A number of books have been brought out coinciding with International Women’s Day – an ode to inspiring women who changed India, a saga of valiant achievers, and an anthology of stories about those who had swum against the current.

“Rising: 30 Women Who Changed India” by Kiran Manral looks at what shaped them, the challenges they faced, the influences they had, the choices they made, and how they negotiated around or broke the boundaries that sought to confine them, either through society or circumstance.

From politics to sport, from the creative and performing arts to cinema and television, from business leaders to scientists, legal luminaries, and more, the book, published by Rupa, features the stories of these celebrated, fabulous women.

Kiran Manral, the author of ‘Rising: 30 Women Who Changed India, is a celebrated author, journalist, researcher, and entrepreneur.

Overview: With stories of 30 amazing contemporary Indian women, this book looks at what shaped them, the challenges they faced, the influences they had, the choices they made, and how they negotiated around or broke the boundaries that sought to confine them, either through society or circumstance. From diverse backgrounds, different generations, they have risen through sheer grit, determination, bolstered with passion, and are, today, names to look up to, to hold out as examples to the next generation of young women and girls, giving them courage to reach out to their dreams. From politics to sport, from the creative and performing arts to cinema and television, from business leaders to scientists, legal luminaries, and more, this book features the stories of these much celebrated, fabulous women: Sushma Swaraj, Sheila Dikshit, Fathima Beevi, Mahasweta Devi, Amrita Sher-Gil, Amrita Pritam, Sonal Mansingh, Lata Mangeshkar, Anita Desai, M.S. Subbulakshmi, Harita Kaur Deol, Madhuri Dixit, Bachendri Pal, Rekha, Chhavi Rajawat, Karnam Malleswari, Shailaja Teacher, Hima Das, Naina Lal Kidwai, Shakuntala Devi, P.T. Usha, P.V. Sindhu, Ekta Kapoor, Kiran Bedi, Mary Kom, Menaka Guruswamy, Tessy Thomas, Aparna Sen, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, and Gayatri Devi, among others.

(Also read: International Women’s Day 2022: Dear women, it’s time to priortize your mental health)

About the Author: Kiran Manral is a writer, author, and novelist based in Mumbai. Her fiction titles include The Reluctant Detective, Once Upon a Crush, All Aboard!, Saving Maya, Missing: Presumed Dead, The Face at the Window, The Kitty Party Murder, and More Things in Heaven and Earth. In the non-fiction category, her works include Karmic Kids, True Love Stories, A Boy’s Guide to Growing Up, 13 Steps to Bloody Good Parenting, Raising Kids with Hope, and Wonder in Times of a Pandemic and Climate Change. In previous avatars, she has been a journalist, researcher, festival curator, and entrepreneur. She has received multiple awards, such as the Women Achievers Award by Young Environmentalists Association in 2013 and the International Women’s Day Award 2018 from ICUNR (the Indian Council of UN Relations) supported by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, for excellence in the field of writing.

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