Even though we dedicate just one day in the year to women, the fact is that they have to fight every single day for the right to succeed in a world that constantly invisibilized them and pushes them back. On International Women's Day, meet three powerful, self-made women who have not let anything stop them from achieving the triumphs that they deserve.
Designer, actor, and fitness icon Masaba Gupta did not get the happiness and success she enjoys today, on a platter. As the daughter of Neena Gupta, a single mother, she saw right from childhood how much grit, self-belief, and hard work it takes for an unconventional woman to survive in society. She was just a baby when Neena Gupta took her to the sets of the historical series 'The Sword of Tipu Sultan' where a sudden fire erupted and claimed many lives. The mother and daughter were fortunate to make it out alive. As a child, Masaba faced colorism and was often bullied in school. At 19, however, life took a turn, when inspired by her mentor, the late Wendell Rodricks, she joined the world of fashion and never looked back. Her brand, 'House of Masaba' has created a unique space for itself and celebrates free-spirited unconventionality. Like her, her design is both modern and yet rooted. Today as they play the lead roles in the Netflix series 'Masaba Masaba', life has come full circle for both mother and daughter.
Chinu Kala
Chinu's story reads like a film script. She left home with a few hundred rupees after a family argument and decided to make it on her own. At different points in time, she worked as a door-to-door salesperson, waitress, tele marketeer and took on many different jobs to eke out a living. She soon started getting drawn to fashion, design, and the idea of a business where she could be her own boss and ended up creating Rubans Accessories, the fastest-growing jewelry brand in the country which offers more than 2000 artisanal designs to over a million customers! The most incredible aspect of this story is that Chinu started her journey from a kiosk in 2014 and has now become a leader without equality in the virtual market space. Chinu is a living example of the miracles women can craft with their own hands if they are fearless and determined to succeed.
Ambika Gupta
Ambika Gupta, a multiple award-winning, luxe event designer and the founder of the company The A-Cube Project is now known as a leading light of bespoke wedding design in India and is much sought after by discerning clients across the globe, many of whom are celebrities and hail from influential families. Her wedding design created a sensation in the media and she is now celebrated widely for her trend-setting aesthetics and her ability to personalise wedding stories with sumptuous detailing. However, it is hard to imagine that her first event as a budding event designer was a retro-themed birthday party with contacts and resources sourced entirely from JustDial, an online directory. She was then a young Biotechnology graduate in her twenties who had come to Chennai guided by an inner voice to explore design in a completely new city. She founded The A-Cube Project in 2012 but the going was not easy. Striking roots in a new city, sourcing products and services, battling homesickness and trying to get past the language barrier to form a network of vendors was tough but once one of her projects went viral, there was no looking back. Today, she is an inspiration to aspiring women entrepreneurs who have only their talent to fall back on. As a single mother who also happens to be a TedXSpeaker and the face of a successful, ever-growing company, Ambika Gupta has shown that everything is possible when a woman makes up her mind to not give up.
