5 Indian Women Who Broke All Stereotypes And Re-Wrote Destiny

Not a woman’s job’, ‘society does not accept this’, ‘sports are not meant for girls’, ‘a woman can’t’ – these are just some of the things women across the world hear every time they try and rise above stereotypes and achieve something new. But, thankfully, there are many women who decided not to pay heed to the naysayers and moved on, breaking barriers and reaching new heights in their quest to fulfill personal dreams and ambitions.

From challenging patriarchal mindsets to fighting disability in pursuit of their passions, these five Indian women have broken glass ceilings and come out on top as only true fighters can.

# Mother Without Giving Birth

Sushmita Sen challenged Indian social taboos by adopting a baby girl named Renée in 2000. As a single woman of only 25 years of age, it was not viewed as socially acceptable for her to obtain the guardianship of the baby. However, the High Court of Bombay quashed the appeal and granted her custody. On 13 January 2010, she adopted a three-month-old girl, Alisah.

# Love Has No Age

Popular Bollywood and Marathi actress Suhasini Mulay has been in news for the last few days for apparently 'getting married at the age of 60'. While it is true that Suhasini found love and got married when she was 60, the news has come out only 4 years later. Yes, the actress is 66 right now, and in fact got married on January 16, 2011

# Standing Tall After Being Raped

Sunitha Krishnan, she was born in 1972.Gang-raped by eight men when she was 15, Krishnan has had to deal with all that and more. Though violated, she refused to be broken and she gave birth to an instituion that assists trafficked women and girls in finding shelter.

# Mother Through Wedlock

Neena Gupta, 60, was way ahead of her times when she took the bold decision to go ahead with her pregnancy with one of the world's finest cricketers, Vivian Richards, 27 years back (their daughter Masaba today is 26 years old). She is honest, hardworking and impulsive with simple needs. She has high self- respect, but is shy and reluctant to ask anyone for work.

# Diasability Cannot Stop You

Arunima Sinha is the first Indian amputee to climb Mount Everest. She is also the first female amputee to climb Mount Everest. mmediately, as she fell on the railway track, another train on a parallel track crushed her leg below the knee. She was rushed to the hospital with serious leg and pelvic injuries, and lost her leg after doctors amputated it to save her life.

# Fight For Right

Irom Chanu Sharmila also known as the "Iron Lady" or "Mengoubi" is a civil rights activist, political activist, and poet from the Indian state of Manipur. On 5 November 2000, she began a hunger strike which she ended on 9 August 2016, after 16 years of fasting. Having refused food and water for more than 500 weeks, she has been called "the world's longest hunger striker". On International Women’s Day, 2014 she was voted the top woman icon of India by MSN Poll.