The hurdles are arduous, but their grit and determination is unbeatable. While there are several states that boast women champions, some like Tamil Nadu have had a long and flourishing history of producing beacons of progress. Be it in the fields of medicine, manufacturing, or journalism – these women have braved patriarchy, conventional roles as well as financial hurdles to shine in their respective fields. But what really is the ‘secret’ behind its success stories?

Before we get to some examples, let’s first understand why Tamil Nadu is one of the states that is a true advocate of women empowerment. As per the Census 2011, the female literacy rate is 73.44%, which is a clear indicator of their commitment to education. The numbers say it all — in the current scenario, the state has the highest number of working women in India. This is a huge win – the statistics stand at 7.08 lakh, which is nearly half of India’s 15.93 lakh working women. If that wasn’t impressive enough – it is also three times higher than Karnataka that is next in line, as revealed by the Annual Survey of Industries (2017-18).

Without further ado, it’s time to shine the spotlight on some women who have made the state proud globally and are inspiring other women to walk down the same path.

The icons of women empowerment

The women of Tamil Nadu have time and again proved their mettle – whatever be their circumstances, they have always emerged victorious and showcased to the world that they are made of steel. One of the most prominent public figures from the state includes Indra Nooyi, who held the position of chairperson and CEO of Pepsico, until her retirement in 2019. During her 24-year tenure, she helmed the leadership for over a decade.

Nooyi, who hails from Chennai, pursued her MBA from Yale University and then worked with some of the biggest corporates, including Johnson and Johnson, Motorola, and Asea Brown Boveri, after which she joined PepsiCo in 1994. In the corporate world that is dominated by males, she was one of the first few to have made her mark with her strategic moves and business acumen. She was conferred with the title of the second most powerful woman in the world by Forbes in 2017.

Beyond the corporate life, there are other women from Tamil Nadu who have made their name in the field of medicine. One such person is Muthulakshmi Reddy, who was India’s first medical graduate. Not only did she script history in the field of medicine, she used her voice to fight for women’s rights. Muthulakshmi was unconventional and fought her way through patriarchy in all quarters – she was the first woman house surgeon in the Government Maternity and Opthalmic Hospital. What’s more, she also held the role of the first woman legislator during the British era in India.

There are others like Moovaloor Ramamirtham, who consistently worked towards abolishing the Devadasi practice in the Madras presidency. Her claim to fame is also a novel titled Dasigalin Mosavalai Alladhu Madhi Pettra Minor, which was termed as a strong voice against the patriarchal system. Eventually, she emerged successful in the abolition of the act.

Even in the case of journalism – Tamil Nadu was way ahead of the curve. While there are several women journalists who are successful today; VM Kothainayaki Ammal was the first woman to hold an editorial position in the Tamil magazine, Jaganmohini. She was also known as a supporter of Mahatma Gandhi and also went to prison in 1925. Even during this time, she continued writing and would send over paper notes to her husband for publishing.

Last but not the least, Roshni Nadar is another woman leader who has a proud association with Tamil Nadu. Currently, she holds the role of the chairwoman at HCL Technologies — to her credit, she is the first woman to lead a listed IT company. She was also one of the names that made it to the Forbes World’s 100 Most Powerful Women in 2020.

Give wings to more women entrepreneurs from Tamil Nadu

Apart from these global figures, there are many women who are working in the hinterlands of India and trying to be first-generation entrepreneurs. It isn’t an easy road breaking the chains of patriarchy and making a mark in unconventional fields, but their spirit is truly unfettered. Some of the women who have been the past winners of Britannia Marie Gold My Startup Contest and are also from Tamil Nadu include Madhu Nachammai, Narmatha Vasanthan, J.Kalavathi, R.Sumathi, Yazhinidevi D, who are symbolic of the story of an emerging India, as they take on unconventional sectors and make their mark.

While J.Kalavathi wanted to pursue her education, her dream was shattered when she was married at an early age. As someone who hails from an agricultural family, she reared cattle for a living (in the absence of choice) – but over a period of time, it turned into her passion.

“Eventually, I wanted to set up a dairy farm. Since we were struggling with finances, I would sell cows to get enough money for our children’s education. But these circumstances did not shatter my determination. Being the first woman entrepreneur from my village wasn’t easy – I faced several struggles, economically and socially,” she revealed.

Another story that will tug at your heartstrings is that of Madhu Nachammai. When she launched her product, it wasn’t easy to penetrate into a small town like Trichy. But that’s when she took the help of the audio platform Clubhouse, which was a rage during the pandemic. It is on the app that she interacted with other entrepreneurs. Over a period of time, she was more skilled – it is around the same time that she also learned about Britannia’s My Startup contest that helped her with funding her business.

“I’ve spent a huge amount of time developing this product and I want everyone to know about my product and my brand. Also, if you visit Palani, you might witness a lot of banana peel waste. Those peels can be a huge help to me, but I don’t have the bandwidth to execute it,” shared Madhu, while revealing that Nykaa CEO Falguni Nayar is her role model.

Britannia Marie Gold My Startup Contest is a laudable initiative that launched in 2019, and helped top 10 business ideas of each season by women entrepreneurs win INR 10 lakh each to start their business. Season 1 had 1 million entries and seasons 2 & 3 have been even bigger successes. 40,000+ women have so far received training via upskilling programmes, 30 women have received seed funding to start their own business and of which, 18 successful initiatives have been created.

As a new initiative to further support the past winners to scale up their businesses and support their endeavors by participating in the crowdfunding initiative. They have worked hard to be where they are, let their dreams fly higher. All you need to do is buy a Marie Gold pack, scan the QR code on it and visit the website, where you can learn more about their journey. Get inspired, spread the word and support their cause with your contribution. One step can make a huge difference, so don’t hold yourself back!