In the frame: 75 remarkable Indian women

Drishana uses string puppetry and folk tales to tackle gender violence in her remote village in Assam. 

Devika has won three gold medals at the National Para-Athletics Championships, despite being paralysed below her chest. For the past 15 years, Thinlas has been running her all-women trekking company in Ladakh, where she has successfully trained 80 women guides.

Their inspiring stories, along with those of 72 other remarkable Indian women, are featured in a new book released today.

Titled, “हम | When Women Lead,” the book was jointly unveiled at UN House, New Delhi, by UN Women India and Ford Foundation in commemoration of International Women's Day.

At the book launch, Susan Ferguson, Country Representative of UN Women India, highlighted how the book was compiled by an all-women team of writers, photographers, visual artists, and editors.

“We say there are lot of problems in a woman’s life. Just imagine- if there is any woman who is on a wheelchair like me- her problem increases four-fold.” says Meenu, a disability rights activist, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth -making her wheelchair-bound for life. 

“Our stories are multilayered, our identity is multilayered, and our solutions must be multilayered too." remarked Swati Singh, whose NGO is working towards eliminating income disparities in underprivileged groups in Varanasi.

Shombi Sharp, the UN Resident Coordinator for India, emphasized, “Gender equality isn't just about women; it's a societal issue.” 

Some of the photos from the book were also featured in an exhibition at UN House.

                                             UN Women Press Release

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