Breaking the glass ceiling
- POSTED ON: 30 Dec, 2018
- TOTAL VIEWS: 793 Views
- POSTED BY: Madhuvanti S. Krishnan
- ARTICLE POINTS: 120 Points
Supreme court judges, sports persons, change makers… Check out some of these trailblazers.
Dhing express – Hima Das
A family from Kandhulimari village in Dhing, Guwahati, Assam, was suddenly thrust into the spotlight, in July, this year. This is the home of Hima Das, the sprinter who, in the last few minutes of the 400m race at the International Association of Athletics Federations, (IAAF) World U20 Championship, gained an incredible burst of energy and speed, and went all out for the gold. She became the first Indian to win a gold in an international track event.
Lady of the law: Indu Malhotra
Meet Indu Malhotra, the first woman lawyer to be elevated to the rank of a Supreme Court judge directly from the Bar. She assumed office on April 27, this year. She is also the only woman judge in the five-judge constitutional bench of the Supreme Court, which allowed the entry of women in the Sabrimala Temple, earlier this year.
Biker breaking stereotypes: Maral Yazarloo-Pattrick
Women in Iran are banned from motorbike riding because of their modesty laws. In a bid to change this attitude, Maral got onto her bike. She travelled solo across the world, and rode into her country triumphantly. She was not arrested. Now, she has the dubious honour of being the first Iranian woman to ride a bike. In 2017, she set out from India, crossed seven continents and 64 countries in 17 months, concluding her trip in November, this year. In a BBC video, she said, “The only message I want to send out is that if an Iranian woman, or any woman, thinks that she can’t do something, she just needs to close her eyes and say ‘I can, if I really want to’. And she definitely can.”
Aiming high: Bogolo Kenewendo
While most 31-year-olds are still trying to make it big in their careers, Bogolo is at the top. An economist and politician, she has a B.A. in Economics from the University of Botswana and an MSc in International Economics from the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom. She was made a Cabinet Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry in Botswana’s parliament in April, 2018. She has the unique distinction of being the country’s youngest minister.
Special educator: Zhao Yu
A dancing team led by Zhao Yu, in China, has won multiple honours in art events nationwide, this year. But what makes this team or their teacher special? Zhao Yu is a special educator, and as a a dance teacher at the Shijiazhuang Municipal Special Education School, she breaks down communication barriers.
Here are some more fun facts about these superwomen.