In Sanatan Dharma, women are bestowed, crowned, accredited and afforded the highest place. In India, women — from Rani Jhansi to Rani Durgavati, have led the Indian society on all occasions and far fronts gallantly and bravely, with the highest valour. As this calendar year, 2022 concludes, it would be worthwhile to recall and gracefully reminisce about the first Indian women achievers of 2022.
Captain Harpreet Chandi, an Indian-origin British Sikh Army officer and physiotherapist, created history by becoming the first woman of colour to complete a solo unsupported trek to the South Pole. Ishani Singh Jamwal from Kullu became the first Indian girl to escalate to scale Mt Cho Oyu (8,201m), the sixth highest peak in the world, from the difficult south side through Nepal. She finally topped the height of 7,200m. Now she is the only woman, who has recorded this rare achievement.
Besides, Anvitha Reddy Padamati turned out to be the first Indian woman to conquer the ‘True Summit’ of Mt Sumanlu in Nepal, Renu Singhi, a 57-year-old, accredited with the only woman participant from India to finish the 1550 km target of the international cycling ride christened ‘London-Edinburgh-London (LEL) 2022’ within the prescribed floor time frame.
DCP Shweta Chauhan is Central Delhi’s first woman DCP at the prime age of 45 years, Seema Devi became the first woman e-rickshaw driver in Jammu and Kashmir, Puja Prajapati became the first lady Driver in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, Kunjan Jhanwar became the first woman Yoga Therapist in Madhya Pradesh.
Captain Zoya Agarwal, a senior Air India pilot is crowned the first Indian woman to fly over the North Pole, covering a record-breaking distance of around 16,000km. Also, she has become the only person to find a unique place in San Franciso’s SFO Aviation Museum, as per the TOI report. K.P. Ashwini, a Dalit scholar from Karnataka’s Kolar district, was appointed Special Rapporteur for United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC). With this, she also is saddled as the first Indian and Asian woman to be appointed to this post.
Antim Panghal rises to India’s First-Ever U-20 World Wrestling Champion, Apeksha Fernandes attains the first ever Indian woman to reach the final of the World Junior Swimming Championships, finished eighth in the 200m women’s butterfly summit clash in Lima, Peru. Harmanpreet Kaur championed the first Indian woman cricketer to win the ICC player of the month award in 2022 for the month of September.
The list is only illustrative and not exhaustive of Indian women’s achievements in 2022. It is a long journey up the hill being attained and scaled up by Indian women, an unparalleled one.
