ETV Bharat is honouring trailblazers of Bharat with a special Women’s Day campaign (ETV Bharat)
When a woman rises, she does not rise alone. She lifts systems, reforms institutions, protects forests, leads police forces, builds businesses, writes history, and scales mountains, both literal and metaphorical. Celebrated every year on March 8, International Women’s Day began over a century ago as a movement for equality: equal pay, equal rights, equal dignity. It emerged from women who refused to accept limitation as destiny. Over time, the day has evolved. It is no longer just about rights but also about recognition and leadership.
This year, beginning March 2, 2026, ETV Bharat launches a nationwide campaign of special interviews and features that go beyond celebration. In the run-up to Women’s Day 2026, we are honouring the women who are not waiting for permission to shape the future. From mountain peaks to missile labs, village farms to international literature stages, police headquarters to railway platforms, the campaign spans the country.
Champions Of Courage
India’s first woman IPS officer, Kiran Bedi, redefined policing and reformed Tihar Jail. Dr. Sneh Bhargava became the first woman Director of AIIMS and led the institution through one of the most sensitive moments in Indian history. Anandiben Patel rose from a small village to become Gujarat’s first woman Chief Minister and later Governor of Uttar Pradesh. Geetha Johri became Gujarat’s first woman IPS officer and later its first woman acting DGP. Laxmi Singh made history as Uttar Pradesh’s first female Police Commissioner, dismantling organized crime through technology and strategic leadership.
Anu Garg became Odisha’s first woman Chief Secretary, breaking a glass ceiling that stood for decades. Radha Raturi became Uttarakhand’s first female Chief Secretary and now serves as Chief Information Commissioner. These women earned their power, often in rooms where they were the only woman present. Aparna Kumar, an IPS officer, scaled the Seven Summits and braved Antarctica’s Mount Vinson. Manasvi Agarwal hoisted the Indian flag on Vinson Massif and Aconcagua in minus 50 degrees. Tessy Thomas, the “Missile Woman of India,” led the Agni IV missile project. Ritu Karidhal, the “Rocket Woman of India,” helped steer Chandrayaan missions into history.
Sunil Dawas, India’s first female kabaddi coach to receive both, Padma Shri and Dronacharya awards, built champions from a small Haryana village. Shanta Rangaswamy captained India’s women’s cricket team when women’s cricket barely received recognition. International boxer and World Cup winner Arundhati Choudhary fought in the ring and beyond it, supported by a father who believed in her dream. Para athlete Sonia Chaudhary, physically challenged since birth, has won international gold medals. Her body may have limits; her spirit does not.
