Sunny Leone And 4 Other Indian Women Made It On To The BBC 100 Women List 2016!

The BBC has just released its list of the 100 most influential women of 2016. These women, according to the BBC, have some of the most interesting life stories; stories of defiance, stories of struggle and stories of unshakable resilience.

These are women who have made a significant difference in their respective fields. They have gone against the grain, shattering stigmas, persevering against all odds and achieved something incredible.

This year, 5 Indian women have made it onto the list, including Bollywood actress Sunny Leone. Here are their stories:

1. Sunny Leone, 35, Actress

“It’s your right as a women to follow your dreams and it’s your responsibility to make them come true.”

She was previously a porn star and got into mainstream Bollywood films in 2013. She has had a considerable rise to fame in a relatively short time.

 

2. Saalumarada Thimmakka, 105, Environmentalist

“Everyone from children to the elderly should plant and grow trees – it will be beneficial for all of us.”

She faced social ridicule early on in life due to her inability to bear children. In light of this, she started a project to plant trees and tending to them like her children. In 80 years, she has planted 8,000 trees!

 

3. Mallika Srinivasan, 57, CEO

“What is important for all women is that you have to be – in content, presentation, character – one notch clearly above the men.”

She is known as the ‘Tractor Queen of India’ and was responsible for growing her family business of tractor manufacturing into the third largest tractor company in the world! She also sits on the board of well-known Indian brands like Tata Steel and Tata Global Beverages.

 

4. Neha Singh, 34, Actress/Writer

“I want to be as free as any man in the country. Why should we settle for anything less?”

Neha is an actor, writer, director and producer based in Mumbai. She began the ‘Why Loiter’ movement in the city in order to defy harassment.

 

5. Gouri Chindarkar, 20, Computer Engineering Student

“Knowledge makes you more confident.”

Gouri is one of the first Indian students to be educated through the ‘School In the Cloud’, a unique way of learning that defied traditional style of classroom style teaching.

We congratulate all of the zealous women for making it on to the list. You have made India proud!

News Source: BBC

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