Celebrating the women who defined 2024

2024 has been a transformative one, with trailblazing women entrepreneurs rewriting the rules of business; a year where gender-focussed narratives challenged societal norms, and women strived to create an equitable world, where innovation and inclusivity thrive hand in hand.

From startups disrupting the status quo to grassroots movements driving societal change, our stories have been a testament to courage, resilience, and innovation this year. Looking back, we revisit the milestones, challenges, and triumphs of women who dared to dream and defy, making 2024 a year of remarkable progress and inspiration.

Here is a compilation of the stories we loved writing and our readers loved reading.

Taking Yakshagana forward

Growing up in Bengaluru, Priyanka Mohan was immersed in the world of Yakshagana from a young age, as her home was a hub for Yakshagana artists. Her father—a Yakshagana enthusiast—promoted the art form and became passionately involved in bringing artists from Dakshina Kannada to perform shows in the city. 

It was a given that Mohan, too, would take up Yakshagana. However, it was not until she took a break after Class 10 and started valuing the art and looking at it with a different lens. 

Mohan is one of the few women who perform and teach Yakshagana and is passionate about taking the art forward with her father’s organisation, Yakshadegula. She is also building Tvarita, a collective of artists, to make diverse art forms relevant to the current generation.

Acting and entrepreneurship

Beyond cinema, actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu has been expanding her footprint in entrepreneurship with the D2C ethnic fashion brand, Saaki. She also participated in seed funding rounds of brands, including Nourish You. Recently, Prabhu invested in D2C wellness startup, Secret Alchemist, as a co-founder.

Started in 2021 by Ankita Thadani and Akash Valia, Secret Alchemist—an aromatherapy-based wellness brand—offers products, such as roll-ons and candles, made from essential oils for hair growth, joint pain, skincare, etc.

“I believe it is really important now to be a part of brands that collectively influence and are good for society at large. I'm truly excited about ideas and brands that have a meaningful impact. I believe I am ambitious, but my ambitions should tie in with a greater purpose and have a meaningful impact,” Prabhu says.

In the spotlight at Cannes

At the 77th edition of Festival De Cannes, filmmaker Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine as Light won the Grand Prix, becoming the first Indian film in 30 years to win the competition. The movie stars Kani Kusruti and Divya Prabha in the lead roles. Premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, the film received an eight-minute standing ovation from the audience. 

Kusruti carried a clutch designed like a slice of watermelon—a symbol of Palestinian resistance—on the red carpet at Cannes. While making a statement, she says, “As an individual, I sometimes share multiple thoughts and process how to take a stand on certain issues. We live in a world where extreme events happen simultaneously, and it’s not a good time.”

Breaking age barriers

Seventy-two-year-old Viji Venkatesh is the region head for India and South Asia at The Max Foundation, a non-profit organisation and a cornerstone of the cancer care community in India, bringing 35 years of experience to the field. 

Since 2002, Venkatesh has served at The Max Foundation, leading the administration of the Glivec International Patient Assistance Program (GIPAP) and playing a key role in the management of the local Novartis Oncology Access (NOA) Program. However, Venkatesh says she didn’t need a cancer story to advocate on fighting against the disease. 

Venkatesh made her cinematic debut last year in ‘Paachuvum Albuthavilakkum’, (which means Pachu and the Magic Lamp), alongside actor Fahadh Faasil under the direction of Akhil Sathyan. 

Winning with disability

Geetha Kannan has grown up with polio and an intense fear of water. Her relationship with water evolved with her healing journey, as she befriended the element to reclaim control over her body and its movement.  

Today, at the age of 43, Chennai-based Kannan is a Paralympic swimming champion and won gold at the Tamil Nadu state-level Paralympic swimming championship held in March this year. 

Kannan, a mother of two boys, travels 34 kms every day from her home in Tambaram, a south Chennai suburb, to Periyamedu in the north, which has the only pool with a ramp and chair lift. The chair lift helps Kannan get into the water and outside—a game changer, Kannan believes, for many para swimmers and aspirants.

She ran to rewrite her fate

Tenzin Dolma of Manali was married at the age of 15. She started running at 30 and became the only woman marathoner in her town to win some of the most gruelling marathons in the Himalayan region. 

Born in Komic—the highest village in Asia in Himachal Pradesh—Dolma was the youngest of four siblings in a family that struggled with poverty. However, unlike the common narrative of early marriage cutting short opportunities, Dolma found herself in a rare, supportive environment at her in-laws’ place.

Seven years ago, when a friend suggested she sign up for a 21K marathon in Manali, Dolma registered on a whim. By winning that race, she beat out seasoned runners, including women from the police force. Dolma became the first woman to complete the Hell Ultra within the time limit, and this thirst for challenge led her next to the Snow Marathon in Lahaul, a brutal race held at 10,000 feet above sea level.

Drone didis fly high

On March 11 this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the Sashakt Nari-Viksit Bharat programme at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, New Delhi, where he distributed 1,000 drones to beneficiary women of SHGs in villages. The NaMo Drone Didi Scheme aims to empower 15,000 women-led SGHs with drones to assist in agricultural activities. 

With an MSc degree in Mathematics, Rani is highly educated by her village standards. But she complains there aren’t many job prospects where she comes from. “Associated with a local SHG, I came to know of the Drone Didi scheme through the Viksit Sankalp Bharat Yatra. The Krishak Bharati Seva Kendra in my village helped me apply, and I was selected,” she says. 

Rani attended training sessions organised by Drone Destination and Garuda Aerospace, where she learned the theory of drone technology and its practical applications in the field. At the function in Pusa, Rani was presented with a Garuda Aerospace drone. 

Like her, Kajal Kumar, Sanju Nagpure, Anita Patel, Urmila Devi, and hundreds of other women are changing their lives, and of others, through the Drone Didi scheme.

The dancing dadis of Karnataka

A video of a group of seven women—all over the age of 50—captured the hearts of thousands of viewers on Instagram this year. They danced to the song, Tauba Tauaba, from the Bollywood movie, Bad Newz. 

What started as a typical old-age home in Belgaum, Karnataka—Shantai Vruddashram—has gained fame across India, thanks to these women, who, with their dance moves, are reliving their youth by dancing to popular songs on social media. 

They are popularly called "viral dadis" on the internet, with dadi referring to grandmother in Hindi. The Instagram channel, started last September, currently boasts over 37,000 followers, with many young social media users and celebrities supporting them.

Empowering women in STEM

Feminist Approach to Technology was founded in 2007 by Gayatri Buragohain, a passionate advocate of gender equality who recognised the critical role technology plays in shaping women's lives. 

The non-profit was founded on Buragohain’s firm belief that if women are equipped with technological skills, they can break societal barriers, gain independence, and assert their voices in a rapidly evolving world.  

Over the years, it has grown to encompass three main verticals: the Young Women’s Leadership Programme, the Girls in STEM Programme, and the Collectivisation Initiative. Feminist Approach to Technology has local tech centres in urban slums and rural areas in and around Pune, Lajpat Nagar in Delhi, Giridih in Jharkhand, Patna, and parts of Bihar. 

100 Emerging women leaders 

This year also saw the launch of the fourth edition of the 100 Emerging Women Leaders series that brought into the spotlight women who are redefining leadership and impact in their respective fields. 

Each woman in this list has a compelling story–of breaking barriers, surviving the odds, or shattering stereotypes. They are entrepreneurs, tech leaders, actors, sportswomen, innovators, scientists, and grassroots activists who drive change and progress in a rapidly evolving society. Their stories will inspire a new generation of women to follow in their footsteps, allowing them to dream big, realise their true potential, push the boundaries of knowledge, and be a collective force for change.