Indian Women Leaders
Throughout history, there have been many Indian women leaders who have made significant contribution to the field. The list includes many familiar and great Indian female leaders such as Mother Teresa, Indira Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Phoolan Devi, Priyanka Gandhi.
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Birthdate: November 19, 1917
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India
Died: October 31, 1984
The third Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi served as PM from 1966 till 1977 and then again from 1980 till her assassination in October 1984. She is considered one of India’s strongest PM and is hailed for leading India to victory over Pakistan in 1971, which resulted in the creation of Bangladesh. However, she is also categorised as authoritarian and is criticised for imposing Emergency in 1975.
2
Sushma Swaraj
(Politician)
Birthdate: February 14, 1952
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: New Delhi, india
Died: August 6, 2019
Supreme Court lawyer and BJP leader Sushma Swaraj had held several ministries, such as external affairs and information and broadcasting. Named India’s “best loved politician” by Wall Street Journal, Swaraj was known for her prompt assistance to Indians in emergency situations abroad and was awarded the Padma Vibhushan posthumously.
Birthdate: December 9, 1946
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Lusiana, Lusiana Conco, Italy
Sonia Gandhi is an Indian politician and president of one of the most prominent Indian political parties, The Indian National Congress. As the president of Indian National Congress, which has been one of India's most successful political parties in the country's post-independence history, Sonia Gandhi remains one of the most powerful women in India.
4
Nirmala Sitharaman
(Politician)
Birthdate: August 18, 1959
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Madurai, Madras State, India (present-day Tamil Nadu)
One of the world’s 100 most powerful women in 2020 according to Forbes, BJP member Nirmala Sitharaman is the first woman to be a full-time finance minister of India. The Madurai-born JNU alumna had earlier quit her PhD program in economics midway to move to London with her husband.
5
Kiran Bedi
(First Woman in India to Join the Officer Ranks of the Indian Police Service (IPS))
Birthdate: June 9, 1949
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Amritsar, India
Kiran Bedi is an Indian police officer and social activist. In 1972, she became the first Indian woman to serve as an officer in the Indian Police Service. From 2016 to 2021, she served as the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, playing an important role in the development of the Indian Union Territory. Her life has inspired many films, including Karthavyam.
6
Jayalalitha Jayaram
(Indian Politician)
Birthdate: February 24, 1948
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Melukote, India
Died: December 5, 2016
7
Mamata Banerjee
(Politician)
Birthdate: January 5, 1955
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Calcutta, West Bengal, India
8
Jayaprada
(Indian Actress Who Worked in Telugu and Hindi Film Industries)
Birthdate: April 3, 1962
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, India
Jaya Prada was once one of the highest-paid actors in the Hindi and Telugu film industries. Though she initially aspired to become a doctor, her interest in dance took over later and she later soared to fame with films such as Sargam and Tohfa. She has also been an MP.
Birthdate: August 26, 1956
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: New Delhi, India
Maneka Gandhi is an Indian politician, environmentalist, and animal rights activist. She is credited with inspiring several individuals towards social entrepreneurship. Maneka Gandhi is best known as an animal rights leader for which she has received several international awards. She is also credited with establishing an animal welfare organization named People for Animals.
Birthdate: December 19, 1934
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Nadgaon, Maharashtra, India
Pratibha Patil served as the president of India from 2007 to 2012 and was the first and only woman to have held the position. The INC member had also been the governor of the Indian state of Rajasthan earlier. She had started her political career as an MLA from Jalgaon.
11
Hema Malini
(Politician and One of the Most Popular and Successful Leading Indian Actresses in Mainstream Hindi Cinema)
Birthdate: October 16, 1948
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Tamil Nadu, Indian
Hema Malini is an Indian actress, writer, director, dancer, producer, and politician. She was one of the leadings actresses of Hilndi films during 1970s and 1980s. Hema Malini is also known for her association with social causes; she is a supporter of organizations like PETA India. Her life and career have inspired three biographical books so far.
Birthdate: April 9, 1948
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India
Birthdate: January 15, 1956
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Delhi, India
14
Priyanka Gandhi(General Secretary of Indian National Congress (Since 2020))
Birthdate: January 12, 1972
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: New Delhi, India
15
Rakhi Sawant
(Model, Actor)
Birthdate: November 25, 1978
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Worli
16
Mimi Chakraborty
(Actress)
Birthdate: February 11, 1989
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, India
Birthdate: January 8, 1990
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Calcutta, West Bengal, India
Birthdate: March 28, 1948
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Calcutta, West Bengal, India
Birthdate: December 17, 1958
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Madras, Madras State, India
20
Sumitra Mahajan
(Politician)
Birthdate: April 12, 1943
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Chiplun
Birthdate: 1820 AD
Birthplace: Faizabad
Died: April 7, 1879
Also known as Begum of Awadh, Begum Hazrat Mahal was the second wife of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah. She is remembered for rebelling against the British East India Company during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Following her husband’s exile, she took over affairs in the state of Awadh. However, she was forced by the British to abandon Awadh.
Birthdate: November 17, 1972
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Bhakarapeta,Tirupati, Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh, India
23
Malavika Avinash
(Actress, Politician)
Birthdate: January 28, 1976
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
24
Khushboo
(Actress, politician, film producer, and television presenter)
Birthdate: September 29, 1970
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Bombay, Maharashtra, India
25
Vasundhara Raje
(Politician)
Birthdate: March 8, 1953
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Mumbai, India
Birthdate: August 27, 1963
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Chennai, India
Birthdate: November 25, 1966
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Birthdate: July 16, 1909
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Kalka, Punjab, India
Died: July 29, 1996
Birthdate: August 30, 1936
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Hampi, Karnataka, India
30
Vyjayanthimala
(Film actress, Politician)
Birthdate: August 13, 1936
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Triplicane, Chennai, India
Vyjayanthimala is an Indian actress and dancer who played a major role in the Hindi film industry during the 1950s and 1960s. One of the most popular actresses of all time, Vyjayanthimala is also known for her contribution to South Indian movies. She is the recipient of several awards, including Filmfare Awards and Lifetime Achievement Awards at International film festivals.
Birthdate: June 14, 1952
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Chandigarh, India
Birthdate: September 19, 1976
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Bombay, Maharashtra, India
Birthdate: March 5, 1959
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Birthdate: November 29, 1982
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Bangalore
Birthdate: April 13, 1940
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Bhopal, Bhopal State, British India
36
Priyadarshini Raje Scindia
(Wife of Minister of Civil Aviation and Rajya Sabha MP Jyotiraditya Scindia)
Birthdate: 1975 AD
Birthplace: India
Birthdate: August 3, 1948
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Nellore, Madras Presidency, British India
38
Vijaya Raje Scindia
(Known popularly as the Rajmata of Gwalior)
Birthdate: October 12, 1919
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, India
Died: January 25, 2001
Birthdate: September 28, 1965
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Nidamarru, Andhra Pradesh, India
40
Vennira Aadai Nirmala
(Actress)
Birthdate: June 28, 1948
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India
41
Ameeta Singh
(Indian Politician and Former Badminton Champion)
Birthdate: October 4, 1962
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
The president of the Delhi Capital Badminton Association, Ameeta Singh is a former national badminton champion player who later stepped into politics. An MP from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, she represented the INC before joining the BJP. She is also the former wife of murdered badminton ace Syed Modi.
Birthdate: August 10, 1963
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Uttar Pradesh
Died: July 25, 2001
Phoolan Devi was an Indian bandit who later on became a politician. She was a victim of child marriage and later on gang raped by a group of upper caste men. To avenge her humiliation she went on to become the leader of gang of bandits Later on she became a politician and served as Member of Parliament. She was assassinated by an upper caste man.
43
Asiya Andrabi
(Kashmiri separatist and founding leader of Dukhtaran-e-Millat)
Birthdate: 1962 AD
Birthplace: Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
44
Shreyasi Singh
(Indian Shooter and Politician)
Birthdate: August 29, 1991
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: New Delhi, India
45
Krishna Poonia
(Indian Discus Thrower, Track-And-Field Athlete and Member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly)
Birthdate: May 5, 1977
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Agroha, Haryana, India
Padma Shri- and Arjuna Award-winning discus thrower Krishna Poonia created history when she became the first Indian discus thrower to qualify for the Olympic finals. Apart from a Commonwealth gold, she also has two Asian Games bronze medals in her kitty. She is now a Congress Party MLA.
46
Kamal Rani Varun
(Politician)
Birthdate: May 3, 1958
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
Died: August 2, 2020
47
Soni Sori
(Political leader)
Birthdate: April 15, 1975
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Bade Bedma, Chhattisgarh, India
48
Nellie Sengupta
(Englishwoman who fought for Indian Independence)
Birthdate: January 12, 1884
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Cambridge, United Kingdom
Died: October 23, 1973
49
Janaki Venkataraman
(First Lady of India from 1987 until 1992. She was the wife of Indian President R. Venkataraman)
Birthdate: 1921 AD
Birthplace: Bago, Myanmar
Died: August 13, 2010
50
Vidya Stokes
(Indian Female Field Hockey Player and Former Irrigation and Public Health Minister of Himachal Pradesh)
Birthdate: December 8, 1927
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Kotgarh, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India
Vidya Stokes is an Indian politician who served as the Irrigation & Public Health Minister of Himachal Pradesh from 2012 to 2017. In 2010, she was elected as the president of Hockey India at the age of 83. She has also served as the president of the Women’s Hockey Association on several occasions.