India’s First Women Leaders and Achievers

1.

First Woman President

Smt Pratibha Patil

2.

First Woman Prime Minister

Smt Indira Gandhi

3.

First Woman Governor

Sarojini Naidu

4.

First woman to rule (on Delhi’s throne)

Razia Sultan

5.

First Woman I.P.S. Officer

Kiran Bedi

6.

First Woman Chief Minister of a state

Sucheta Kriplani (U.P.)

7.

First Woman Union Minister/First Union Health Minister

Rajkumari Amrita Kaur

8.

First Woman President of INC

Annie Besant

9.

First Woman to Judge of the Supreme Court

Meera Sahib Fatima Bibi

10.

First Woman to get Ashoka Chakra

Nirja Bhanot

11.

First Indian Woman Ambassador at United Nations

Vijayalakshmi Pandit

12.

First Indian Woman to swim across English Channel

Arati Saha (Gupta)

13.

First Indian Woman to get the Nobel Prize

Mother Teresa (1779)

14.

First Indian woman to climb Mt Everest

Bachendri Pal

15.

First Indian Woman to become ‘Miss World’

Miss Reita Faria

16.

First Indian Woman to climb ‘Mt Everest’ twice

Santosh Yadav

17.

First Indian Woman to become ‘Miss Universe’

Sushmita Sen

18.

First Indian Woman to get Bharat Ratna

Smt Indira Gandhi

19.

First Woman to get Jnanpith Award

Ashapurna Devi

20.

First Indian Woman to win WTA title

Sania Mirza

21.

First Indian Woman Pilot of Indian Airlines

Darba Banerjee

22.

First Indian Woman to fly an aircraft

Sarla Thkral

23.

First Indian Woman to win a Gold in Asian Games

Kamaljeet Sandhu

24.

First Indian Woman President of I.N. Congress

Sarojini Naidu (1925)

25.

First Indian Woman to win the Booker Prize

Arundhati Roy

26.

First Woman musician to get ‘Bharat Ratna’

M.S. Subbulakshmi

27.

First Indian Woman to go into space

Kalpana Chawla

28.

First Female Speaker of Loksabha

Meira Kumar

29.

First Female Secretary General of India

Snehlata Shrivastav

30.

First Female Deputy Chairperson of Rajyasabha

Violet Alva

31.

First Female Member of Parliament

Radhabai Subbarayan

32.

First Female Chairperson of UPSC

Rose Millian Bathew

33.

First Female IAS Officer

Anna George

34.

First Female Chairperson of any Legislative Assembly

Shanno Devi (Haryana, 16-1967)

35.

First Female Chief Justice of any High Court

Leila Seth (Himachal Pradesh)

36.

First Female Session Judge

Anna Chandy/Chandi

37.

First Female Indian Ambassador at UN

Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit

38.

First female Indian to get Jnanpith Award

Ashapoorna Devi

39.

First Female to get Arjun Award

Anne Lumsden (Hockey, 1961)

40.

First Female Indian to get a medal in Olympics

Karnam Malleswari

41.

First Female to get Arjun and R.G. Khel Ratna Awards (both)

Kunj Rani (1990, 1996-97)

42.

First Female Mayor

Tara Cherjan (Chennai)

43.

First Female Graduate

Kadambini Ganguly (1878) and Chandramukhi Basu

44L

First Female Graduate (Hons.)

Kamini Roy (1886)

45.

First Female Physician

Anandibai Gopalrao Joshi

46.

First Female Surgeon

Dr Prema Mukherjee

47.

First female Driver in Indian Railways

Surekha Shankar Yadav

48.

First female Fighter Pilot to fly solo in the Indian Air Force

Harita Kaur Deol

49.

First Female Lieutenant General

Punita Arora

50.

First Female Air Marshal

Padma Bandopadhyay

51.

First Female Chairperson of Indian Airlines

Sushma Chawala

52.

First Indian Female to win Oscar Award

Bhanu Athaiya

53.

First Indian Female to ski to the South Pole

Rina Kaushal Dharmshaktu

54.

First Female Sea Channellers from Five Continents

Bula Choudhary

55.

First Female to walk across Gobi Desert

Sucheta Kadethankar

56.

First Female Secretary-General of Rajya Sabha

V.S. Ramadevi

57.

First Female Actress Nominated for Rajya Sabha

Nargis Dutt

58.

First Female to reach Antarctica

Mehar Moos

59.

First female recipient of Sahitya Akademi Award

Amrita Pritam

60.

First Female Participant of Olympic Games

Nilima Ghose

61.

First Female Actress

Devika Rani

62.

First female chairperson of Rashtriya Mahila Ayog

Jayanti Patnayak

63.

First Female newsreader of Doordarshan

Pratima Puri

64.

First Female Olympic Silver Medalist in Badminton

P.V. Sindhu

65.

First Female Olympic medalist in Badminton

Saina Nehwal

66.

First female medallist in wrestling at the Olympics

Sakshi Mallick

67.

First Female to get Bronze Medal in Boxing at Olympic

Mary Kom (2012, London Olympic)

68.

First Female Foreign Secretary

Chokila, liar

69.

First Female to hit Double Ton in Cricket

Mithali Raj

70.

First Indian Woman Cricketer to score 10,000 International Runs

Mithali Raj

71.

First Female to qualify for Olympic Gymnastic

Dipa Karmakar

72.

First Female Indian Member of International Olympic Committee

Nita Ambani

73.

First Female Indian Cricketer to get 100 wickets

Diana Edulji

74.

First Female Gold Medallist of Asiad

Vinesh Phogat

75.

First Female to get Norman Borlaug Award

Dr Amrita Patel (1992)

76.

First Female to reach the Olympics in the track and Field Final

P.T. Usha

77.

First Female to get Olympic medal twice

P.V. Sindhu

78.

First Women combat Aviator of the Indian Army

Capt. Abhilasha Bar