HELLO, FEMINIST STAMPS

Here’s a look at some of the most prominent women in the country’s history, as honoured by the India Post.

- Meghna Sharma

INDIRA GANDHI The first female Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi has graced many a stamp—not just in India, but also internationally. She was known for her iron will, and is among the most noteworthy politicians in the world. In fact, in 1999, she was named ‘Woman of the Millennium’ in a BBC poll.

MOTHER TERESA In 1950, she founded the Missionaries of Charity—a religious congregation that manages homes for people suffering from tuberculosis, leprosy and HIV/ AIDS. Also known as Saint Teresa of Calcutta, she received the 1962 Ramon Magsaysay Peace Prize and the 1972 Nobel Peace Prize.

PANDITA RAMABAI A pioneer in education and the emancipation of women in India, she was the first woman to be accorded the titles of Pandita (a Sanskrit scholar) and Saraswati by the University of Calcutta. She was one of the 10 women delegates at the Congress session in 1889, and the Founder of Mukti Mission, a home for destitute women and children.

MIRABAI The first Indian woman to grace a postal stamp, Mirabai was a royal, who gave up her privileges to become a Krishna devotee. One of the key saints of the Bhakti Movement, Mirabai’s bhajans, dedicated to the supreme lord, turned her into an icon.

SAROJINI NAIDU A noted poet (which earned her the title, Nightingale of India) and an independence activist, Sarojini Naidu became the President of the Indian National Congress in 1925, and was also the first woman to be appointed the Governor of the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh).