As many as seven Indian women achievers have secured prominent ranks in the BBC's list of 100 most aspirational women. Asha Bhosle (singer), Sania Mirza (tennis champion), Kamini Kaushal (veteran actor), Rimppi Kumari (farmer), Smriti Nagpal (entrepreneur), Mumtaz Shaikh (campaigner) and Kanika Tekriwal (entrepreneur) are the chosen women icons for this honour.
BBC came up with the list as part of its '100 Women season' which was telecast on BBC World News starting Wednesday. BBC names 100 women achievers each year, who are chosen based on a mix of influential personalities who are world leaders in politics, science and entertainment, as well as inspirational women from across the world.
Asha Bhosle is a popular Bollywood playback singer with more than1,000 films to her credit. Kamini Kaushal acted in more than 100 films. Rimppi is a farmer who took over a 32-acre farm in Rajasthan along with her sister after their father's death. Sania Mirza is India's most successful women's tennis player with several Grandslams to get credit.
Smriti Nagpal is a sign language interpreter in India and her company has the largest aurally challenged population in the world. Mumtaz Shaikh earned recognition with the Right to Pee campaign. In her campaign, Mumtaz built 96 free toilets for Mumbai women, which resulted in the Maharashtra government allot Rs. 5 crore to build women toilets across Mumbai.
Kanika Tekriwal is a cancer survivor who established India's first and only marketplace for helicopter charters and private jets.