International Women’s Day (IWD) is marked on March 8 every year. It is a major day of global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements of women.

Started as a Socialist political event, the holiday blended in the culture of many countries (primarily Russia and the countries of former Soviet bloc). In some celebrations, the day lost its political flavour, and became simply an occasion for men to express their love to the women around them.

The status of women in India has been subject to many great changes over the past few millennia. From a largely unknown status in ancient times through the low points of the medieval period, to the promotion of equal rights by many reformers, the history of women in India  has been eventful.

Top 5 Indian women

Pratibha Patil

Pratibha Devisingh Patil is the 12th and current President of the Republic of India and first woman to hold the office. Pratibha Patil, a member of the Indian National Congress (INC), was nominated by the ruling United Progressive Alliance and Indian Left. She won the presidential election held on 19 July 2007.

Patil represented Edlabad constituency in Jalgaon District, Maharashtra  as a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly (1962-1985), and was deputy chairwoman of the Rajya Sabha (1986-1988), Member of Parliament from Amravati  in the Lok Sabha (1991-1996), and the 24th, and the first woman Governor of Rajasthan  (2004-2007).Pratibha Patil began her political career in 1962 at the age of 27.

Sonia Gandhi

Sonia Gandhi is the Italian-born President of the Indian National Congress and the widow of former Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi. She also serves as the Chairperson of the ruling United Progressive Alliance in the Lok Sabha and the leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party.She was named the third most powerful woman in the world by Forbes magazine in the year 2004 and was ranked 6th in 2007.She was also named among the Time 100 most influential people in the world for the years 2007 and 2008.

Sonia Gandhi’s involvement with Indian public life began after the assassination of her mother-in-law and her husband’s election as Prime Minister. She was elected the Leader of the Opposition of the 13th Lok Sabha in 1999.As Leader of Opposition, she called a no-confidence motion against the NDA government led by Vajpayee in 2003.

She holds the record of having served as Congress President for 10 years consecutively.

Sushma Swaraj

Sushma Swaraj is currently the Leader of the Opposition in the 15th Lok Sabha. She is a former union cabinet minister of India and a former chief minister of Delhi. Also she served as the chairperson of the BJP’s 19 member campaign committee for the 2009 General Elections. She has been associated with many social and cultural bodies in various capacities. She was President of the Hindi Sahitya Sammelan, Haryana for four years.

Sushma Swaraj began her political career as a student leader in the 1970s, organizing protests against Indira Gandhi’s government. She was a member of the Haryana Legislative Assembly from 1977-82 and then from 1987-90. As a Janata Party MLA in Devi Lal’s government, she was the Cabinet Minister of Labour and Employment (1977-1979). She joined the BJP in 1980. Under a combined Lok Dal-BJP government led by Devi Lal, she was the Cabinet Minister of Education, Food and Civil Supplies (1987-1990). She was judged Best Speaker of Haryana State Assembly for three consecutive years.

Meira Kumar

Meira Kumar is the the first woman Speaker of Lok Sabha.Meira Kumar entered electoral politics in 1985 and was elected from Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh defeating political heavyweights like Ram Vilas Paswan and Mayawati, two powerful dalit leaders. She was a member of the eighth, eleventh and twelfth Lok Sabha’s from Karol Bagh in Delhi.

She is daughter of former Deputy Prime Minister and prominent dalit leader, Babu Jagjivan Ram. She got her early education in Patna and then she did her M.A., LL.B, Educated at Indraprastha College and Miranda House, Delhi University. After clearing the UPSC examination in 1973, she joined the Indian Foreign Service and served at embassies in Spain, United Kingdom and Mauritius.

In 1985 she left the glamorous job of Indian Foreign Service and join politics.Meira Kumar is a keen sportswoman and she also holds medals for rifle shooting. She has also been a member of (i) India International Centre, New Delhi; (ii) India Habitat Center, New Delhi; and (iii) National Sports Club of India, New Delhi.

Nirupama Rao

Nirupama Menon Rao is the the current Foreign Secretary of India, serving the External Affairs Ministry.In July 2009, she became the second woman to hold the post of Indian Foreign Secretary, the head of Indian Foreign Service. In her career she has served in several capacities including, Minister of Press Affairs in Washington, Deputy Chief of Mission in Moscow, stints in the Ministry of External Affairs as Joint Secretary (East Asia), (External Publicity) making her the first woman spokesperson of the External Affairs Ministry, Chief of Personnel, Ambassador to Peru and China, and High Commissioner to Sri Lanka.

Nirupama Rao was born in Malappuram, Kerala, into the Meempat tharawad.She topped the All India Civil Services Examination  in 1973 and joined the Indian Foreign Service.Rao was a fellow at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University in 1992-93 where she specialized on Asia-Pacific Security

She has written a book of poetry, named Rain Rising . Her poems have been translated into Chinese and Russian.