Many Indian women leaders across various fields are taking over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's social media on the occasion of International Women's Day on March 8. From scientists to sportswomen and entrepreneurs to healthcare professionals, they shared their stories and successes to inspire countless audiences. This is being done to reaffirm India's commitment to lauding 'Nari Shakti' (women's empowerment), according to the PM. He shared a short video, talking about the women's takeover.
"We bow to our Nari Shakti on #WomensDay! Our Government has always worked for empowering women, reflecting in our schemes and programmes. Today, as promised, my social media properties will be taken over by women who are making a mark in diverse fields," he shared.
R Vaishali On Women In Sports
The first takeover of the day was by chess Grandmaster Vaishali R, who wrote, "Vanakkam!... I am thrilled to be taking over our PM Thiru @narendramodi Ji’s social media properties and that too on #WomensDay... I feel very proud to be representing our beloved country in many tournaments."
Vaishali spoke about her commitment to personal growth and inspiring more young women to pursue their passion. She wrote, "Chess has given me so much, and I look forward to contributing more to the sport I love. In the same spirit, I want to tell young girls to pursue any sport they feel like."
Elina Mishra and Shilpi Soni On Women In STEM
After Vaishali, nuclear scientist Elina Mishra from Odisha and space scientist Shilpi Soni from Madhya Pradesh shared their thoughts through PM Modi's social media. "We are Elina Mishra, a nuclear scientist and Shilpi Soni, a space scientist... Our message: India is the most vibrant place for science and thus, we call upon more women to pursue it."
They spoke about the growing participation and contribution of Indian women in STEM. "Both of us are seeing the wide range of opportunities opening up in our respective sectors. It was unimaginable that a sector like nuclear technology would offer so many opportunities for women in India. Similarly, the increasing participation of women and the private sector in the world of space makes India the most happening place to innovate and grow!"
Mishra and Soni then shared their individual journeys and messages. Mishra wrote, "I come from a family with a strong academic background and thus, they created a ripe environment to learn science. My interest and inquisitiveness for science developed due to my father, who is my inspiration and whom I have seen relentlessly working towards his research. My dream of working in the scientific domain was fulfilled when I was selected at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai."
Mishra continued, "Owing to the fact that at remote and rural locations, primary health care diagnosis and imaging facilities are sparse in number, a novel solution has been devised for a low-cost, compact, portable, cryo-free, lightweight system which can be easily transported to remote areas. Towards this, we have designed and developed a Halbach based permanent magnet dipole with an in-built magnetic field gradient for medical applications."
Soni, an ISRO scientist, wrote, "I belong to a very humble background but my family has always been passionate about learning, innovation and culture. After a stint at DRDO, it was a dream come true to work with ISRO, where I have contributed towards design, development and induction of state-of-the-art RF and Microwave subsystem technologies for more than 35 communication and navigation mission of ISRO over the last 24 fruitful years."
Ajaita Shah: Women In Entrepreneurship, Social Impact
Next, Ajaita Shah, the founder and CEO of Frontier Market, spoke about women's financial literacy. "A financially empowered woman is a confident decision-maker, independent thinker, architect of her own future and a maker of modern India! And, our nation is taking the lead in building financially empowered women," she wrote on PM Modi's X.
"One issue that remained close to my heart was the challenges women face in rural areas. These challenges could be financial, access to infrastructure and more. Thus, I have spent the last two decades to mitigate this. And, I feel proud that not only have I been able to make a difference, I am also seeing many more women rising to the occasion and doing the same" Shah wrote, adding, "In 2011, I founded Frontier Markets with a simple belief that if we support our rural women, no force will stop them from achieving the impossible."
Ajaita Shah concluded writing, "Today, our nation can’t be ignored by the world. We are a promising market with an innovative spirit. And this journey will get even stronger with women’s participation. I will urge all women to become a part of the India Story. A lot of women have shown how to break barriers and achieve this. My own experience says that the sky is the limit. Be self-reliant and give a better life to the future generations."
Dr. Anjlee Agarwal: Women With Disability On Accessibilty
Dr Anjlee Agarwal, the founder of Samarthyam, Centre for Universal Accessibility, shared how the world can be made more accessible and sustainable for people with disabilities. She wrote, "I want to ignite a spark of transformation and seek a call to action- forget labels, forget barriers… Let's ensure that every woman, every individual, can navigate their life with dignity and independence. Let us build on the recent gains and improve lives for persons with disabilities."
For over three decades, Agarwal has worked on universal accessibility and mobility for people with disabilities. " These sectors are integral to creating inclusive spaces. Basis my experience of the recent past, I am positive that accessibility and mobility are no longer remaining only in words but have been seamlessly assimilated with other aspects of governance," she wrote.
"I aim to be a leading force in creating accessible and inclusive environments in India, with a deep commitment to empowering individuals with disabilities in partnership with individuals, organisations and governments. The mindset change, combined with positive action on the ground and many policy changes have been encouraging," she concluded.
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