Dalit, from the Sanskrit दलित, meaning ‘broken’ or ‘scattered’ is the lowest stratum of the Indian caste system. Otherwise referred to as ‘untouchables’, its people exist outside the traditional hierarchy. Dalit women are said to be one of the world’s most oppressed groups.
indian women
V is for… Velu Nachiyar
India has its fair share of female warriors in its history, but one of the first was a woman named Velu Nachiyar, the first Queen of Sivaganga estate. She was the first queen to take on British colonial powers in India, and she emerged victorious, restoring her kingdom to its former glory.
O is for… Onake Obavva
Sometimes, the most ordinary people can do the most extraordinary things - a fact that is especially true for Onake Obavva, a regular woman living in Karnataka, India, who in an instant became one of the area's most celebrated female warriors.
N is for… Noor Inayat Khan
Noor Inayat Khan was an unlikely spy. A Muslim pacifist who had a great dislike of lying and deception and once fell apart during a mock interrogation, she nevertheless proved herself to be intelligent, resolute, and utterly invaluable to the British cause.
K is for… Kamala Surayya
Women writers have been present in India for millennia, evidence stretching back to 600 BC. Among them numbers Kamala Surayya, a ground-breaking poet whose honest and frank discussions of women's sexuality continues inspiring people to this day.
Sophia Duleep Singh – Socialite to Suffragette
Goddaughter of Queen Victoria and a member of the British aristocracy, Sophia Duleep Singh would go on to become one of the most prominent members of the British suffrage movement. She was passionately devoted to the cause, and never hesitated to do whatever she thought she must for the 'advancement of women'.