnaz Husain is the Chairperson and Managing Director (CMD) of Shahnaz Husain Group of Companies and is a prominent Indian female entrepreneur, who is best known for her herbal cosmetics, particularly skin care products. In 2006 she was awarded the Padma Shri, a civilian award by the Government of India and in 1996 Success Magazine’s “World’s Greatest Woman Entrepreneur” award. Welcome Shahnaz Husain – …

Meet the Woman Extraordinaire – Pramila Jayapal

Senator Pramila Jayapal is serving her first term in the Washington State Senate and represents the 37th Legislative District. Senator Jayapal has spent the last twenty years working both internationally and domestically as a leading national advocate for women’s, immigrant’s, civil and human rights. She led one of the largest voter registration efforts in Washington state, helping over 23,000 new Americans to …

Meet the Woman Extraordinaire – Saina Nehwal

Saina Nehwal is India’s ace badminton player. She is the first Indian to win a medal in Badminton at the Olympics. She achieved this feat by winning the Bronze medal at the London Olympics 2012. A brown belt in karate, Saina has won numerous awards including the Arjuna award in 2009, Padma Shri 2010 and Rajiv Khel Ratna Awardee in 2010. Tell us …

Meet the Woman Extraordinaire – Kamla Bhasin

Kamla Bhasin is India’s leading feminist and has been actively engaged with issues related to gender, development, education and several others since 1970. Kamla has worked for the women’s movement for over 35 years and believes words like swami, pati, husband, kanya daan will have to go for an egalitarian society to come. Bio A social scientist by training, Kamla Bhasin has been actively engaged with issues …

Meet the Woman Extraordinaire – Monica Bhide

Monica Bhide is a celebrated food writer, modern Indian recipe creator and a frequent contributor to NPR’s Kitchen Window.  A storyteller at heart, Monica combines her love of family, friends and food – along with personal anecdotes highlighted by her Indian heritage – to help people add an exotic, unexpected and most-welcome new element into their lives. Tell us more …

Meet the Woman Extraordinaire – Priyanka Chopra

Priyanka Chopra is an award-winning Bollywood icon who has appeared in more than 40 films. A pageant queen, Bollywood actress and now a pop singer, Priyanka is one of India’s most celebrated actresses. Priyanka Chopra – the actor, model, singer. What inspired you to become who you are today? Any personal ambitions yet unattained? When I became Miss World and was presented …

Meet the Woman Extraordinaire – Mallika Dutt

  Mallika Dutt is an Indian-American human rights activist and the founder of Breakthrough. Tell us more about yourself and what you do? I am the President and CEO of a human rights organization called Breakthrough. We are focused on making violence and discrimination against women and girls unacceptable. We work through centers in India and the United States and address a whole range …