The BBC revealed its list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world for 2023 on November 21. The list features four Indians, alongside the likes of Michelle Obama, Amal Clooney, Gloria Steinem, America Ferrera and Huda Kattan.
BCC's list also includes the names of 28 women "who have been working to help their communities tackle climate change and take action to adjust to its impacts.” This includes Indian photographer Arati Kumar-Rao.
Independent photographer, writer and National Geographic Explorer Arati Kumar-Rao has been documenting the changing landscape caused by climate change across South Asia. Through her photographs, she chronicles environmental degradation and how drastically depleting groundwater, habitat destruction, and land acquisition for industry devastate biodiversity.
Apart from National Geographic magazine, Kumar-Rao's works have featured in Emergence magazine, BBC Outside Source, and various Indian newspapers. She is currently on a National Geographic grant to document forced human migration in India.
Kumar-Rao's first book, Marginlands: Indian Landscapes On The Brink, was shortlisted at the TataLitLive! Awards 2023 for first-book, non-fiction.
Other than Kumar-Rao, cricketer Harmanpreet Kaur, Bhikṣuṇī, Buddhist nun Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo and actress Dia Mirza are also on the list.
