The year 2022 has been a momentous year for women in India, with many breaking barriers and achieving significant milestones in various fields. From politics to sports, from science to business, women in India have made remarkable strides in 2022. Women have taken charge of what they wouldn’t have thought of some years back in India, becoming the first woman in the history of India to do so.
Let us rightly recognize some of these women:
- P T Usha chairs Rajya Sabha Proceedings
Pilavullakandi Thekkeparambil Usha, also known as The Payyoli Express, is a world-renowned track and field athlete, especially for her extraordinary performance in the Asian Games. She has been the pride of the nation since 1980 and has won many awards and medals on an international level. Her passion and hard work inspired many women who now aspire to lead in various fields.
Recently, PT Usha has created history by becoming the first nominated Member of Parliament to become Vice Chairperson at Rajya Sabha.
- Harmanpreet Kaur became the first cricketer ever to play 150 T20 international matches.
Harmanpreet Kaur is an outstanding female cricketer who has brought laurels to female cricket. In 2013, she was handed the responsibility of the captaincy of the Indian female team, which she held remarkably.
Harmanpreet Kaur has recently become the first cricketer in the male and female categories to play the most T20 matches, passing 150. She beat Rohit Sharma’s record of playing 148 matches.
- Indian women’s lawn bowling team wins a gold medal in Commonwealth Games, making it India’s first medal in this sport.
Lawn bowls, a famous sport in England and Australia, started in 1930. Now getting more recognition in India, the female team of the Lawn Bowl won the gold medal in the Commonwealth Games.
The four Lawn Bowls team includes Lovely Choubey, Rupa Rani Tirkey, Pinki, and Nayanmoni Saikia. The Indian Lawn Bowl team started in 2007 and had been progressing ever since.
The females not only brought a gold medal home but also hoped to keep growing which has inspired many women in the country.
- Women sailors join Indian Navy
Women were not expected to be sailors since it required operational and administrative instructions, as was once quoted by a now-retired general. So the only jobs that they got in the Indian Navy were in the medical and paramedical departments. However, women are now being recognized for their roles beyond medics.
In June 2022, Indian Army opened doors for women to join the Indian Navy when Sub Lieutenant (SLt) Kumudini Tyagi and SLt Riti Singh became the first two females to join warships in the Indian Army.
- Women officers to head army units in forward areas
Not just in the Indian Navy, but there has been progressing for the women in the Army as well. The women have usually been restricted as foot soldiers since there have been incidents of torture and imprisonment of the male soldiers which can harm the integrity of women if kept in the same shoes.
However, women have now been allowed to lead the army units in various regions, including the border-sharing regions of the North and the East.
- NDRF includes women in a foreign relief team
NDRF, or the National Disaster Response Force, had considered disaster response to be a tedious task, hence, a man’s task, for a long time. However, considering the bravery of the women at large, the NDRF recently positioned the first unit of women rescuers in Uttar Pradesh’s Garh Mukteshwar town.
This now includes 100 women which have been called all-skilled to be performing their roles.
Conclusion
In conclusion, women in India have been achieving remarkable feats, breaking barriers and creating a new path for themselves and future generations. It is, therefore, imperative that society recognizes and celebrates these achievements and takes steps to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for them.
