Priyanka Chopra, Navya Naveli Nanda and other icons who are doing their bit for the empowerment of women

“Feminism is women standing up for themselves and saying, ‘Give me the freedom to make my own choices, without judging me’. It is not superiority. It is not hating or berating men. It is just saying, ‘Let me make my decisions without shaming me or trolling me. Give me those opportunities that men have enjoyed for such a long time',” the global icon, Priyanka Chopra once said. Equality of opportunity irrespective of sex, gender, religion, or race, is a fundamental right everywhere, ingrained in the text of every constitution and yet exclusionary practices, deprivation of basic human rights, and a severe lack of opportunity to the girl child and women across age groups continue to persist. Yet, there appears to be ray of hope—with female entrepreneurs, celebrities, sports women, and artists using their voice and position to not only advocate women’s rights, but also actively participate in grass-root work. From Navya Naveli Nanda to Mary Kom, here’s what these wonder women are doing. 

Navya Naveli Nanda 

The 24-year-old entrepreneur, Navya Naveli Nanda founded ‘Project Naveli,’ a non-profit organisation with a mission to create a gender-equal world. The organisation has worked on several projects towards various causes, including but not limited to, building period positive homes in areas where menstruation continues to be a taboo without much remorse for women. The purpose of the period positive holiday homes has been to create a safe space for women who are menstruating and enabling them to be happier and healthier. One of our favourites is a project titled, ‘Entreprenaari’, a programme to encourage skill development, entrepreneurship, and financial independence for all women who aspire to lead. 

Priyanka Chopra

For years, the model, actor, entrepreneur and new mama, Priyanka Chopra has been vocal about gender equality and has advocated various fundamental rights for the girl child. In 2016, she became the Goodwill Ambassador for the UNICEF and has since worked actively to promote various causes. Earlier this year, the global icon took a trip to Poland and met with the children of displaced families due to the on-going Russia-Ukraine war. She often takes to Instagram to share her experiences while on the field and urging her followers to support the causes. The OG desi girl even came back to her home turf in India and took a trip to Uttar Pradesh, where she visited anganwadis (rural child care centre in India), and primary schools to encourage the right to education for all girls. In a recent interview with American Vice-President, Kamala Harris she spoke about women in leadership and other political positions. 

Gauravi Kumari 

The daughter of Princess Diya Kumari of Jaipur has been making waves in the world of women’s empowerment with her work with the Princess Diya Kumari Foundation (PDKF). Princess Gauravi grew up seeing her mother working for the welfare of women across the villages of Rajasthan. The foundation provides vocational training and skill development to these women, who create handicrafts and apparels. Gauravi Kumari founded the PDKF Store to expand the reach of the products made by these women. It enabled them to showcase their crafts at a global level. Apart from financial independence, health, hygiene, and education for girls are some of the other core causes supported by the foundation. 

Ananya Birla

At the age of 17, singer and entrepreneur Ananya Birla, founded ‘Svatantra’, a microfinance organisation based in Mumbai. Her aim was to bridge the persistent income gap in the country, particularly with regards to women. The organisation gives micro loans to women entrepreneurs and businesswomen from underserved communities and supports them. Today, ‘Svantantra’ (which, coincidentally means independence) has impacted nearly 18 million households and continues to work towards its goals of self-sufficiency, financial literacy, and inclusion. 

Mary Kom 

Earlier in 2022, the six-time world champion and mother of two, Mary Kom partnered with the Dream Sports Foundation to launch the ‘DreamJab’ programme which would train, nurture and support 30 of the most talented boxers in India, of which 20 would be female boxers. The three-year programme would take place in Imphal, with state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure to encourage young girls, particularly in the north-eastern parts of India, to take up sports.