Their book for children has not one but 50 extraordinary heroines

When we started writing this book, we asked ourselves this question many times—how do we really judge impact and narrow down to a compilation of only 50 women? Is it winning medals and accolades? Is it being the first to do something? Or is it just relentlessly going after what you want and, in doing so, setting an example for thousands of others? Our wonderful editor, Niyati Dhuldhoya, always had the same response whenever we were stuck at decision making—this is your book. So what we have here is no definitive list, but a deeply personal and subjective one. Our affinities and interests are obvious in the stories that we have chosen.

Our shortlist contains a lot of historical women, not only because there are some truly remarkable women whose stories are still relevant, but because it was easier to gauge what they had accomplished over their lifetime. We also wanted to make sure that we covered a wide gamut of professions—from an astronaut to a train driver. Every job had its own struggle when it came to being a woman. We wanted to cover a lot of stories that we thought were fantastic, but just hadn’t had a chance to be heard as much as some of the others.

Our favourite life stories include Janaki Ammal, a quiet and hard working botanist who changed the way India ate; Amrita Devi who gave her life just to protect the natural beauty around her; Surekha Yadav who was the first female train driver; Harshini Kanhekar who sat in a classroom full of boys just to fulfill her dreams of being a firefighter; and Sudha Chandran dancing her heart out despite having lost her leg! The stories in this book all have something spectacular that made them who they were.

Compared to men, women in our country have always had to struggle for basic rights. It is important to acknowledge the battles fought by so many women, which make our present-day lives easier. We hope that these stories bring to light the fact that some people have always had to fight hard for things that may seem like a given, today.

This being a children’s book, targeted especially at ages six and above, we are determined to have an influence on boys and girls this young, where it is probably most key. There will come a day when we do not have to talk exclusively about women’s stories but we are still working hard to see that day. And so for now, we hope that these lesser heard stories are told again and again.

Treat people nicely. Working hard, and doing the same thing over and over till you perfect your skill, is of great value when you are starting out. Only once you develop a strong foundation do you have the ability to express your own ideas clearly. In this day and age where the internet is omnipresent, do not worry about social media and design trends. Things are truly not what they seem. Remember your own values, interests and develop more and more work that is truthful to yourself.