Four Indian Women Featured In BBC's 100 Women List Of 2020

BBC’s list of world's 100 influential and inspiring women of the year 2020 is out now. The list features women from different fields like sports, politics, acting, climate activism etc whose efforts brought a change in the turbulent time of the pandemic and other crisis. The list of 100 women features powerful and famous women like Sanna Marin, Michelle Yeoh, Jane Fonda, Mahira Khan among others. It also includes four powerful women from India who brought pride to the nation through their excellence in respective fields. And their names are Bilkis Bano, Manasi Joshi, Isaivani and Ridhima Pandey. Read further to know more about each woman.

One space in the list has been left blank as a tribute to all other women who have performed selfless service during this year.

Dadi Bilkis Bano

82-year-old Dadi Bilkis Bano became one of the powerful faces of the women protesters against the Citizenship Amendment Act at Shaheen Bagh in Delhi. Braving the winters of Delhi, Dadi Bilkis would step out of her home near Shaheen Bagh at 8am every day and sit for protest till midnight. Recently, her name was featured in TIME magazine’s ‘100 Most Influential People’ in the world. Commemorating her will power, journalist Rana Ayyub described her as the “voice of the marginalised”. Dadi had once said, “Women should feel empowered to step out of their homes and raise their voice, especially against injustice. If they don't leave their homes, how will they showcase their strength?”

Also Read: Shaheen Bagh’s Bilkis Dadi On BBC’s 100 Women Of 2020 List 

Isaivani

Isaivani is the only female Kollywood singer in the Ganna music and The Casteless collective Tamil music bands. Her venture into the male-dominated space has encouraged many other women to express themselves through singing and defying the age-old traditions. Speaking about the empowerment of women today, she said, “The world has changed a lot in 2020, but for women, the world is changing every day: women have changed discourses and challenged spaces. This process will be constant for generations to come.”

Also Read: Here's The List Of Digital Women Awards 2020 Winners

Manasi Joshi

Manasi Joshi is an Indian para-athlete and the current para-badminton world champion. She was ranked second in the world in SL3 singles by Badminton World Federation. Joshi was also listed as the "Next Generation Leader" by Time Magazine. Moreover, she featured on the cover page of the magazine’s Asia edition as an advocate of disability rights. Joshi has been vocal about changing the perception of disability and para-sports. She became first and the only Indian para-athlete to get a Barbie doll of the Barbie Sheroes series modelled after her. Speaking about how the year has been tough for women, she said, “This year has been challenging to women in so many ways. Don’t let the tough times get the better of you: keep exploring every possibility. Give yourself some time off every day.”

Also Read: World Para-Badminton Champion Manasi Joshi Features In BBC’s 100 Women Of 2020 List

Ridhima Pandey

Ridhima Pandey is a teenage climate activist from India and one of the sixteen climate activists who are fighting against climate change. At the age of nine, Pandey had filed a petition questioning the Indian government’s inaction to protect the climate. Then in 2019, Pandey along with 15 other activists filed a lawsuit in the UN against five countries who ignored the climate change issues. Currently, she is participating in international conferences and educating students from different parts of the world to protect the climate and biodiversity. “I want a better future. I want to save my future and the future of all the children and all people of future generations.”

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